Sweet Potato Scones with Brown Sugar Icing

Yahoo Food
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Photo credit: Jody Horton, courtesy Chronicle Books

From Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week: Brown Sugar Kitchen

Sweet Potato Scones with Brown Sugar Icing
by Tanya Holland
Makes 8 scones

A scone has a sweeter profile and a slightly cakier texture than a biscuit. I had an idea to infuse my sweet potato obsession into a breakfast treat, so I asked our baker to come up with a recipe for sweet potato scones and she nailed it. And who wouldn’t love anything topped with brown sugar icing? 

Sweet Potato Scones
¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled, plus 1 Tbsp.
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
3 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
Kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground allspice
Pinch of grated nutmeg
½ cup dried currants
¾ cup heavy cream, chilled

Brown Sugar Icing
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp. heavy cream

To make the scones: In a wide sauté pan, melt the 1 Tbsp. but­ter over medium heat. Add the sweet potato and cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of the brown sugar and cook, stirring often, until the sweet potato caramelizes, 12 to 15 minutes. Just before the sweet potato is done, stir in a pinch of salt. Refrigerate to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, the remaining 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Scatter the chilled butter cubes over the flour mix­ture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Do not overprocess.

Transfer the flour-butter mixture to a large mixing bowl, add the currants and the chilled sweet potato, and toss to coat with the flour-butter mixture. Add the cream, gently stirring with a fork to incorporate. The dough should just barely come together. Do not overmix.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead into a ball, taking care not to mash the sweet potato cubes. The dough will feel slightly dry. Form into an 8-in disk and cut into eight triangles. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until the scones are barely golden brown, 18 to 22 min­utes. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing: Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cream over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the but­ter is melted and the mixture is well combined. Pour the butter mixture over the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Let cool completely.

When the scones are cool, set the wire rack with the scones over the baking sheet. With a small offset spatula or a table knife, spread about 1 tbsp icing on each scone. Let set for at least 15 minutes before serving.

(To make ahead, store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)

From the Yahoo Food Team: If you make this recipe at home, let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you!