These Buckwheat Scones with Boozy Fig Jam are honestly the best scones I’ve ever tasted, even better than the scones at Some Crust Bakery, a hometown favorite institution. These scones require a little extra work because of the swirl, and they are worth it for special occasions.
These buckwheat scones are perfectly flaky and moist, with a richly fragrant aroma. The buckwheat and fig flavors are complex and complementary. The recipe comes from my favorite baking cookbook, Good to the Grain (which I have used for some of favorite cookie recipes including whole wheat chocolate chip and cornmeal cranberry cookies.
Because you roll the scones into swirls like cinnamon rolls, they take a little longer to prepare than regular scones. However it’s entirely possible to roll them into logs the day before, and simply slice and bake them in the morning.
The homemade fig preserves also take a little while to cook, but you can prepare that sometime in the preceding month (as it keeps that long in the fridge). The fig jam recipe makes double the amount required for the scones, so you can have extra on hand for spreading on anything and everything. Alternatively you could double the scone recipe and use all of the fig jam at once. The fig jam is boozy because of the addition of 1 cup of red wine and 1/2 cup of port. It will make your kitchen smell incredible when it simmers on the stove. The recipe calls for 12 ounces of dried Black Mission figs, which is coincidently the exact size of the packages of dried figs at Trader Joe’s.
Ingredients
For the Boozy Fig Jam
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup port
- 12 ounces dried Black Mission figs, stems removed
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
For the Scones
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
