Maple Glazed Apricot Oat Scones
MAKES
10 scones
TAKES
Prep time: 1 hour minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total: 1 hour 25 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
I got my first job in a bakery when I was in high school - and for a long time, I was mostly on scone duty. I was allowed to make different flavors, and this was one of my favorites. Dried apricots are soaked in warm maple syrup until they plump up. Then, they’re folded into the scone batter along with toasted oats, and the leftover maple syrup is brushed on top of each pastry before baking. They are so delicious, and I’ve never stopped making them since!
INGREDIENTS
113 g / 1 cup old fashioned oats
226 g / 1 ¾ cups diced dried apricots (see Note)
230 g / ¾ cup maple syrup
270 g / 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
37 g / 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
12 g / 1 tablespoon baking powder
3 g / ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
113 g / 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch / 1 cm cubes
235 g / 1 cup cold heavy cream, plus more as needed
Bake Up a Savory Version with Me:
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C with the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sprinkle the oats onto one of the baking sheets, and shake the tray to spread them into a fairly even layer. Transfer to the upper rack of the and toast until visibly browned and toasty, 15-18 minutes. About halfway through, remove the tray from the oven, and stir the oats to keep them toasting evenly.
3. Cool the oats completely on the baking sheet (when it comes time to use them in the scone batter, use the parchment paper to pick up and transfer the oats to the bowl, then you can reuse the baking sheet for your scones. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F / 205°C.
4. While the oats toast, place the apricots into a heat-safe bowl. Bring the maple syrup to a simmer in a small pot - remove it from the heat immediately once it’s hot, and pour it over the apricots, taking care to ensure they are submerged. Let them soak and cool for 15 minutes at room temperature.
5. Prepare the scone dough: in a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to combine. Add the butter and use your hands to break up the cubes, tossing until each one is well coated with flour.
6. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the largest pieces are about the size of peas. Use a slotted spoon to remove the apricots, draining them well from the syrup (reserve the syrup).
7. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the cream. Mix –with your hands or a silicone spatula – until the dough comes together. It should come together easily, but the dough will look craggy, not smooth. If needed, add more cream 15 g / 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. It should be moist enough that it’s slightly sticky.
8. Use a ¼ cup / #16 scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving space around each pastry to allow it to spread. Brush each scone with the leftover maple syrup.
9. Bake the scones until evenly brown, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking, 18-22 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes – serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTES
In the photograph above, you can see I used natural, unsulphured dried apricots. If you want a bit of color in scone, use the brighter dried apricots - they will retain their color, even after soaking in syrup.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
