Maple-Walnut Scones

I'm on a roll with scones.  Easy to make, practically fool-proof, these are a perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea on any afternoon.

After making the orange-cranberry scones that were posted earlier today, I was thinking of a different flavour of scones.  I had both walnuts and a good supply of maple syrup in stock so I thought I would try my hand at making maple-walnut scones.  They turned out beautifully!

Pre-heat your oven to 350F
Spread one cup of chopped walnuts (or pecans) on a parchment-lined baking tray, and bake for about 6 or 7 minutes to toast them.  Set them aside until they cool completely.

Increase the heat on your oven to 400F

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup of sugar

3 teaspoons of baking powder

A pinch of salt

1/2 cup of vegan margarine - this has to be very firm - I measure out 1/2 and then put it in the freezer for a few minutes until it is good and hard.  This makes it easier to cut in with a pastry cutter

1/4 cup of good quality maple syrup

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of plain almond milk (will also work with soy milk)

1 cup of toasted and cooled chopped walnuts


Instructions

1. Whisk together in a large mixing bowl, the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

2. Cut in the margarine with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles small crumbs. You should be able to see little bits of margarine in the flour.

3. Stir the maple syrup and the almond milk together and stir into the flour mixture.

4. When all of the flour is fully incorporated into the dough, add 3/4 of a cup of the cooled, toasted walnuts, and stir them into the dough.

5. Dump the dough out onto a parchment lined baking tray and shape into a round or rectangle, as you prefer, and using a bench knife, cut the shaped dough into wedges or squares, as you prefer.

6. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the dough and pat them down slightly into the dough.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the scones are golden.  In my oven, the scones are perfect after 22 minutes.

8. Using your bench knife, separate the scones along the lines that were made in the dough before you put the pan in the oven.

These are fantastic with a cup of tea or coffee.