Maple Bacon Scones

I know I just said that I like eating muffins for breakfast, but perhaps what draws me to them isn’t so much their muffiness as it is the fast that they are portable breakfast pastries, ideally with some heft to them (whole grains or otherwise); plus, I can make them ahead of time. That is probably why I also like scones, and maple-bacon is always a winning combination! These were originally more savory scones, but I went easy on the onion powder and pepper and, in hindsight and in the recipe below, I’m reducing the amount of salt. I used coconut milk instead of the cream. I loved the result, and the Engineer called them “frickin’ good.” I’ll be making these again!

2 cups (260 g.) all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. black pepper (or a bit less)
½ tsp. onion powder (or a bit less)
½ cup lactose-free butter, cold and cubed
1 cup cooked, finely chopped crispy bacon
¼ cup maple syrup
¾ cup lactose-free cream or coconut milk, plus additional for brushing

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, pepper, and onion powder (I always do this and the next step in a food processor, as it’s so much faster). Use a pastry cutter or the back of two forks to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until pea-sized clumps are throughout. Stir in the bacon. Combine the maple syrup and the cream in a separate bowl and then stir into the dry ingredients, just until evenly incorporated. If a lot of dry ingredients remain in the bottom of the bowl you can add an additional tablespoon of cream, but be sure to not add too much liquid.

Pat the dough out in a ¾” thick circle and place the dough round on a parchment lined baking pan in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 °F.

Once the dough is chilled, cut the dough into 8 wedges but leave the circle of pieces together. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of whipping cream over the scones. Bake in the oven until golden brown around the edges of each scone, about 35 minutes.