Classic chai spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and black pepper flavor these rich, tender scones. A coffee glaze is spooned over the golden tops, making all of the flavors bold and bright.
I’ve had too many scones that are gummy, dry, and overloaded with sugar. These scones are light and tender, and folding the dough creates flaky, airy layers. The cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves perk up what could be a plain scone, and the coffee glaze on top enhances all of those spices.
I used to be the person who had to make biscuits by hand, otherwise they weren’t true biscuits. Well, everything has changed, and I often use the food processor for pastry crust, biscuits, and scones. The food processor is my friend when the kitchen is hot and humid, and the frozen butter melts before you even touch it, and the dough gets stickier every second. Whatever your preferred scone-making method is, these chai spiced scones will be delicious.
COFFEE GLAZED CHAI SPICED SCONES
Makes eight scones
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE SCONES
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup (50 g) pure cane sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and kept cold until use
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg, cold
- 2/3 cup heavy cream, cold
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- a pinch of black pepper
FOR THE GLAZE
- 3/4 cup (90 g ) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons cold brew or cooled hot coffee
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon espresso powder, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
Whisk together the flour, spices, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl; set aside. In a measuring cup, whisk to combine the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla; keep in the fridge until ready to use.
In a food processor, pulse the cold butter and flour mixture until the butter is pea-sized. Add the cold liquid and pulse until the mixture begins to clumps together around the blade.
On a floured working surface, gently knead the dough until the scone mix comes together. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, and roll the dough into a 12 inch square, then fold the dough in thirds in the shape of a letter. Fold again to create a 4 inch square. Freeze on a baking sheet for approximately five minutes.
Repeating the same process: roll the dough into a 12 inch square and fold the dough in to thirds in the shape of a letter. Flip the “envelope flap” side down and roll into a 4×12 rectangle. Cut into four rectangles, then cut those rectangles diagonally to form triangles.
Place the scones on the baking sheet, and freeze for five minutes. Brush the scones with heavy cream and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Make the glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar and espresso powder together, then stir in the coffee. Drizzle or brush onto the cooled scones.
NOTES
- Instead of using a food processor, the dough can be made by hand with a pastry cutter.
- In lieu of the folding method, the scone dough can be rolled into a 7 inch circle and cut into eight wedges. However, the scones will look much more sophisticated by using the Cook’s Illustrated method that’s described in the instructions. Sarah Kieffer’s cookbook The Vanilla Bean Baking Book has a wonderful step-by-step picture tutorial.
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