Readers, I have to disabuse of something right now: living at my house is not like an endless and much less disturbing visit to the Wonka factory. Yes, wonderful things are made regularly BUT, more often than not, they are carried out the door to work or a party or someone else’s house before my family gets so much as a lick of the beaters. I’m pretty sure Martha Stewart’s husband left her because there was never anything to eat at her house so, yeah, it worries me sometimes that I do this to them.

In my defense, however, I make up for it, big time. Case in point: these delicious scones that I made and froze for my daughter to have every morning on her way to school. For two weeks she had a warm pecan-studded, maple-smothered pastry to start off her brutal day of irrational teachers who have the nerve to give pop quizzes and the temerity to assign way too much reading on a Friday.

You’re wishing I was your mom right now, aren’t you? I get that a lot.

The abundance of oatmeal in these scones, in my opinion, makes them a perfectly virtuous breakfast food. You will probably feel your cholesterol abating as you eat them.

Glazed Maple-Pecan Oatmeal Scones (makes 8 scones)
Cook’s Illustrated, September 2003
printable version

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups rolled oats (4-1/2 ounces) or quick oats
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• 1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7-1/2 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½” cubes
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread oats and pecans evenly on one baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant and lightly browned, 7 to 9 minutes; cool on wire rack. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. When oats are cooled, measure out and reserve 2 tablespoons.

2. Whisk milk, cream, 1/4 cup maple syrup, and egg in medium bowl until incorporated; remove and reserve 1 tablespoon to small bowl for glazing.

3. Pulse flour, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined, about four 1-second pulses. Scatter cold butter evenly over dry ingredients and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, twelve to fourteen 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and stir in cooled oats. Using rubber spatula, fold in liquid ingredients until large clumps form. Continue mixing by hand until a mass forms.

4. Dust work surface with half of reserved oats and flour (if needed), turn dough out onto work surface, and dust top with remaining oats. Gently pat into 7-inch circle about 1 inch thick.  Cut dough into 8 wedges and set on parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Brush surfaces with reserved egg mixture and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes; cool scones on baking sheet on wire rack 5 minutes, then remove scones to cooling rack and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

5. When scones are cooled, whisk maple syrup and confectioners’s sugar until combined; drizzle glaze over scones.  They are ready to freeze when the glaze has set.