Maple and Oat Scones

I am a very careful shopper, especially when it comes to food.  I believe in keeping my store cupboard stocked with the basic ingredients, a few herbs and spices, and the best vanilla extract I can find.  So when I purchased a little bottle of maple flavouring, it seemed like a really extravagant thing to do.  

I don't even remember why I bought it...some recipe I've already forgotten about, I suppose.  But there it sat, looking at me every time I opened the spice cupboard.  The guilt was unbearable!  I had to find a recipe using maple flavouring. 

I'd seen a recipe for Maple Oat Nut Scones by The Pioneer Woman.  They looked delicious, just one problem, I didn't have any nuts in the house.  And the recipe makes eight huge scones and uses five cups of icing sugar in the frosting recipe.  I think I'll have to save that recipe for when we have company for tea.  But, I was inspired and here is my recipe for MAPLE OAT SCONES:

1 1/3 cups plain flour
1/4 cup oats (blitz in the food processor if you want finer scones)
2 Tablespoons soft brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup cold butter (diced) or 1/2 cup Stork baking margarine
1 egg
1/4 cup cream
1 teaspoon maple flavouring (similar to vanilla extract)*

Begin by preheating the oven to 350F/170C.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set to one side.

In a large bowl combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to work the dry ingredients into the butter.  You can rub the butter into the dry ingredients if you don't have a pastry cutter.  The mixture should look like coarse bread crumbs.  

In another bowl, mix together the cream, egg, and maple flavouring.  Pour this into the flour mixture and gently mix until the dough starts to come together.  
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it into a circle about an inch thick.  Cut the circle into four equal wedges and place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the scones are set and barely golden. Do not over bake them or they will be dry.  Place the scones on a wire rack to cool.

When the scones are almost completely cooled, mix up the following ingredients to make a glaze:

1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple flavouring
1 Tablespoon strong coffee (instant coffee is excellent for this)

Beat the glaze ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over the scones. 

There is a long running debate on the proper pronunciation of the word 'scone'.  Some say it is pronounced scone as in cone...

Others say it should scone as in, this scone is nearly GONE!   These scones are a lovely teatime treat but they will also be brilliant for breakfast.  Enjoy!

*You can purchase MAPLE FLAVOURING HERE!