These whole wheat scones, adapted from a maple cream scone recipe on the excellent baking blog Tutti Dolci, combine two classic autumn flavors: maple and apple cider.
I put a somewhat more nutritious spin on the original recipe, replacing some of the heavy cream with milk and cider, and swapping all-purpose flour for whole wheat. I also skipped the maple extract, a common ingredient in maple scones, and went for a subtler flavor. There’s a splash of maple syrup in the dough and plenty in the frosting-like glaze, which make these scones truly addictive.
Ingredients
Scones
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup heavy cream, plus an additional tablespoon for glazing
½ cup whole milk
⅓ to ½ cup apple cider
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Granulated sugar for sprinkling
Glaze
6 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter
Generous pinch of sea salt
½ cup powdered sugar
Directions
- Line two baking sheets (or one large sheet) with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together heavy cream, milk, maple syrup, and apple cider. Fold into flour mixture, and stir until a dough forms; if dough is too dry, add additional apple cider, one tablespoon at a time. Knead a couple times until smooth.
- Divide dough in half. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, and use your hands to shape each half into a 7-inch inch circle. Place on prepared baking sheets, and freeze for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Remove baking sheets from the freezer. Cut each circle into 8 wedges, as if slicing a pizza pie, and arrange scones an inch apart. Brush scones with reserved tablespoon of heavy cream, and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden brown, surfaces are firm, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
- While the scones cool, prepare the glaze: in a small saucepan, bring maple syrup, butter, and salt to a boil, stirring until combined. Simmer on low heat for around 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and whisk in powdered sugar. Let cool for a few minutes before drizzling over scones. Sprinkle surfaces with sea salt (optional.)
- Serve once glaze has set. Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container or ziploc bag.
Yields 16 scones
Liana’s Kitchen is a column by Michigan-based chef and foodie Liana Grey. Check out her food blog Bakerwithoutborders.