Celebrate Sugaring Season with Maple Scones
Golden, buttery-crisp scones bursting with pure maple flavor.
Pure maple syrup adds a rich, cozy flavor to homemade maple scones. Buttery-crisp on the outside, and tender in the middle, these scones are absolutely perfect!
It’s nearing the end of sugaring season in the Northeast and if you’re not familiar with the term, it means there’s maple syrup everywhere. Folks are tapping sugar maple trees, collecting sap in metal buckets, then boiling it until enough water evaporates to concentrate the sugars. The end result? Maple syrupy goodness.
The tradition of tapping trees is hundreds of years old and can be traced back to the Native Americans. Every spring they would establish “sugar camps” and collect tree sap, which they’d then boil by dropping hot rocks into containers made out of hollowed bark or clay. Their end goal wasn’t liquid maple syrup, but rather hardened maple sugar that was easier to store long term.
I often wonder about culinary traditions like sugaring trees. Yes, we know it dates back to the Native Americans - but who was the first person to taste the sap from a tree? And when it didn’t taste that great as is, what made them think: Well I’m just going to boil this until it’s tasty. That’s a culinary hero lost to history right there.
So Many Ways to Enjoy Maple Syrup
There are countless ways to enjoy maple syrup: On pancakes and waffles (of course), drizzled on top of vanilla ice cream, and even added to your morning coffee (don’t knock it ‘til you try it). What’s your favorite way to eat it?
In my area, families look forward to making “sugar on snow” every year with their children. Boiled maple syrup is poured over snow, where it seizes into a shiny, taffy-like confection. Oftentimes it’s enjoyed with a maple donut and a pickle on the side.
But perhaps my favorite way to enjoy maple syrup is in baked goods. Pure maple syrup adds a distinct flavor profile that’s unlike the more common vanilla and sugar combo. It’s rich and complex with hints of caramel and toffee. There can also be a touch of smokiness if the sap was boiled over a wood fire. (This is a distinction many maple syrup producers pride themselves on.)
If you haven’t baked with maple syrup before, these scones are an excellent place to start. I’ve been making them exactly this way for 15 years, often as a way to celebrate sugaring season.
Why You’ll Love This Maple Scones Recipe
Easy. There is nothing fussy or complicated about these scones. Just mix, shape and bake. I’ve shared lots of tips and also step-by-step photos below to make sure you can make the best scones ever.
Perfect texture. These maple scones have a soft, buttery interior that’s perfectly moist – never dry or crumbly. The exterior is crisp and flaky, with a thick drizzle of rich glaze.
Incredible flavor. Of course, my favorite thing about these scones is the addition of maple, which provides more depth and nuance than a scone sweetened with sugar alone. If maple makes you weak in the knees, you’ll swoon over these scones.
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