When the weather starts to cool off a bit I completely fall in love with the idea of a small breakfast pastry with a warm cup of coffee. For some reason it reminds me of Autumn on the East Coast. I’m momentarily whisked away to my college years in Boston with the leaves changing colors and a nippy breeze that kisses your cheeks. Oh how I miss.
Lucky for me I work in a loft by the beach, which means when it does finally drop in temperature here, the cold gets sucked into our office and doesn’t leave. It could be in the 70’s outside, but if it was a cold night it’ll be low 60’s by my desk. I’m actually wearing my winter jacket right now as I type because I’m freezing (and I’m also a huge puss that can’t handle any type of cold weather anymore).
But I digress. As this blog has shown I’m a big fan of sweets that aren’t that sweet. So I’m constantly looking for recipes that use almond meal and those kinds of fun substitutes that make desserts hearty rather than fluffy and sugary. I can’t think of a better breakfast treat than a scone. It’s dense enough to fill you up, with a hint of sweetness that begs to be paired with a warm steamy beverage. So a couple weeks back I decided to try my hand at apple scones. And you know what? They’re really easy to make.
I followed THIS recipe from Amanda’s blog. This is now the second fantastic recipe I’ve gotten from her so be sure to check out her blog. It’s a winner.
The recipe is really straight forward and sadly I have no hilarious anecdotes to go along with this one. This was an easy, typical baking delight for me. I did pair the finished scone with a cup of sleepy time tea. Excellent choice. Oh, and I was also watching Saving Private Ryan. So I was weeping as well. These treats were like a warm embrace, wiping away my tears during the horrors of Spielberg’s WWII renditions. I also recommend pairing them with a warm blanket (mine has snowmen on it, which yes, is very hard to beat). And with that, here is the recipe for Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Scones (I tricked you right? You didn’t even know these treats were going to be Whole Wheat. But don’t be afraid. They’re delicious!):
- 1 c plus 2Tb of all purpose flour
- 1 c whole wheat flour
- 1/4 c sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- dash of nutmeg
- 1/4 c cold unsweetened butter cut into small pieces
- 1 medium granny smith apple grated
- 1/2 c buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Then mix together all the dry ingredients. Add the butter and cut it in with the back of 2 forks until you’re left with little crumblies. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. You’ll be left with a large sticky mass of dough. Knead this piece for a while and then spread it on a floured surface. Spread the dough into a large circle that’s about 1 1/2 inches high and cut into 8 wedges. Place your wedges on a greased cookie sheet and brush 2 Tbs of buttermilk on top. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Pop those beauts in the oven for about 15 minutes until the tops are golden. I have a slow bus oven, so mine were probably in there for closer to 30 minutes. But just beware, if you also have a special oven, that you keep these on a higher rack so the bottoms don’t get burnt!
They’re so magical they won’t be photographed in focus– in an effort to create that ‘hazy in love’ appeal!
Roaring Tiger 
It does sound incredible!