Maple Oatmeal Scones

Sarah Kieffer is a food blogger and self- taught baker right here in Minnesota. We've never met, but I like to think that maybe someday our paths will cross. People who love food like we do, in spite of the carbs and the flour in our hair, would certainly have enough in common to kindle a friendship. The problem is that I tend to get a little star struck and a little too excited about food- I'm laughing just thinking about how bright eyed I would be in thst situation! Regardless, she's fun to follow on Instagram, and sometimes, I'll be scrolling through and BAM! a picture like this shows up:

A post shared by sarah kieffer (@sarah_kieffer) on Feb 18, 2018 at 8:03am PST

Just looking at the picture, I'm craving her Maple Oatmeal Scones all over again. They were moist and buttery, sweet and syrupy, and perfect for breakfast or dessert- just make sure you've got a tall glass of milk to go with them. They're like pancakes with syrup and maple bar donuts rolled into one indulgent treat.

I want to send this recipe to my friend whose Mom always supplies her with real maple syrup from the East coast. I want to send it to my little brother who is learning to bake and can't go wrong with this straightforward, crowd pleasing recipe.  I want to host a brunch and serve this warm, to watch as the flavors and textures surprise and charm my guests. And I want to make this again right now because I only ate like half of the first one and I need to make sure it's as good as I'm remembering! (See what I mean about getting too excited about food?)

You can find the recipe for Maple Oatmeal Scone at Vanilla Bean Blog, and, if you haven't already, you should check out Sarah's book The Vanilla Bean Baking Book. ​It was this book that really got me out of my comfort zone in the kitchen, trying new recipes and new learning new skills. AND her peanut butter cookies are something else!

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Resources, Tips, and Takeaways

• I didn't have any buttermilk, so I did the old milk and lemon juice trick instead. In a glass measuring cup, first add 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice, then fill to the 1 Cup mark with milk. I let it set for about 5 minutes for incorporating (Then I accidentally added the whole cup instead of the 1/4 Cup that the recipe called for).
• Sarah has two different methods for making scones. The recipe suggests doing it the way I did, but the picture from her Instagram is the result of folding the dough to get those swoon worthy, flaky layers. Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever stray from the original instructions though. The texture was perfect and I loved pulling the chunky petals from the finished piece. 
• I made this as a dessert for company hours in advance and it was still perfectly moist when the time came to serve them up. I can't say how it holds up beyond that- only half of one piece made it to the next morning!

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