Why Toasted Oat and Maple Scones Turn Out Too Wet and Too Sweet

Question

I have made a number of recipes from the "Milk Street Bakes" book with great success, but I'm having trouble with the Toasted Oat and Maple Scones. I have made it twice, and both times found the scones overly sweet with a wet batter that was prone to spreading.  I weigh everything in grams and chilled the scones for the full hour recommended. Love the concept of this recipe and want to give it another try, but I want to check if I'm making a mistake. It calls for 1/4 cup maple syrup with the oats, another 1/4 cup syrup in the buttermilk, and 1/3 cup white sugar in the dry ingredients. Is that correct? I have a sweet tooth, but the amount of sweetener seems very high compared to the other sweet ginger and chocolate scone recipe in the same book.

Elizabeth Mindreau · Accepted Answer

Hello Jennae –
We are sorry that the Toasted Oat and Maple Scone recipe has not met your expectations. I discussed your questions with the developer of this recipe, here are her thoughts and suggestions:
• she said that these scones do have a wetter batter than a typical scone and that they do tend to spread a bit. They will not be as firm and dry as a Starbucks kind of scone. What you described is ok and expected for this recipe.
• she is wondering if you used real buttermilk, powdered buttermilk or a buttermilk substitute (milk + lemon juice). She said that real buttermilk is thick and rich and will hold the batter together whereas powdered butter or the substitute would be very watery and contribute a looser batter
• As far as the sweetness of the scones, she said you could reduce the amount of maple syrup that is mixed with the buttermilk
Please let us know how they turn out if you make these again.

Why Toasted Oat and Maple Scones Turn Out Too Wet and Too Sweet

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