I’d like to introduce you to these scones.

There are a few reasons you might love them:

• It feels delightfully wrong — and perfectly right — to enjoy Halloween candy flavors for breakfast. These scones channel that Almond Joy vibe without sending you into a sugar spiral. They taste indulgent, but you won’t feel odd eating them in the morning.
• They manage to be both fluffy and dense, a signature scone texture that’s more substantial than a muffin yet soft enough to be satisfying. They don’t rely on loads of sugar to win you over, so you get rich flavor without an overwhelmingly sweet batter.
• They inspire creativity. While these baked, I ended up trying other brown-butter experiments in the kitchen — scones have a way of doing that.
• And because I’m easily enthused by novelty flavors (I tested a few cake-flavored spirits, for research purposes), I felt compelled to share these immediately. Thank the scones.

I used to be picky about pastries — not much into scones, and only selective about other baked treats. But these changed my mind. They have the right balance of texture and mix-ins to make pastry lovers and skeptics happy.

I like to drizzle chocolate on top, although I admit my drizzling technique could use practice. Still, a generous hand with the candy and chocolate is part of the charm — don’t be afraid to be a little heavy-handed.

I shaped these scones more like biscuits because I was bored of triangles. Feel free to cut them into wedges or use a round cutter — both work great.

Almond Joy Scones

Adapted from a cinnamon-chip scone recipe. Makes about 16 scones.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cold butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into small pieces
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• Raw turbinado sugar for sprinkling
• 3 ounces chocolate, melted, for drizzling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, granulated sugar, flaked coconut, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until pea-sized pieces remain.

Stir in the buttermilk, vanilla extract and coconut extract until just combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times to bring it together.

Divide the dough in half and pat each portion into a 7-inch round. Cut each round into 6 or 8 wedges, or use a biscuit cutter for rounds. Place the scones on a baking sheet, brush the tops with a little melted butter, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake at 425°F for 12–14 minutes, until the scones are golden and set. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly on a wire rack. Drizzle with melted chocolate once they have cooled enough that the chocolate will set on the surface.

Warning: they disappear fast. There was only one left and it was worth fighting for.