Damn Delicious Scones

Friday, I was not feeling very well and ended up going to bed at 8 pm. I usually go to bed between 10 pm and 10:30 pm, but I was feeling completely worn out and went to bed early. I was also a little depressed, but I don’t know why. I was just feeling down. I slept for about an hour and a half before I was wide awake again and could not fall back to sleep. 

 

Earlier in the day, I had planned to mix up some ham and cheese scones. I usually make them up the night before and put them in the refrigerator, so they are ready to take out and put in the oven the next morning. However, with the way I was feeling, I had not done this, but when I woke up after sleeping for an hour or so, I decided to mix up a batch of scones. I mostly use my food processor to mix everything up but the buttermilk, so it’s a pretty easy process, and cooking always puts me in a better mood if I can get myself motivated enough to start.

 

I put the dough in the refrigerator and went back to bed. Once I got up Saturday morning, all I needed to do was preheat the oven and knead and roll out the scones. It makes it a lot easier in the morning to do it this way. I am putting my recipe below. This is an adapted recipe from the site Damn Delicious, and let me just say, “These scones are damn delicious.” Once they come out of the oven, they are hard to stop eating. If you can resist eating them all, just put the leftovers in a container or Ziploc bag and save them for later. If you do save them for later, you will realize they aren’t quite as fluffy, so what I do is toast them before I eat them. It brings them back to nearly the way they were when they first came out of the oven.

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Whenever I make these, it makes my whole day better.

Ham and Cheese Scones

 

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep time: 15 Minutes 

Cook time: 20 Minutes 

Total time: 35 Minutes

 

Ingredients:

 

·      2 cups self-rising  flour¹

·      1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·      1/2 cup salted butter, cut into cubes

·      3/4 cup buttermilk

·      1 cup shredded cheddar cheese²

·      1/3 cup diced ham³

·      2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

 

Optional:

·      1 egg

·      1 tablespoon milk

·      1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

 

Directions:

 

1.     Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat or spray a cone pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

2.     In a food processor, combine flour and garlic powder. (For slightly sweeter scones, you can also add 1 tablespoon of sugar.)

3.     Add cold butter, and pulse the food processor until the butter and the dry ingredients resemble coarse crumbs. 

4.     Add cheese, ham, and chives, and pulse to combine.

5.     Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in buttermilk until a soft dough forms.

6.     Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pill, roll the dough into an 8″ circle, about 1-inch thick, and cut into 8 wedges.

7.     Place scones onto the prepared baking sheet or into the scone pan. 

8.     (Optional) Beat egg and milk in a small bowl and brush onto the top of the scones. You may also top the scones with additional cheese.

9.     Place into oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and lightly browned.

10.  Serve warm.

 

Notes:

^1.             If you don’t want to use self-rising flour, you can use 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. If you use these ingredients, use unsalted butter.

^2.             I like to use Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar

^3.             I use Smithfield Hickory Smoked Diced Ham