Maple Hazelnut Scones

A truly flaky, towering scone depends entirely on one golden rule: keep the butter cold. The secret to those gorgeous, shattered layers relies on preserving small, distinct pockets of solid butter within the dry ingredients. By pulsing deeply chilled butter cubes in a food processor with pastry flour, rolled oats, and chopped hazelnuts, you ensure the butter stays in tiny, solid pieces all the way to the oven.

When this coarse, crumbly mixture meets the heavy whipping cream and hits the 350°F oven, the trapped moisture in those cold butter pieces rapidly turns to steam. That burst of steam pushes the dough upward, creating distinct, flaky layers and an incredibly tender, cake-like crumb that beautifully supports the dense, nutty hazelnuts and oats throughout.

Shaping & Glazing

Handling this shaggy dough requires a light touch. Pressing it gently into a thick rectangle rather than rolling or kneading prevents the gluten from toughening up. Slicing the rectangle into neat triangles with a sharp chef's knife preserves those open, unsealed edges, allowing the pastry to achieve its maximum rise and most beautiful lift during the bake.

To provide a brilliant finishing contrast to the rustic, nutty crumb, the cooled scones are crowned with a thick, glossy glaze. Whisking confectioners' sugar with pure maple extract and a splash of strong brewed coffee creates a deeply aromatic icing with incredible depth. Pouring this glaze generously over the cooled pastry and allowing it to set yields a firm, crackly crust that shatters perfectly with the very first bite.

Jorj Morgan

Maple Hazelnut Scones

These Maple Hazelnut Scones boast a towering, flaky crumb, generously studded with toasted hazelnuts and oats. Each golden triangle is crowned with a thick, glossy maple coffee glaze, delivering a truly luxurious morning treat.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12 scones

Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

The Dry Architecture & Inclusions

• ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup hazelnuts roughly chopped
• 2 ¾ cups pastry flour or all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup natural cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

The Lipid Lamination & Hydration

• 1 cup unsalted butter deeply chilled and cut into small cubes (2 sticks)
• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 large egg

The Maple Coffee Glaze

• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 2 tablespoons pure maple extract
• 1 tablespoon strongly brewed coffee

Method

 

Make the Dough

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large, heavy-duty metal baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the rolled oats and chopped hazelnuts into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until the nuts are finely chopped and unified with the oats.
3. Add the pastry flour, cane sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt into the bowl. Pulse briefly to distribute the leavening agents. (The massive ratio of 2 tablespoons of baking powder forces a rapid, towering rise in the oven).
4. Drop the deeply chilled butter cubes directly over the dry ingredients. Pulse the machine repeatedly until the butter is cut into the flour, creating coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Do not overprocess; preserving distinct, cold butter pockets is critical for a flaky crust.

Add the Cream & Shape

1. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, vigorously whisk together the heavy whipping cream and the egg.
2. With the food processor running, slowly stream the liquid mixture through the feed tube just until the dough rapidly clumps together around the blade. Stop immediately to prevent the gluten from toughening.
3. Turn the sticky, shaggy dough out onto a generously floured wooden or marble board.
4. Use floured hands to gently pat the dough into an 8x9-inch rectangle, about ¾-inch thick. Do not knead.

Cut & Bake the Scones

1. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut the rectangle evenly into 6 squares. Cut each square diagonally in half to form 12 uniform triangles.
2. Use a pastry spatula to transfer the triangles onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each.
3. Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until the scones puff significantly and the edges just begin to turn golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool entirely on the baking sheet.

Drizzle the Maple Glaze

1. While the scones cool, vigorously whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, whole milk, melted butter, pure maple extract, and brewed coffee in a medium bowl.
2. The glaze should be thick, opaque, and glossy, but fluid enough to pour. Drizzle heavily over the cooled scones and allow the icing to set into a firm crust before serving.