Jalapeño cheddar scones

Last up, a tried and true scone that I swear by: Jalapeno-Cheddar Scones from Smitten Kitchen!!  I've made these before, several times, but shared them on the blog with you about a year and a half ago here.  They're SO good, that I decided to share the recipe again below, so that you don't have to flip back and forth between this post and the previous one!

Jalapeño Cheddar Scones are the second from the left.

Jalapeño-Cheddar Scones (from SmittenKitchen.com)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick or 4 ounces) cold butter, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 eggs, divided
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, diced - I always use white cheddar, although i'm not completely sure why.  I've also thought about trying monterey jack or pepper jack cheese, but I always stop myself, because why fix something that doesn't need fixing?
2 small jalapeño peppers, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter and sauté the jalapeños in it until soft.
Let them cool, then mix them with the cheddar cheese in a small bowl and coat them with one tablespoon of the flour.

Combine the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt.
Cut in the remaining butter with a pastry blender, fork or two knives, until the butter bits are pea sized.

Lightly whip two of the eggs and cream and add to the flour-butter mixture.
Using a wooden spoon, fold mixture until it begins to come together.
Add the cheddar-jalapeño mixture to the dough and mix until everything is well-mixed.

Put the dough on a well-floured surface and gently knead it till it comes together well (less than one minute).
Pat dough out to a 3/4- to 1-inch thickness and either cut into 8 triangles or the shape of your choice with a biscuit cutter. I made mine mini for the shower (and generally make them mini when serving as an appetizer).

I then froze mine, and actually baked them up AT the shower, since I think they are THE BEST when they're fresh out of the oven.

When ready to bake the scones, remove the from the freezer and then start from here:

Make an egg wash by beating the remaining egg with a teaspoon of water.
Brush the scones with egg wash and place on a parchment-lined (or well-oiled) baking sheet.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  My mini ones take much less, about 8-12 minutes depending on the oven.

Cranberry orange scones

The fourth variety of scones that I made for L's baby shower were these cranberry orange scones.

These cranberry orange scones are in the center.

I know I've said it before, but i'll say it again: I don't love orange zest in baked goods.  But something about this recipe -- and the fact that people seem to love the orange and cranberry combination -- made me want to make these for the shower.  I have to admit, though, that these were pretty darn good (and that's coming from the orange zest hater)!  And easy to make, too.

Just beware -- this recipe makes a TON of scones!  And I made mine without the glaze, but included it for you in case you prefer glazed scones.


Ina Garten's Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients:

4 cups plus 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
(I used Turbinado sugar for sprinkling, and only used 1/4 cup of granulated sugar)
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp orange zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten (I didn't see the "extra" part of that until I copied the recipe NOW, 2 weeks later, but I used large eggs and they were fine)
1 cup cold cream
1 cup dried cranberries

1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp water or milk, for egg wash (I left this off until I took them out of the freezer to bake them)
Turbinado sugar
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, plus 2 Tbsp
4 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest.
Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest sped until the butter is the size of peas.
Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on the low speed, slowly pour it into the flour mixture.
Mix until just blended.  The dough with look lumpy!
Combine the dried cranberries with 1/4 cup of flour.
Add to the dough.
Mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well floured surface and knead it into a ball.
Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 inch thick.  I prefer to do this between 2 pieces of floured wax or parchment paper.
You should see small bits of flour in the dough.  Keep moving the dough so that it doesn't stick.

Flour a 3 inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough.  I used a slightly smaller cutter, maybe 2 or 2.5 inches.
I once learned a trick that says you're supposed to just push the cutter into the scone and remove it, and NOT to twist the cutter, since it makes the scones not rise as well....so I'm passing that tip along to you.

Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Collect the scraps neatly.
Roll out the scraps.
Cut more circles.
I froze mine here.

(If you freeze your scones, remove them from the freezer to bake them.  There is no need to defrost them, as I baked mine when they were still frozen and have baking times listed below.)
Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash.
Sprinkle with (Turbinado) sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Out of the freezer, ,my (slightly smaller) scones took 18 minutes to bake.
Tops should be browned and the insides fully baked; the scones will feel firm to the touch.

Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes.

If using the glaze, make the glaze:
Whisk together the confectioners sugar and orange juice.
Drizzle over the scones.

Pumpkin scones

Third up in the week of scones are these pumpkin scones.   (Sorry for the delay in posts, as the past few days were the Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashanah and I was away from the computer.)

The pumpkin scones are all the way on the right.

I've mentioned it before, but I'll say it again.  I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin pie spices, but I figured that pumpkin would be a nice fall flavor for the baby shower.  Boy was I right -- a bunch of people came up to me and saying that their favorite was the pumpkin scone!

These froze up beautifully, and then I just popped them into the oven to bake them.  If you do like pumpkin pie flavors, these are the scones for you!

Pumpkin Scones
from Damn Delicious

Ingredients:

For the scones:

2 cups flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cloves (I decreased this just a bit, since cloves and I are not friends)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp milk
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze (I left this off, due to lack of time):

1 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp milk

For the spiced glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silcone baking mat.
Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.  You can also use a Kitchen-Aid mixer or a food processor.
Add cold butter, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk, egg, and vanilla.
Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.

Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together.  I like to do this on floured waxed or parchment paper, making clean up much easier.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10 by 7 inch rectangle, about 1" thick.
Using a large knife or pizza cutter, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut into 2 even pieces crosswise, making 4 rectangles.
Then cut each rectangle into two triangles, making 8 triangles.
I cut mine differently, making smaller triangles, since I wanted mini scones.

Place scones onto prepared baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Make the glaze.
Combine the confectioners sugar and milk.
Whisk until smooth.
If the glaze is too thick, add more milk as needed; set aside.

Make the spiced glaze.
Combine the confectioners sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and milk.
Whisk until smooth.
Mine was too thin, so I added some extra confectioners sugar.
Set aside.

When the scones are done, cool for 10 minutes.
Spoon the glaze on each scone (I skipped this stage, since I didn't make the plain glaze).
Then, drizzle with the spiced glaze.

Allow the glazes to set before serving.

Prosciutto, cheese, and scallion scones

For L's baby shower this past weekend, I wanted to add some savory scones to the sweet ones that I was going to make.  These were my first savory scone that I baked for the shower, and also happen to be the second installment of the week of scones!

The Prosciutto, Scallion, and Gruyere Scones are the 4th from the left.

These were also pretty easy to make, in part to the pre-chopped prosciutto that I found near the deli counter.  What a time saver!  Definitely appreciated given the sheer variety of scones that I was making (plus, there were cupcakes, too!).  I made these mini, too, since there were going to be so many varieties of scones, and I figured people might want to try more than one flavor.  I ended up getting 19 mini scones, plus I had tons of leftover dough that I just re-kneaded and made about 10 more mini scones.

I have to say, I'm a HUGE fan of these savory scones!  They're perfectly savory, salty, and delicious without being too salty!  My only regret?  The minis are so mini...I want to eat more than one at once!

Prosciutto, Gruyere, and Scallion Scones
from Kitchen Confidante

Ingredients:

2.5 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup butter
2 large eggs
2/3 cups buttermilk
2/3 cup shredded gruyere (I hand grated mine)
1/2 cup chopped prosciutto
1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 cup chopped green onion (scallion)
2 Tbsp half and half
Sea salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Using a pastry cutter (or two forks, or knives, or a food processor), cut the butter into the flour mixture, until you have course crumbs.

Whisk the eggs lightly and combine with the buttermilk.
Add to the flour mixture and stir until just moist.

In a small bowl, mix together the cheeses, prosciutto, and scallions.
Add this to the batter and mix lightly.
* The dough will be sticky.

On a lightly floured surface, turn the dough out and knead lightly until all the cheese, prosciutto, and scallions are incorporated into the dough.
Roll the dough 3/4 inch thick.
Cut out 3 inch squares, then cut diagonally to make triangles.  You should have about 10.
Or, you can make mini scones like I did, with a 2" circle cutter.  Punch down with the cutter, but do not twist.
Place the scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Lightly brush the top of the scones with half and half.
Sprinkle with sea salt.

Place the scones in the freezer for 30 minutes.

*Since I made the scones a few days before and planned to bake them the morning of the shower, I left off the half and half and salt when I froze them, and did that when I took them out of the freezer to bake them.  I ended up using an egg wash and left off the salt, since I was afraid that they might be too salty.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Once the scones are chilled, bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.
I baked my mini scones for about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese and serve warm.
Since I did this at L's mother-in-law's apartment and I forgot to bring the parmesan cheese with me, I inadvertently left that off.  Oops!

Mixed berry scones

My friend L is expecting a little girl next month.  Two of her friends and her mother-in-law threw her a baby shower yesterday.  On the menu?  Tea and scones.  And -- as i'm sure you guessed -- yours truly offered to bake up some scones for the momentous occasion!

5 different kinds of scones for L's baby shower.  Every day this week I'll post one or two recipes.
These mixed berry scones are all the way on the left of the picture!
Which one will be featured tomorrow??

I wanted to make a variety of scones, and since the hosts said they'd need about 40 scones, I figured I had the perfect opportunity to test out a few different scone flavors.  So, as you may have figured out, this week will be scone week on JulieBakes!

First up were these mixed berry scones.

First off, if done right, scones are pretty easy.  I love the fact that you don't have to wait for the butter to warm up to room temperature (it's often times the most time-intensive part of baking, and I've yet to find an alternate way of doing it besides leaving it on the counter and allowing it to warm up and soften).  I don't have a pastry blender, though, so getting the butter to break up into pea sized bits is a bit difficult with a fork, but it's worth it.

I made the scones ahead of time and then froze them.  Scones are really the best the same day they're baked, and savory ones (you'll see some of those this week) I find are best fresh out of the oven.  This way, I got to pop the scones of the freezer and bake them up that morning, without having to pull an all nighter getting 5 (or more....) types of scones made and freshly baked that morning!  The only problem?  Since these had frozen fruit in them,when I went to bake these they ended up a little watery and I didn't think they were pretty enough to serve, so I ended up making a quick fresh batch yesterday morning for the shower.  So, take note, these are a make the day of scone (translation: don't pre-make and freeze these [spoiler alert: the rest of the scones this week can be frozen]).

The scones were served with assorted jams, clotted cream, and butter.

I cut the scones as directed, but found that they were a bit thick and big,  So when I made them the second time, I rolled them out and then cut them into triangles free-hand.  I got about 18 medium-sized scones.  They baked up for about 12 minutes and were perfectly delicious!

Mixed Berry Scones
(these scones call for a glaze, which I left off.  But I've included the recipe for the glaze in case you're interested)
Original recipe from Averie Cooks.

Ingredients;

2 cups flour, plus more for dusting hands and work surface
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream (light is OK)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 heaping cup of mixed berries (both the original recipe and I used frozen mixed berries -- so easy and I highly recommend it!), if using frozen berries, do not defrost them
1 Tbsp orange or lemon zest, optional (I used lemon zest and loved the bright lemony pop that it gave, and I thought it went really well with the berries.)
Turbinado, raw, or coarse sugar, optional (which I opted for, and I used turbinado sugar)

For the glaze (which I left off):
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp, approx, of cream or milk (or you can substitute in orange or lemon juice)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and optional salt.
Whisk to combine.

Cube the butter.
Add the butter to the flour mixture, and with a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter in (you can use a food processor, too, or a Kitchen-Aid mixer....which I did the morning of the shower when I needed every time-saving trick I could come up with).
Once the pieces of butter are smaller, you can mush them up with your hands.
Some larger pea-sized clumps of butter are OK.
Set aside the bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, and vanilla.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry.
With a soft-tipped spatula, fold until just combined.
Be sure not to overmix the scones -- the dough should be wet and shaggy.

Fold in the berries and zest, if using.

Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp of flour onto a Silpat or clean work surface (I use wax paper or parchment paper on the counter) and lightly coat hands.

Turn the dough onto the work surface and knead it into an 8 inch round circle -- This is where I did mine differently...
I kneaded mine a few times, and then sprinkled some flour on top.
I placed another piece of waxed paper or parchment paper on to[p of the dough and then rolled it out. I cut them into 2 to 3 inch wide strips, and then cut them into triangles.

Using a flat spatula, transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, being sure to place them at least 2 inches apart.
Tip - try to avoid exposed berries touching the baking sheet, since they're prone to burning (although I couldn't do that with all my scones, and none of them burned).

If using sugar on top (which I did), sprinkle each wedge with a generous pinch or turbinado sugar, about 1 tsp each.

Bake for about 18 minutes (mine were a little smaller, about 10-12 minutes was enough), if using fresh (not frozen) berries, they will likely need a shorter baking time, so just be aware.
A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.

Allow the scones to cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes before removing and transfering them to a rack to finish cooling.

While the scones are cooling, make the glaze, if using.

Whisk together the confectioners sugar and cream/milk/citrus juice (whichever you choose to use....but just use one!).
Depending on desired consistency, you may need to add more sugar or cream/milk/citrus juice.

Evenly drizzle the glaze over the scones before serving.

* Scones are best served fresh.  These will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. *

Mini blueberry scones

I bought some blueberries the other day for a blueberry dessert I'm making over the weekend.  I was good to go.  Delicious, plump, sweet blueberries sitting in my fridge.  You can imagine how long that lasted!?!

They were calling to me, as most fresh fruit always does, but especially in the summer.  They were saying things like "bake with me" and "I'd go great in a scone" and "don't I look delicious?"  Eventually I succumbed, and decided to make some mini fresh blueberry scones with them.  And of course, I snacked on the remaining blueberries that didn't make it into the dough!

I did 2 (well, technically 3) things different from this original recipe.  First off, I left out the orange zest.  Because frankly, I HATE (yes, I know that it's a strong word, and yes, I still want to use it) orange zest.  That's it, I don't have to go into it more.  Secondly, I made them mini.  Because all baked goods are cute in mini.  (And I wanted to try them when they came out of the oven, but it was after 11 p.m. and I frankly didn't need an entire scone.)  Lastly, the original recipe called for tubinado sugar, but I had demerara sugar, so I used that instead.

These were light and crumbly and delicious!  I had to walk out of the kitchen because I kept popping them in my mouth as I cleaned up afterwards.  They're delicious and super easy to make!

Bakery Style Blueberry Scones
From Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder (yes, a whole Tablespoon!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp orange zest -- I left this out and I thought that they were still delicious!!
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into very small cubes
1 large egg
1/2 cup cold cream, plus more for brushing the tops of the scones
1 cup fresh blueberries
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling the tops of the scones

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Stir the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a mixing bowl).
Add orange zest, if using.
Add the butter.
Mix ingredients with an electric mixer until fine crumbs form.

With the mixer on low, add the egg and heavy cream in a slow stream.
Mix until a thick, stuff dough forms.
Add the blueberries and mix until just incorporated -- I used a spatula and folded them in, since I didn't want the blueberries to break in the mixer.  According to the original blog post, "If some of them break, that's okay - you'll get those pretty juice drops down the side.

Flour your hands.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place on a floured work surface.
Roll into a rectangle about 1 inch thick --  I just used my hands and flattened the dough into a rectangle.
Cut into 8 triangles, and pull the triangles apart from each other -- Or, do what I did, and use a small biscuit cutter - or a larger one if you want - and cut out smaller scones.
Brush the tops of the scones with some heavy cream.
Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 18-20 minutes (my mini ones took 9 minutes) or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
Sprinkle again with turbinado sugar for extra texture.

Enjoy warm.
Store leftovers (if there are any....) in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

NOTES: Parchment paper helps prevent the scones from burning on the bottom.  For lighter scones, be sure to keep the butter as cold as possible throughout the process.  Stick the dough in the fridge for a few minutes if its getting too warm and soft.

Super bowl

This year's super bowl is exciting not only because the home team is playing, but also because I actually have the day off! In the past six years, I have worked every super bowl Sunday. I chose to celebrate having the day off by hosting a little get together at my apartment for the game.

In traditional Julie fashion, I planned a hugely elaborate menu, sticking mainly to hors d'ourves/snack-y foods and desserts.

I started a few days early by making the sweet and spicy candied nuts, the jalapeño-cheddar scones (which I didn't get to serve), and the roasted and shredded beef. Then, I made some of the chocolate lollipops. My original intent was to make football lollipops as well as helmet lollipops in the colors of the teams playing, but finding/making navy chocolate proved to be harder than I thought it would.

Then I pared down my menu. Pretty substantially. It was way too much food for the dozen or so people who were expected.

The day before I started with the remaining foods on my now-paired-down list. Greek lamb meatballs, buffalo chicken mini meatballs (the original recipe called for mini, it wasn't my doing!), my grandmother's hot dog appetizer (which I also didn't get to serve), spinach dip (which I also didn't get to serve), and macaroni and cheese. I took a short cut with the salsa, hummus, jalapeño poppers (from the freezer aisle), and buffalo wings (from a local bar) and bought them.

Dessert was chocolate lollipops, nutella cupcakes in football wrappers, and cookie-and-brownie "burgers" (idea taken from this blog, but I made everything from scratch). Why nutella cupcakes, you may wonder? Because tomorrow is Nutella Day and I promised a friend I'd make Nutella cupcakes for Nutella day!

Congrats to the Giants on an awesome win!

Some of the spreads

Jalapeño-cheddar scones

Most people will be surprised to see this recipe on this blog.  I think it's because most people forget that baking can be savory, too.  I've made this recipe a few times before, and it's always a big hit.  They have great jalapeño flavor without being too spicy (I think to increase the heat you can add extra jalapeños or sautee them briefly (or not at all) to increase the heat factor, though I haven't tried either of those yet).  I choose to cut mine into little circle scones instead of the typical wedge-shaped scone.  I also make them mini (by now, you shouldn't be shocked).  Why mini scones, you might ask?  The answer is simple - I like to serve them as an appetizer, straight out of the oven (while most sweet scones can be served room temperature, these are really the best straight out of the oven, as the cheese is still soft and melty).  And I think they'll be perfect for my superbowl party this weekend (while I am not a football fan, I am rooting for the home team, so here is my shameless bias: GO GIANTS!).

Since I have an extensive menu planned (again, not a huge shocker here), I figured I'd try and start a few days early.  I made the scones tonight and the put them in the freezer.  They can be baked straight from the freezer, too - all you need to do is add an extra minute or two.  Just be sure to put the egg wash on after you take them out of the freezer (translation: don't freeze them with the egg wash on them).  I made a double batch so that I could give some to my parents to take to the super bowl party that they're going to.

But of course I had to test them out tonight, you know, just to make sure they're OK ;-)

  

After I cut out all the circles, I refolded the dough and cut out more.
Not wanting to be wasteful, I used the scraps from the second round
and just made a few wedges to bake up tonight.

And my little taste tester (minus the egg wash, since I wasn't making an entire egg wash tonight just to glaze this little guy and his few "tester" buddies):



Jalapeño-Cheddar Scones (from SmittenKitchen.com)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick or 4 ounces) cold butter, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 eggs, divided
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, diced - I always use white cheddar, although i'm not completely sure why.  I've also thought about trying monterey jack or pepper jack cheese, but I always stop myself, because why fix something that doesn't need fixing?
2 small jalapeño peppers, minced

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter and sauté the jalapeños in it until soft. Let them cool, then mix them with the cheddar cheese in a small bowl and coat them with one tablespoon of the flour.

Combine the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt. Cut in the remaining butter with a pastry blender, fork or two knives, until the butter bits are pea sized.

Lightly whip two of the eggs and cream and add to the flour-butter mixture. Using a wooden spoon, fold mixture until it begins to come together. Add the cheddar-jalapeño mixture to the dough and mix until everything is well-mixed.

Put the dough on a well-floured surface and gently knead it till it comes together well (less than one minute). Pat dough out to a 3/4- to 1-inch thickness and either cut into 8 triangles or the shape of your choice with a biscuit cutter. Make an egg wash by beating the remaining egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush the scones with egg wash and place on a parchment-lined (or well-oiled) baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.