Bacon Cheddar Scones

To me,a scones fits in somewhere between a biscuit and a muffin. I actually never knew what a scone was until about ten years ago when I made a recipe for what I thought was a fried scone like you'd find at the fair and it turned out to be this kind of scone, the kind you find at Starbucks. It was a nice surprise and I've been hooked ever since. These scones are surprisingly light and tender, yet very filling.

(Adapted from Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 - 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

4 green onions, thinly sliced

10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces

1 - 1 1/2 cup buttermilk

Egg wash:

1 large egg

2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add butter and cut with pastry blender or two knives until butter is pea-sized. Stir in grated cheese. Mix in the green onions, bacon and 1 cup of buttermilk. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to come together, mix in the remaining buttermilk a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into an 8-inch circle. Slice the dough into 8 wedges.

In a small bowl combine the egg and water and whisk together. Brush each wedge lightly with the egg wash. Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Scones

The other day I found a Starbucks knock off recipe for these scones. I changed the recipe a little bit, and they didn't disappoint. Well, except I wish we would have had more for breakfast the next day. These scones are thick and super moist. The spicy glaze on top is just the right touch. Can't wait to make them again.

Ingredients for Scones:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar (minus 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon ginger

6 tablespoons cold butter

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

4 tablespoons half-and-half

1 large egg

Ingredients for Spiced Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 pinch ginger

1 pinch cloves

To make scones:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl. Cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl whisk together pumpkin, half-and-half and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form dough into a ball.

Pat dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a one inch high rectangle (9 inches by 3 inches). Use a pizza cutter to slice dough twice through the width making three equal-sized pieces. Cut those pieces in half diagonally to make 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.

To make glaze:

Combine all ingredients together. Drizzle over scones while they are warm and allow icing to dry before serving (about 1 hour).