I was in a local grocery store the other week and picking up a box of Swedish Pearl sugar. I’d been to this store several times for this scone staple, but this week there was something new located right next to the Swedish Pearl sugar. It was Belgian Pearl sugar. (In case you aren’t familiar with this sugar, it’s about five times the size of the Swedish variety, and is intended to create pockets of sweetness in a waffle.) I have to admit, I was rather excited to see a new (to me) type of sugar to experiment with, and immediately bought a box.

Then…said box sat in my pantry for a few weeks until I finally got around to crafting a scone recipe based upon the Belgian Waffle recipe on the box. This was the result.

Yield: 8-10 medium scones
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 12-15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter
1/4 cup Belgian Pearl sugar
Approx. 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 450ºF. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

2) In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine the vanilla, egg, and 1/2-cup whipping cream and whisk lightly to mix.

3) Add the butter to the dry ingredients and work in with a pastry blender. A few pea sized chunks of butter are okay.

4) Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough almost comes together. Add additional whipping cream in small amounts, as needed.

5) Add the Belgian Pearl sugar and knead into the dough. This process should only require a few kneads at most to work the sugar somewhat uniformly into the dough.

6) Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and flatten into a 9-inch round. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 or 10 equal sized triangles.

7) Transfer the scones to a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with extra whipping cream (if desired).

8) Bake at 450ºF until golden on top and slightly firm to the touch.

9) Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack for a few minutes. Then enjoy!

The Process:

Results:

Flaky, tender, layered, and deliciously simple scones. These are great as is–no topping needed, although clotted cream or jam would be tasty as well.