setting sun // fig and cinnamon honey scones

These wintry days, at 3pm my living room is already awash with orange-y gold rays that are occasionally mixed with a tinge of pink, if I’m lucky. It’s a gorgeous sight, but now I have a precious few hours to work with before the sun retires for the day during which the lighting seems to shift and fade with every passing second. Perhaps that explains the semi-orange semi-bluish tint some of the pictures have, which was unintended and somewhat cool but also weird.

These scones are essentially an attempt to use up the last of my dried figs because they’re no longer seasonally appropriate, which on hindsight wasn’t completely necessary for an ingredient that can be eaten as is. But I’d been wanting to make the cinnamon honey scones ever since I first flipped through the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, into which I thought the figs would integrate seamlessly, so they just had to happen.

And they’re the stuff dreams are made of, if the domed tops of generously-sized muffins are your idea of breakfast heaven, because beneath the scones’ crispy-crunchy golden brown exterior is a dough that’s buttery and rich but fluffy all at once. These are practically purely the top half of a decadent freshly-baked muffin.

These scones expand quite a bit in the oven, so I would leave a generous distance between each portion of dough. I couldn’t freeze the dough for a full two hours before baking like the recipe instructed because the sunlight was slipping away and I still had pictures to take, which might be why these scones expanded a bit unevenly. Alas, a small tragedy, but doesn’t subtract from how addictive these are.

Consider yourself warned.

Fig and Cinnamon Honey Scones

makes 12

For the cinnamon honey cubes:

30 grams all-purpose flour

30 grams sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

30 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1 tablespoon honey

For the scone dough:

152 grams all-purpose flour

304 grams cake flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

91 grams sugar

227 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

135 grams heavy cream

135 grams creme fraiche

1/2 cup dried figs, diced into small chunks

For the honey butter glaze:

45 grams unsalted butter

1 tablespoon honey

Make the cinnamon honey cubes: Place the flour in a bowl. Add the sugar and cinnamon and whisk to combine. Toss in the butter cubes, coating them in the dry mixture. Using your fingertips, break up the butter until there are no large visible pieces. Mix in the honey to form a smooth paste using a spatula.

Press the paste into a 4 inch square on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.

Make the scone dough: Place the all-purpose flour in the bowl of stand mixer. Sift in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar and mix to combine. Add the butter and mix until incorporated. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the cream. Add the creme fraiche and mix for about 30 seconds, until all of the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough comes together around the paddle. Stir in the cubes of dried figs.

Cut the cinnamon-butter paste into 1/4 inch cubes. Mix them into the dough by hand. Place the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 7 1/2 inch by 10 inch block, smoothing the top and straightening the edges. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for about 2 hours, until firm.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat. Divide the dough into 12 portions with a knife and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until frozen solid, at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Bake the scones: Preheat oven to 325F and bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until golden brown.

Make the glaze: While the scones are baking, melt the butter and honey together in a small saucepan or microwave. Brush the tops of the scones with the glaze as soon as the scones are out of the oven, allow the scones to cool completely.

Note: recipe adapted from Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller.