Now don't be afraid to turn on your ovens, pour a cuppa tea or coffee, and take your breakfast out on your patio for a truly original breakfast experience.
Vanilla Walnut Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, diced
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream + little extra for brushing
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple extract (We had none on hand, so I used walnut extract)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl whisk together, the flour, baking powder, and salt making sure they are well combined.
Using a pastry blender cut the butter into the dry ingredients until you have you have a fine crumb texture.
In case you don't know what a pastry blender is...
Add the remaining ingredients into the bowl and stir until the dough comes together.
There are two ways to shape the scones, in wedges or in round, homestyle biscuit-like mounds (think of the typical Bisquick strawberry shortcakes). While the biscuits are more rustic, I prefer the triangular wedges because they are easier to store in our square Tupperware containers. To shape them, roll the dough into the shape of a disc about 8-9 inches in diameter, then slice it into 8 wedges.
Place the wedges onto the lined cookie sheet, lightly brush the scones with the extra heavy cream and sprinkle the tops liberally with sugar. (As you can see in the pictures, I prefer sugar in the raw on top of my scones. It adds extra texture to an already aesthetically pleasing countenance. However, if you don't happen to keep this natural brown sugar on hand, use whatever you have.)
Bake about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve them warm or let them cool on a wire rack and store. Pop them in the toaster to reheat and crispetize them!
Optional: Top with raspberry jam and a dollop of whipped cream. My mom prefers lemon curd and clotted cream. Deeeelicious!
