So if you know me, you know my attention span can be fleeting at times.  For this reason, I avoided Pinterest for a long while. Then, I got on and got sucked in, then ignored if for a while after seeing too many ridiculous posts about one-pot meals and hyper-thematic kid parties. Since then, I mostly use it as a means of passing time while waiting in line or for mindless entertainment. I occasionally peek at it and feel inspired. One such occasion was a post about these scones.

While I didn’t have hazelnuts and the prep for that sounded more intense than I cared to take on at 9:30 on a work night, I did have plenty of pecans in the freezer and I had hazelnut liquer so I was good to go!  The ricotta really helps make these moist and allows you to use less butter. Of course, I modified the recipe a bit since I wanted something a bit healthier.  I used part white whole wheat flour & part all-purpose and I used reduced fat versions of ricotta & milk. The glaze wasn’t part of the original recipe either, but I love a decorated scone so I had to add that part.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c white whole wheat flour
• 1 c all-purpose flour (I prefer unbleached)
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 c unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 c milk
• 3/4 c ricotta
• 1 egg
• 2/3 c coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/4 c powdered sugar
• 1-3 tsp Frangelico

Directions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & cinnamon) in a large bowl.

   

2. Blend in butter either using a food processor (pulse 8-10 times) or by hand. If blending by hand make sure you only do this until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. The larger the chunks of butter in the final product, the better, more flaky the scones will be.
3. Throughly combine the milk, ricotta & egg in a separate bowl then pour into the dry ingredients and mix as little as possible into the dry ingredients with a large spoon. Add the nuts when it’s almost combined and finish stirring it all together. It’s ok if not all of the dry ingredients mix in.  The more you mix, the tougher your scones will be.
4. Pour the batter out onto the counter and gently knead the dough about 6-8 times or until the dry ingredients all mix in.  Less is more!
5. Split the dough into 2 pieces and flatten each piece into a circle about an inch or two thick on plastic wrap, then wrap it tightly and store in the fridge for an hour or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 425° F.
7. Remove dough from plastic and cut each circle into 6 pieces. Lay them on a sheet tray lined with parchment about an inch or two apart and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
8. Let cool completely. While they’re cooling mix the glaze by thoroughly whipping powdered sugar and just enough Frangelico to make a thick glaze. If it’s too runny, add more sugar. If too thick, add a few drops of Frangelico until you get the right consistency. You want it between honey and peanut butter.
9. Finally, drizzle with Frangelico glaze and see how long it takes them to disappear.  It won’t be long, I promise!

Next time I do this, I’m going to play with the ingredients a bit.  Other flavor combos I’m dreaming of include:
– dried cherries & almonds with almond glaze
–  blueberries & lemon zest with lemon glaze plus
– chopped dried fig & crispy pancetta with lemon-goat cheese glaze….

Now I’m just getting carried away.  I’m gonna go make scones…