When I bought Dorie Greenspan’s Baking, From My Home to Yours (from which I have baked happily and extensively), one of the first recipes that caught my eye was this one, for Apple Cheddar Scones. It has somehow taken me over a year to get around to making them, but these will show up in my kitchen again soon–fresh from the oven, they are crusty, buttery, and a little bit sweet, with tiny pockets of melting cheese. They can also be whipped up relatively quickly, with no special equipment–perfect to make first thing in the morning, for breakfast, or on a chilly afternoon as a snack. I made a couple of changes to the original recipe, the most blatant being the substitution of fresh apples for dried ones–I think fresh ones add a little more sweetness and contrast.
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup apple cider or apple juice, cold
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
- 2 tb sugar
- 1 tb baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick (8 tb) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 apple, cored and roughly diced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
Whisk together egg, yogurt, and cider. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients and work it in using a pastry cutter or your fingers; stop when the mixture has reached a sandy consistency, with some larger, pebble-sized pieces of butter remaining. Stir in the wet ingredients with a fork, mixing just until combined. Fold in the cheese and apple pieces with a spatula. Using your hands, gather the dough in the bowl into a bundle, and kneed it a couple of times to work in the mix-ins and any dry ingredients remaining at the bottom of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and shape into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick; cut into ten pieces and place each on the cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until they are golden and they edges are turning brown.
These are best eaten immediately, but can be reheated in a low oven. Serve with good butter and tea or hot apple cider.
Comments 13
I just got this book from the library but may need to buy it—those look DELICIOUS. Lovely photo.
Posted 29 Sep 2008 at 2:35 pm ¶these look and sound absolutely amazing.
Posted 29 Sep 2008 at 2:37 pm ¶Those just scream Fall! They look incredible, and perfect for a chilly morning!
Posted 29 Sep 2008 at 5:27 pm ¶WOW - I love those. I am starving and they look so yummy. Great post.
Posted 30 Sep 2008 at 7:49 am ¶Those look amazing!
Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 1:19 am ¶Apple cheddar scones sound really good.
Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 6:47 am ¶looks like a scone, looks like cake, almost looks like a fritter - absolutely looks fantastic.
Posted 02 Oct 2008 at 5:00 pm ¶I love scones and the flavor of this recipe is well balanced between sweet and savory. Are they supposed to be more cakey than crumbly?
Posted 04 Oct 2008 at 8:54 am ¶What kind of cheddar is better for this recipe? Mild or sharp? Can’t wait to make them!
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 2:36 pm ¶These look wonderful! As a serious sconehead, I can’t believe I’ve never thought to combine apples and cheddar in scones before. Fortunately I just happen to have a lovely hunk of sharp cheddar in the fridge and a big sack of apples in the pantry. Can’t wait to make some. Thanks for the inspiration! : )
Posted 17 Oct 2008 at 3:55 pm ¶Yum.
No other comment needed.
~Liz
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 9:33 am ¶http://www.AGiveawayADay.blogspot.com
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I made these this weekend, but used an aged gruyere in place of the cheddar and sour cream in place of the yogurt, just because of what I had on hand. Served with baked eggs with caramelized onions and was highly praised! Thanks for a lovely, easy fall breakfast idea.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 10:06 pm ¶it’s the foodblog zeitgeist at work again - i just made apple cheddar muffins, also with raw apple! i almost made scones, though, and think i will next time; these look perfectly delicious.
another tasty combo - saute the apples in a little butter and brown sugar, let them cool a little, and then stir some nice nutty aged gouda (like prima donna) and hazelnuts into the batter/dough. to. die. for.
also also: maple glaze on the apple-cheddar baked goods = YUM.
Posted 22 Oct 2008 at 3:11 pm ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 2
[...] Photo and recipe from Big City, Little Kitchen. [...]
[...] great breakfast, lunch or brunch recipes: Big City, Little Kitchen makes apple-cheddar scones and MomCooks makes Italian [...]
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