Vermont Maple Syrup

Happy Saturday, everyone!

Looking for something delicious to make for breakfast this weekend? These Orange Cardamom Scones with Maple Glaze from Hungry Enough to Eat Six are IT! (check out their blog here! https://hungryenoughtoeatsix.com/)

What You’ll Need

1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp orange zest
2 Tbsp orange juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
Extra buttermilk, for brushing tops of scones
½ cup pure Vermont maple syrup (fan favorite: Dark Robust)
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
Orange zest for extra garnish

Instructions

Blend the liquid ingredients:
Whisk together the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Stir in the 1 teaspoon of orange zest and the orange juice. Hold this mixture aside.

Blend the dry ingredients and the butter:
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Use a grater to grate the cold butter over the dry mixture. Then, use a pastry blender or two forks to mix the butter until no clumps remain.

Combine the wet and dry mixtures:
Pour the egg-buttermilk mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients and butter. Use a large spoon to stir everything together, JUST until most of the dry ingredients are mixed in.
Turn out this dough and any remaining dry bits onto a lightly floured surface. Squeeze and fold the dough a few times until you have a claggy ball of dough. (Don't overmix!)
Shape the dough into a round that's about 7 inches in diameter and about 1½ to 2 inches thick.

Chill the dough:
Place the dough round on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and loosely cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. Place the pan in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Cut the dough:
Use a sharp knife to slice the dough round into 8 even wedges. Space the wedges apart from each other on the baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the scones with a little buttermilk.

Bake the scones:
Pop the pan of scones into the oven, and bake them for 20 minutes. They should be browned and baked through.

Prepare the Maple Glaze:
While the scones bake, warm up the maple syrup in a medium-sized heat-proof bowl in the microwave oven or on the stovetop. Whisk in the melted butter.
Blend in the confectioner's sugar using a handheld mixer, adding the sugar ½ cup at a time. Whip the ingredients together until the glaze is smooth and thick.

Serve the scones:
The scones can be served warm or at room temperature. Spoon Maple Glaze over the tops, and add a few pieces of orange zest. Dig in!