a heck of a scone!

I think by now you all know that I really really like scones. There is something about a scone that brings a smile to my face... the smell of the batter as I knead the dough, the satisfaction of making those cute little triangles and then the absolute delight when they puff up and expand as they bake - pretty little packages that are meant to be consumed warm and fresh from the oven.

I've been eyeing the following scone recipe for quite some time... another tempting little diddy from the cheeseboard collective works. Every single one of their scone recipes has proven to be a success... so I honestly don't know why I hadn't grabbed the necessary ingredients and made a batch of their Apple Walnut Scones; but I hadn't. I promise to rectify this and bake them again. And again. The intense smell of the raisins and apples had my mouth watering and my stomach rumbling as I was making these.

I did opt to use fresh chopped apples rather than using the 1 c. of dried apples that the original recipe called for. I think it's really up to you - I had some apples on hand and really do enjoy the moistness they offer to baked goods. I substituted the white sugar for brown sugar as well (same amounts). Feel free to use the original recipe rather than my little "twist" on things :0)

I also ended up making them into smaller scones - but as usual with the cheeseboard's scones - I assume that I would get 12 to 13 really decent sized scones. Or you can do like me and get a couple dozen out of the batter.

Apple Walnut Scones
ingredients:
3 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. salted butter, cold and grated, then frozen
1 c. (2 medium) apples, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 c. chopped walnut pieces
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. buttermilk

egg wash, brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon to top

Don't preheat your oven, just line a baking pan with some parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Use your paddle attachment and stir on the lowest speed for about 30 seconds (everything is just combined).

Grab your grated butter out of the freezer and toss it into the bowl. Stir everything to combine - you're dough will start to come together and resemble damp sand.

Take the apples, walnuts and raisins, and dump them into the middle of the batter and mix (always at low speed).

Make a well in the centre and pour the cream and buttermilk into the centre. You want to stir until everything comes together around the paddle attachment. Now with your hand, knead together the batter on a generously floured surface.

Roll the dough out into a rectangular shape, divide the dough in half lengthwise and then cut each piece into triangles.

Now... I know that you probably want to bake these babies right away... they smell great, look great and your stomach is rumbling right? But wait. Place them on the prepared cookie sheet and then put them in your freezer. 20 minutes in the freezer makes a world of difference... honestly, those 20 minutes could mean the difference between a fluffy scone and a flat one.

This is when you should preheat your oven to 375 F.

Don't forget to egg wash the top of the uncooked scones and then sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon on top of each triangle. Now they're ready to be baked: 15 - 20 minutes for the small scones or 25 - 30 minutes for regular sized scones.

Remove from the oven, allow to sit on the cookie sheet for another minute or two, them remove and cool completely on wire racks. Or do like me... and just eat one. You've waited long enough.

:0)