Happy Birthday to ME! Today will be full of nothing but sugar and cider. Okay, and maybe a little work. To start the day we have the monthly dessert challenge! This month the focus is on maple and pears. I’m a huge fan of maple but I was kind of stumped with the pears.

Generally when I get pears I look for the easiest and fastest ways to get rid of them. I just don’t love them. However, they tend to be okay in baked goods so I sucked it up and bought some pears. This recipe makes only 6 scones since I prefer to serve them the day they are made. The cream cheese and margarine mixture helps keep them tender.

The pears hold up well in this recipe but I thought plain maple syrup would get lost. I ended up using maple extract to give them a bit more kick and it worked out great. Maple sugar is just the icing on the cake! If you can’t find maple sugar (makes a frowny Canadian face and apologizes) then feel free to sprinkle these with demerara sugar or something to give them a sweet crunch.

Maple Pear Scones Recipe

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Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp chilled tofutti cream cheese cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp chilled margarine cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbps canola oil
• 1 small pear peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp maple extract
• maple sugar for topping

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400º F.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray.
• Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl; whisk to blend.
• Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut or rub cream cheese and margarine into the dry ingredients. Add oil and toss with a fork to coat. Add pear and toss to coat.
• Mix almond milk and maple extract in a measuring cup and add just enough to the dry ingredients, stirring with a fork, until the dough clumps together. (It will be sticky).
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times; do not overwork it. Pat into a 7 1/2-inch circle. Cut circle into 6 wedges and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with a bit of almond milk and sprinkle with maple sugar.
• Bake the scones until golden and firm to the touch, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.