SWEET POTATO SCONES WITH CRANBERRIES, PECANS AND MAPLE DRIZZLE

​(inspired byOnce Upon A Tart)       makes 8 scones

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup stone-ground cornmeal
½ cup white whole wheat flour
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon orange zest
¾ cup dried cranberries
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into ¼” cubes
½ cup sweet potato puree (preferably from oven roasted Garnet potatoes- I used a 7 oz. potato)
1 large egg
⅓ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon good quality maple syrup
 
egg wash made from 1 egg whisked together with 2 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup good quality maple syrup for drizzle
 
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, white-whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, spices and orange zest. Using a bench scraper, cut in the cold butter until it forms coarse crumbs. Add the cranberries and pecans, tossing with the flour/butter just to combine. Place the bowl with the flour/butter mixture in the freezer. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet potato puree, egg, heavy cream, vanilla and tablespoon of maple syrup.. Retrieve the bowl with the flour/butter mixture from the freezer. Add the wet ingredients to the flour/butter mixture, folding them in with a rubber scraper and then using your hand to finish combining the ingredients just until they come together. Do not overwork the dough. Gather the dough into a ball and turn it out onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. Dust your fingers with flour and pat the dough into a circle about 6” in diameter, 1” thick. Use a bench scraper to cut the circle into 8 even triangles. Transfer the scones to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set in the freezer until solid. The scones can then be well covered with plastic wrap or slid into a Ziploc bag and frozen until you are ready to bake them.
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the scones on a parchment lined baking sheet. To prevent the bottoms from getting too brown, I “double pan” by placing the baking sheet with the scones on top of a second baking sheet of the same size. Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash.  Bake on the middle rack of the oven, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Set on a rack to cool then drizzle with good quality maple syrup.