July 1, 2008

TWD- Apple Cheddar (and Honey Nut!) Scones

I have to admit, when I told my husband what the recipe was for the week he kind of did a double take- Apple and Cheddar? I told him it was a classic combo and that, like every Dorie treat, he would surely like them. And he did!

One word of advice- this dough is STICKY! You can see the mess it left on the counter after I finished patting out the dough with plenty of flour. My scones also baked up a few minutes faster than Dorie said, and while I'm no scientist, I think living in the million degree Arizona heat has some bearing on that.

Now I'll be the first to admit these were less than photogenic for me (my star shaped scone looked different in my imagination than the finished product did!) but I liked the round shape of the second batch better. Either way, they were delicious and the flavor combo was great. We ate them warm with a little butter or jam (the amount of butter on the first photo is just for the photos sake, I promise...) and even baby liked them.

I was anxious to try some new flavors. Usually, when I've had scones before, they were dry and tough, but these were light and tasty- like a sweet biscuit. So I made the Honey-Nut Scones this morning on a whim. I've included the recipe below. They are a little different than the others but I was glad to make another scone so I feel like I've really gotten these under my belt. While I liked the flavor of these scones, I really had to slather them with honey butter to get them sweet enough for me (once again, my husband just doused his with jam). I think I'll stick with muffins for breakfast but I'm glad to have these in my reporetoire! Thanks to Karina for choosing a fun recipe and expanding my horizons. You can find the recipe on her site or in Baking by Dorie Greenspan. Be sure to check out the other bakers' scones for more yummy breakfast inspiration.

Honey-Nut Scones
Adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

1 Large Egg
2 Tablespoons Honey
½ Cup Cold Whole Milk
1 ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 Stick (8 Tablespoons) Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces
½ Cup Chopped Walnuts (I used Pecans)

Preheat the over to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
Stir the egg, honey, and milk together.

Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You’ll have pea- size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes, and pieces the size of everything in between- and that’s just right.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, comes together. Don’t over do it. Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Still in the bowl, gently knew the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to about ½ inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheet. (At this point, the scones can be frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight. Don’t defrost before baking- just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.)

Bake the scones for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are deeply golden and firmish to the touch. Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving, or wait for the scones to cool to room temperature.

Serve with sweet butter, chunky jam, apple butter, or honey butter (my recommendation). Enjoy the day they’re made!

29 comments:

  1. I used my ice cream scoop and had no difficulties ;-), they are so different from the British cones.

    Glad you liked the flavour combo

    Ulrike from Küchenlatein

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  2. The honey-nut combo sounds so yummy. You were brave for handling that sticky dough. I scooped them out, too.

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  3. The leaning tower of scones looks wonderful - glad you liked them!

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  4. The star shaped one is adorable :) And the honey nut scones have been in my baking queue for a while - good to know that you liked them.

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  5. The star shaped scone is so cute. I am going to have to try your honey nut version. My family would love that.

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  6. two kinds of scones? Yum! I want one of each!

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  7. Well aren't you an overachiever this week? ;)

    I think the star scones are lovely even if they didn't turn out how you had hoped.

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  8. No, it's a million degrees in VEGAS! Hahaha!

    Honey Nut - that sounds great!

    Btw - your photos are awesome - are you using photoshop?

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  9. I thought about making stars. I think they look really cute!!

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  10. The honey nut combo sounds wonderful too. I'm probably making more today also, since my little boy is hooked. Plus after seeing all the pics, I always want more! Great work and gorgeous pis as usual.

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  11. Lord you are ambitious! Star shaped scones? Wow...

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  12. Love the idea of the star cut scone! Also your stack of rounds is darling. They look delicious. btw, did you get a haircut? I love your new profile pic- very cute!

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  13. Love the photos, and a likely story about the butter just being for photographic purposes! ;)
    Madam Chow
    http://www.mzkitchen.com

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  14. Thanks for the sweet comments everyone!

    I wish I had photoshop but for now I just use Picasa and Word (I know, so fancy!) I did get a haircut, too, thanks for noticing!

    I can't wait to see everyones scones... I'm off to browse...

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  15. Your scones look great! I love the honey-nut combination.

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  16. Nice photos, nice post, nice ideas for changing it up a bit. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Love the star idea...4th of July coming up and all....
    ~Kayte
    www.grandmaskitchentable.typepad.com

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  17. It was pretty sticky. I ended up just doing the drop method.

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  18. I might even get my very picky little one to eat honey nut scones. He could survive on honey nut cheerios. Glad it worked out for you.

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  19. Both types of scones look great! I'm glad you were able to win your husband over to the apple/cheddar combo, it's one of my favorites.

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  20. honey nut sounds really yummy!

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  21. yum honey butter...!! i used my ice cream scoop, wasn't playing with that sticky dough..you must love a challenge! they look wonderful!

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  22. I absolutely adore the picture of your counter top after scone production... it really tells a story. And your honey-nut combo sounds heavenly. Great job!

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  23. Nice pics!

    Rebecca
    http://www.ezrapoundcake.com

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  24. I've got to try some of the other scone recipes in this book. I bet they're great too. I love your pictures.

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  25. Anne:
    Thanks so much for that measuring shortening tip. I'm going to use it for peanut butter, too. Would you mind if I posted the tip on my blog in the future? I'd be sure to give you credit!

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  26. Go ahead Prudy, it's a good one! I can't wait to see everyones pies, too.

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  27. oh my gosh...these look delicous!!! Great job on them! I am visiting you via the foodie blog roll.

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  28. The scones sound delish ... btw ... at least you have a "dry" million degrees heat, unlike Florida where the humidity is a million percent!

    Denise
    http://www.WineFoodPairing.blogspot.com

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  29. These were so lovely, I'm a cheese scone convert!

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