If you know me much at all, you know I’m a total herbal tea junkie. One of my favorites is Celestial Seasoning’s Bengal Spice. It’s an herbal version of chai tea, which usually contains black tea leaves. I was trying to figure out how to infuse scones with that flavor and figured I could steep the cream with the tea. It worked, but I wanted to bump up that flavor a little more. With some spices added to the dough I finally had what I was looking for. With that little hint of black pepper, these remind of pfeffernusse. I think I’ll be making them for a Christmas tea sometime. Of course, if you know me much at all… you know me and my girls are ready for Christmas now! 😀
CHAI SPICED SCONES WITH BROWN SUGAR GLAZE
Scones:
2 cups flour
¼ cup brown sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
1 T baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp black pepper
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream, divided (or milk works fine too)
3 Chai tea bags (I used Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice)
1 egg
Glaze:
6 T brown sugar
2 T unsalted butter
pinch kosher salt
1-2 T cream (reserved from recipe)
¼ tsp cinnamon
pinch cloves
pinch nutmeg
Put the cream in a small pot and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Add the tea bags, cover pot, and remove from heat. Let steep 5 minutes then remove tea bags and transfer cream to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator. (This can be done the day before even).
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
Measure all of the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk together to combine.
Cut butter into 1 inch cubes and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender until butter is smaller than peas.
Make a well in the center of the bowl. Lightly beat the egg with ¾ cup of the cream (reserve the remaining cream for the glaze). Pour into the well and use a fork to stir together until combined.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter and pat to ½ inch thickness.
Cut with a circle or fluted circle cutter and place on baking tray ¼ – ½ inch apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
To make the glaze:
Melt the butter in a small pot. Add the remaining ingredients (start with just 1 T of cream) and whisk until sugar is melted. Add the additional T of cream if needed.
Drizzle over scones.
Ingredients
Scones:
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 T baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream, divided (or milk works fine too)
- 3 Chai tea bags (I used Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice)
- 1 egg
Glaze:
- 6 T brown sugar
- 2 T unsalted butter
- pinch kosher salt
- 1-2 T cream (reserved from recipe)
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- pinch cloves
- pinch nutmeg
Instructions
- Put the cream in a small pot and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Add the tea bags, cover pot, and remove from heat. Let steep 5 minutes then remove tea bags and transfer cream to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator. (This can be done the day before even).
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
- Measure all of the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk together to combine.
- Cut butter into 1 inch cubes and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender until butter is smaller than peas.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl. Lightly beat the egg with ¾ cup of the cream (reserve the remaining cream for the glaze). Pour into the well and use a fork to stir together until combined.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter and pat to ½ inch thickness.
- Cut with a circle or fluted circle cutter and place on baking tray ¼ – ½ inch apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- To make the glaze:
- Melt the butter in a small pot. Add the remaining ingredients (start with just 1 T of cream) and whisk until sugar is melted. Add the additional T of cream if needed.
- Drizzle over scones.
