Maple Walnut Scones – Maple Tapping and Mud Season with Oakhurst Milk

This post has been sponsored by Oakhurst

This past weekend was Maple Weekend in New England. It’s when all the local sugar houses open up their places for tours, tastings, shopping and all things maple! But the real work of maple syrup making actually began weeks ago.  

In mid-February, right when the days are in the 30s and 40s and the nights are still below freezing, the maple tapping begins.  For many here in New England it is more than a hobby, but instead is a family business, a product that will be sold at farmers markets and farm stands all throughout the spring, summer and fall months.  For our family, however, it’s a fun hobby and tradition that my dad started many many years ago.

Right around Valentine’s Day weekend, my dad gathers up his maple tapping supplies, grabs his two grandsons, and treks out into the snowy woods to tap the trees. There is almost always snow on the ground when the actual tapping happens.  But gathering the maple sap is a whole other story…hello mud season!

Every few days the maple sap needs to be collected where it is stored in a cool place until it’s time to boil it down into the actual syrup.  And boy do things get muddy during this time of year! As you can imagine, come early March all that snow is melting into mud here in New England. So while I’ve definitely figured out how to handle the mud, Oakhurst milk is now helping me handle tired little boys coming back from collecting maple sap in the woods.

This year we are adding on a new tradition to maple tapping season…after the muddy boots come off they are fueling up with Oakhurst Chocolate Milk – which has been renamed Mud Season Milk in honor of the season! It’s rich with Calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, protein and potassium. And, it’s  not only hydrating but also helps build strong bones in my little ones. And both boys want to grow up to be strong like Papa!

Why chocolate milk to refuel? Well studies have actually shown that low-fat chocolate milk is a great refueling beverage, even better than sports drinks. It has the perfect blend of proteins and carbohydrates to rebuild tired muscles.  Plus it tastes AMAZING especially when paired with a homemade Maple Walnut Scone.

After cleaning up from all the mud outside (my boy’s favorite place to be) we love to gather in the kitchen to bake using the flavors of the season (the kitchen is my favorite place!) These Maple Walnut Scones are made with Oakhurst heavy cream and of course served with ice cold Oakhurst Mud Season Milk. Plus they are easy enough to whip up by hand with the help of little ones!

And while I may be a mom of boys (sometimes very dirty and muddy little boys), I’m also extremely girly. And the boys let me! So there was no surprise when I served my scones and chocolate milk on a pink gingham Spring tablescape.

I think the pink is a nice contrast to mud season… 😉

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Maple Walnut Scones:

Ingredients

For the Scones:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup Oakhurst heavy cream plus 2 TBSP to brush on top
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

For the Frosting:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts toasted optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. Add the small pieces of butter and using either a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or even better yet your fingers, "cut in" the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In another bowl whisk together your egg, heavy cream (just the 1/4 cup...you are reserving the other 2 TBSP to brush on top for a golden brown finisand maple syrup.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the flour/butter mixture. Mix it together until combined then fold in your 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
6. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop 1/4 cup sized mounds on the baking sheet.  I did 6 per sheet and baked each sheet one at a time. You can also use a large ice cream scoop for evenly sized scones.
7. Brush the top of each scone with the remaining 2 TBSP of heavy cream.
8. Bake for 16-18  minutes until lightly browned. Let cool!
9. While cooling, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup and the confectioners sugar. Once fully cooled, frost each scone and immediately sprinkle with the finely chopped walnuts.

To learn more about Oakhurst Dairy and their commitment to helping families refuel during mud season be sure to check them out at instagram.com/oakhurstdairy or OakhurstDairy.com