Scones are easy to make and always a favorite with a cup of coffee or tea.

Penzeys Spices is one of our grown up toy catalogues. Last spring, we pored over every page as we created a list of the spices and seasonings we thought we might want for the following year. During this perusal, a number of unfamiliar spices piqued our interest. One such item was galangal. Also known as blue ginger, galangal is indeed a member of the ginger family, but has a more intense, flowery taste not much at all like the ginger we’re familiar with. Perhaps cardamom is a closer comparison.

Recently, we came across a lemon-ginger scone recipe that seemed ripe for a makeover. In the following recipe, pecans and orange zest meld with the pleasantly flowery galangal to create a new classic. The yogurt gave the scone a moister texture that traditional recipes.

Orange Pecan Galangal Scones

Ingredients

Scone:

• 2  1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp galangal
• finely grated zest of one orange
• healthy pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup orange juice

Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and galangal.
4. Stir in sugar, salt and zest.
5. Stir in pecans.
6. Using wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in orange juice. Then stir in yogurt.
7. On a lightly floured surface, gently knead dough until it comes together. Do not over-knead.
8. Press dough into a circle, about one inch thick.
9. Cut circle into 8 wedges.
10. Arrange wedges on baking sheet so there is about 1 inch in between each one.
11. Bake scones for 20 minutes. Scones will be lightly browned on the bottom and pale on the top.
12. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling.
13. Meanwhile, whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together to make drizzle icing. Consistency should be like honey.
14. To drizzle icing, fill  a pastry bag with a small tip or a small Ziplock bag with a corner snipped, or simply use a spoon. Drizzle icing evenly over scones.
15. Serve warm or room temperature.