saturday scones: what to do with an apple

we decided to go back to the apple. but, always wanting a new version, we couldn't decide what accent we wanted for this apple experience.

we eventually landed on butterscotch and white chocolate chips.

fast forward to saturday morning: i rise early {-ish. not exactly early for me. but early for normal people's saturdays.} i get right to the kitchen, having not prepared the dough in advance. i find my bag of butterscotch chips, snip it open, pop one in my mouth to confirm our scone decision, and decide i'd prefer a different direction.

toffee.

the inspiration: during our journey to wisconsin we traveled to cedarburg for a "wine & harvest festival." in cedarburg there was a lovely confectionary called amy's candy kitchen. the place should have been called "amy's caramel apple heaven." my favorite momma-pal and i had to have one. she opted for the reese's pieces, i for the pecan dark chocolate. oh. my. word. {spoken a la shirley temple in curly top} 

i didn't actually dig into my apple until we returned home from our vacay and thank goodness the apple survived (completely perfect). the apple was crisp, the caramel was buttery, the chocolate was rich, and the pecans were...salted! a surprise. a delight! sweet and salty!? this is love. {and inspiration}

saturday, october 1st: Toffee Apple Scones

yield: 8 scones

1 medium green apple, peeled, cored and chopped

3 Tablespoons sugar, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups flour

generous 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1/2 cup toffee chips

1/2 - 2/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl, combine the chopped apples, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar. Toss to combine. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, the remaining sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse to well combine. Add the butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized.

Transfer mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the toffee chips. Toss to evenly distribute. 

Strain any liquid formed in the apples into a liquid measuring cup. 

Add the apples to the dough base. Toss to distribute. 

Add the buttermilk and vanilla to the apple liquid in the liquid measuring cup. Whisk to combine. Slowly stream the buttermilk into the dough base, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. {seriously - add it slowly, especially when using a moist fruit like an apple. i used too much.} Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

note: i don't like making any kind of apple scone in advance because the liquid continues to leach from the apples into the dough.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and just a touch of finishing salt (like maldon or fleur de sel).

Bake 22-26 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through.

Enjoy!

note: adding pecans didn't occur to me at the time, but would be a fabulous addition. candied pecans even better!

p.s. since my scones are really my own, i haven't quite worked out the right leavening for each. trial and error. i'll get there.