Mamey scones

Yeah. I went there.

But it wasn’t all me, really.

On Monday morning, I needed an excuse to use the oven. NEEDED. Mexico City homes don’t have central heat, and the temperatures outside had dipped to 40-ish degrees. My freezing fingers were about to fall off. So I unearthed my bag of Pamela’s gluten-free baking mix (a gift from a friend in the U.S.) and my leftover mamey. Threw in some pecans, too, because I had extra lying around from my tamale adventure.

I can’t tell you how good these are: nutty, buttery, and just slightly sweet. I’ve been heating them up in the oven every morning until they’re crispy and deep golden brown. The crunchy bits at the corners are my favorite.

Pamela’s gluten-free baking mix is available in the States only. If you don’t have it, you could make the scones the old-fashioned way.

Check out Molly Wizenberg’s blueberry scone recipe here. Chow also has an all-purpose baking mix recipe, and Nigella Lawson has a basic dry pancake mix that I’ve used before; surely it would work for scones. I used a gluten-free mix because it’s what I had on hand, and I like its hearty, whole-grain taste.

One thing I learned from making these: using high-quality butter makes a difference. I had been baking with Mexico’s Gloria brand, the “gourmet” version. Then I found Lurpak at Mercado Medellín a few weeks ago. Gloria has been left behind in the dust.

Mamey Scones
Adapated from the recipe on the bag of Pamela’s Gluten-Free Baking & Pancake Mix
Makes about 8 large scones

2 1/4 c. Pamela’s mix, or baking mix of your choice
1/4 c. sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons salted butter, or about 57 grams, cut into small 1/2-inch pieces
1 egg, beaten
2/3 c. milk
About 1/2 cup mamey, or between 4 and 5 ounces
1/4 c. chopped pecans

Heat oven to 200 C, or 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Cut in your butter using a pastry blender or two knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal, and the butter/flour bits have become pea-sized. (Note: Your butter bits don’t have to be uniform — if some are slightly larger than others, that’s fine.)

In a small bowl, mix milk and beaten egg. Add to dry ingredients, and stir until just combined. Then fold in the mamey and pecans. Drop in tall dollops onto your baking sheet, and bake for about 15 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Time will be closer to 15/20 minutes if you live at a normal altitude; longer if you’re at 10,000 feet like me.

The leftovers toast beautifully in the oven in the morning. Heat them in a 350F or 175C oven until crunchy-looking on the outside.