Maple buttermilk scones

My ideal Thanksgiving morning breakfast alongside crispy, thick-cut bacon, fried eggs, Asian pears, and coffee.

I love King Arthur Baking Company’s Vermont Maple Oat Scone Mix, so decided to make a homemade version that attempts to produce a similar flavor. (Not because there’s anything wrong with the mix, just for fun/because I love to bake!)

I think that scones make a great Thanksgiving morning breakfast. You can make the dough the night before and freeze it, then put the scones into the oven in the morning (the overnight rest in the freezer will only make them better!). My plan is to serve these maple buttermilk scones with crispy, thick-cut bacon, fried eggs, and Asian pears.

Admittedly, these scones require a few specialty ingredients that many people might not have on hand. If you want to make scones, but don’t want to invest in lots of maple products, other scone recipes I love are these berry ones from

Alison Roman

and this King Arthur Baking Company recipe, which you can customize to your liking (I usually make it with mini chocolate chips!)

1/2 cup rolled oats, measured then processed into coarse oat flour¹ in a food processor or blender (57 grams)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (270 grams)
1/3 cup maple sugar (62 grams)
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup full-fat, whole milk buttermilk (120 grams) + more for tops before baking
1 tablespoon molasses (25 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple flavor
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Topping: 50/50 demerara sugar and maple sugar mix
Drizzle: maple cream²

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oat flour, flour, maple sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, molasses, vanilla extract, and maple flavor.

3. Work the chilled butter into the flour mixture, either with your hands or using a stand mixer on low speed. The mixture will be crumbly and not entirely uniform.

4. Add the wet ingredients and gently stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. (Probably less than you think you should!)

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the top with a bit more flour and use an inverted 8-inch cake pan on top of the dough, moving in a circular motion, to coax it into a circle, and press it down to about 1 1/2 inches thick. Use a bench knife to cut it into 8 equal pieces.

6. Freeze on a parchment-lined sheet pan for at least 1 hour.

7. While the scones are still in the freezer, preheat your oven to 425°F.

8. Dip the tops of the scones into buttermilk and then a mix of demerara and maple sugar (I put each of these into shallow bowls to make this easy).

9. Bake on a parchment-lined sheet pan for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

10. Cool completely on a rack and drizzle with maple cream, if desired.

1. You don’t want the consistency of all-purpose flour - look for uneven, roughly chopped pieces that will only take a few seconds in a food processor or blender.

2. Maple cream is actually something you can pretty easily make at home if you have maple syrup and a food thermometer, but I understand not everyone is feeling that crafty all the time. You can alternatively make a simple glaze by combining 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency for drizzling.