Definitely not a typo. I put freshly cracked black pepper in a rich cream scone and topped it with a maple glaze. Stay with me here. I dreamt up this breakfast combo one night when a friend said that he 'just didn't get the whole chicken and waffles thing.' I quietly died a little inside. What's not to love? Salty fried chicken + maple syrup.
It really got me thinking. I believe the chicken and waffles obsession goes beyond the salty-sweet flavor combination. If it was simply salt + sweet that we loved, we would pour salted caramel sauce on all of our meats. I decided (or was it divinely revealed to me?) that the secret is actually a third component---the black pepper on the chicken.
I hemmed and hawed on it for a little while. Then, I was reading my favorite food magazine (Taste of the South) and came across a recipe for black pepper and cane syrup sauce. It was meant to be.
But hey, if the pepper freaks you out, leave it out. The scones are delicious without it, too. This recipe makes two giant scones. It couldn't be easier, because we're not going to roll or cut out the scones. After we crumble the butter into the flour mixture and stir in the cream, just divide the dough in half by eye, and mound it into rough circles on the baking sheet. The more rustic the edges, the more crannies there are for that maple glaze. Mmm hmm.
You could even make these black pepper scones on a week day morning since it uses cold butter. Mix all the ingredients in one bowl, and then scoop it straight on the cookie sheet. You can do this! You can also do the black pepper part, too, I promise.
Black Pepper Scones with Maple Glaze
Freshly cracked black pepper in a rich cream scone and topped with a maple glaze.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 large egg yolk
For the maple glaze:
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons real maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and black pepper. Dice the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Work the butter into the flour mixture until it's evenly distributed and smaller than peas. Use two knives, a pastry cutter, or your hands.
- Next, add ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and the egg yolk in a small bowl and beat together. Pour this on the flour mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Don't overmix, but incorporate things well.
- Scoop roughly half of the dough out and use the warmth of your hands to make it stick together. Mound it on a cookie sheet in a rough circle shape. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush the scones with the remaining 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and they lightly brown on the edges.
- While the scones bake, whisk together the maple glaze ingredients. Pour on the scones when they come out of the oven. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 818Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 266mgSodium: 595mgCarbohydrates: 114gFiber: 2gSugar: 53gProtein: 13g
LouLou says
So good!! I didn't have heavy cream on hand, so I used sour cream - came out light and delicious. Ate them up with some jam on top.
Amanda Sammet says
Just curious - this recipe makes only 2 and your other scone recipes make 4...are these just extra large ones? Also I noticed these and the lemon scones aren't in the muffin/scone section in the recipe index. I made the lemon ones and they are to die for...my best baking project in a while if I do say so myself! Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
Laura says
Made these tonight and almost ate the entire thing at once! These are unbelievably delicious! The pepper is so subtle- just adds that great little zing- and the maple isn't overpoweringly sweet.
Hilary C says
I made these since I had an extra egg yolk from a previous recipe. I was a little skeptical about the black pepper, but used it anyway. They are DELICIOUS!!!! They are perfectly light and not too sweet and the black pepper adds flair! Instead of making two large scones I made one circle and cut it into 6 to make mini scones. So cute! I baked them for about 14 minutes and they were perfect. I love these scone recipes so much!! Thank you, Christina!
B. Thomas says
Just made this but added two tablespoons of bacon bits. Delicious!
Christina Lane says
Um that sounds AMAZING. Thanks for sharing :)
Kelsey says
I have a local bakery near me that makes a maple cinnamon cracked pepper scone that is to die for. I actually ordered it on accident, thinking none of the ingredients would go together. And now I'd be lying if I said I didn't eat at least 1 or 2 a week... That inspired me to look up a black pepper scone recipe. This one is eerily close to the one I'm obsessed with at the local bakery. The only thing I changed was the glaze so it better matched the ones I was trying to reproduce. I ended up using maple syrup, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and a touch of water to make it a very thin pour over glaze.
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I will no longer be a slave to my local bakery!!
Bonnie says
Made them this morning. Delicious! The pepper is noticeable but not overpowering. The maple glaze is amazing! I made four smaller scones since that is more diet friendly for me. I had cottage cheese, cranberry juice and a scone for breakfast and did not have wild fluctuations in my blood sugar! Win!