Not for the faint of heart, these scones are literally covered in bacon, as well as a sweet maple glaze.
Maple Bacon Scones
Ingredients
- Scones
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 5 Tb. chilled unsalted butter diced
- 10 strips cooked bacon divided
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup buttermilk*
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp. maple extract
- Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 400◦F.
-
Mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
-
Add butter.
-
Combine dry ingredients using a pastry blender (or two forks) until butter is reduced to the size of grains of rice.
-
Dice 5 strips of bacon. (Set aside remaining 5 for topping)
-
Whisk 1/3 cup maple syrup, buttermilk, egg yolk, and maple extract in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl.
-
Add liquids to dry ingredients; mix until dough forms a ball.
-
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and press into an 10-inch square.
-
Cut into 12 rectangles.
-
Transfer wedges to parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
-
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the scones are crusty on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
-
Transfer to a baking to cool for 5-10 minutes.
-
Combine powdered sugar and 1/4 cup maple syrup in a small bowl.
-
Spoon maple glaze over scones.
-
Cut remaining bacon into 1 to 2 inch sections, and place atop glazed scones.
-
Eat right away!*
Notes
On Monday I wrote about the delightfully sweet and salty Date and Pancetta Scones. This wasn’t my first attempt at a scone of that sweet and salty nature. Nope, three years earlier I crafted my first: Maple Bacon Scones. Although this recipe vexed me, after several attempts I mastered it. I’ve saved you from figuring out the logistics of this recipe. All you need to do is read and follow the instructions to have a delightful breakfast treat to start your day.
To learn more about this recipe, originally published in July 2017, keep reading.
Some recipes are perfect on the first try. For whatever reason, I am able to envision them and deliver a great dish off of that image. Some recipes like to taunt me. Such as this newest scone recipe. After enjoying maple bacon donuts during our trip to Chicago, I decided I should make a scone version.
I’ve been making scones for ages. They’re a family and friend favorite for almost any breakfast or brunch gathering. It’s not like I make only one type; I’ve made many: oatmeal, chocolate chip, raspberry white chocolate, cinnamon, and more. Yet, this recipe vexed me.
Try #1– I was Ms. Confident as I made the first batch. I, maker of scones, would nail this out of the park on the first try. Not so much. Now, truth be told, they weren’t bad. All three of us ate one and finished our servings, but they weren’t right. So, I conceded and bought maple extract to give extra flavor to the dough.
Try #2– Not quite Ms. Confident this time, I made another batch and hoped for the best. This time the maple flavor was stronger, but they weren’t sweet enough. Not that I want something that would make a dentist cringe, but these were meant to be sweet scones, and they weren’t. It came to me later while driving. Most of the sweet scones I make have a sweet element added to them, such as fruit or chocolate chips. These have pieces of SALTY bacon added. If I increased the amount of sweetener, would they be better?
Try #3– Nervous and hopeful as I made this batch, I tasted the tiniest piece of raw dough and got that taste of sweetness on my tongue. They had barely come out of the oven before I took my first real bite and happily discovered that this was the recipe.
I understand three attempts at a recipe isn’t a lot. I am sure there are quite a few others where I’ve done many more iterations. But for something that is supposed to be my specialty, I felt shocked that it wasn’t an easy success. However, working diligently may have made this successful batch taste even better.
