Maple Frosted Walnut/Almond SCONES

Also as promised, here is the Walnut and Maple Scones recipe from Coup de Pouce... that I have actually modified a little (I did say that I will try new things) and so decided to modify the recipe (slightly) ...who knows, maybe it will taste better? Or not...but hey, if you don't risk things,you'll never discover anything! I must admit though, swapping maple extract with almond extract isn't a big risk...but nonetheless for an amateur like me, not following the recipe could potentially mean disaster :-)

In any case, this is a great, not-too-sweet afternoon snack (midnight craving or early breakfast), that any carb/bread/not-too-sweet sweets lovers will enjoy :-)

Here is what you'll need :

For the Scones:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 cup buttermilk (don't forget, if you don't have any you can substitute by using 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and filling up the rest of 1 cup with milk ...and let stand 5 minutes)

1 egg
2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon maple extract OR almond extract (this is what I tried today)

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

For the Maple Frosting:
1 cup icing sugar

1/4 maple syrup

1 1/2 teaspoon maple extract (no worries if you don't have any, the sugar and the maple syrup will work just fine!)

-----

ICING

Start by preparing the frosting so it has time to set (I always do it at the end, and then can never wait for it to set). Simply whisk together the icing sugar, maple syrup and maple extract. Let stand for about 1 hour or until it has set. 

SCONES

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and the salt. Add the butter, and using 2 knives (or a pastry cutter if you have), work the preparation until lumps of butter the size of pecans are visible.

In a another small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, brown sugar and almond or maple extract.

Pour over the dry ingredients. Add the chopped walnuts.

 

Mix everything together using a fork, until you get a soft dough mixture.

Dump the dough on a floured counter and with floured hands (and clean, please! :-)) , knead the dough 10 times. 

Flatten the dough in a 10" x 7" (25cm x 18 cm) rectangle.

 Cut the borders to get even edges.

 Cut the dough into 6 squares.

And each square in half.

Place on a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper. 

Bake in pre-heated oven at 400°F for about 18-20 minutes, until the scones are golden brown.

Let cool on a wire rack.

Then pour over the icing.

Finally, devour! Perfect with a nice cup of tea during a frisky Fall afternoon.

 Hope you enjoy! Keep me posted ...let me know how it turned out for you. :)