Savory Scones with Honeycrisp Apples and Cheese (and Cinnamon Oil Glaze)

Dozens of food-grade oil edible recipes in the new book
The Healing Powers of Essential Oils

By Cal Orey

Okay. So I have shared my feelings with you all about my love for California, a mecca of fresh produce due to it being an agriculture state. It’s chock-full of groves and orchards—not too far away from Lake Tahoe...

Apples and cheese are superfoods!

It took a recent trip up north out of the Golden State for me to appreciate what foods we have available to us—even during wintertime. I blame my limited food selection on being stranded in a hotel due to wacky weather. And December is not the time to go foraging for fresh grub in wild winds or a blanket of fog out of a sci-fi film. Read: It was spooky.

Flashback to a month ago. One morning I called room service from the hotel room. I asked, “Do you have any apples?” Then, I pushed the Golden State envelope. I asked. “Honeycrisp?” I heard one word that made me want to do the good vibrations dance. “Yes.” When the chef brought me a tray with hot coffee (yes, it was good but no organic milk), juice in a bottle (it sufficed), and one real red apple I was in heaven on Earth. It connected me to my home—California—since I was a kid growing up surrounded by fruit trees in my neighbors' backyards.

But the thing is,  I discovered we are blessed at the South Shore. We are able to go to our nearby supermarkets and buy a bag of fresh Honeycrisp apples and organic thyme--at the end of January. And I did just that this week.

This recipe is inspired by my love for apples, wherever I am; in the Golden State or en route to somewhere new and well, different, like last month.

Apple and Cheese Scones

2 ½ cups self-rising flour

¼ cup teaspoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup European style butter, cold small cubes 

1/2 cup organic buttermilk or half-and-half or Greek yogurt

1 brown egg

¾-1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

3/4 cup apples, Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, peeled, chopped

½ teaspoon thyme, fresh, chopped

A dash of ground pepper

¼ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

* You can make a cinnamon glaze to drizzle on the scones. 1 cup confectioners' sugar, half-and-half to a nice smooth texture, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 toothpick food-grade cinnamon essential oil.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl mix flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add chunks of butter (sliced in small squares). Set aside. In another bowl combine buttermilk, egg, and cheese. Fold in apples, thyme, and pepper. Stir until a dough-like mixture forms. For a rustic scone, drop ½ cup spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. (Or you can put dough into a buttered greased round baking dish.) Bake until light golden brown and crusty, about 12 to 14 minutes for individual scones; about 20 to 25 minutes for a round scone.  Remove from oven. Slice whole scone into triangles. Serve warm. Makes 8-10. *You can use cake flour for a lighter scone but then you’ll need 1 teaspoon baking powder.

You can savor the cinnamon oil glaze to spice up these savory and sweet scones. Or enjoy them as is with sliced fresh apples. These scones, drop or triangle, are easy on the eyes, and oh-so crisp, juicy, and flavorful. My adventure going off the hill taught me that we have both nature and a super selection of real foodstuffs year-round--right around the corner. Scone and a cup of tea, anyone? Organic low-fat milk? I'm on it.

 -- Cal Orey, M.A. Is an author and journalist. Her books include the Healing Powers Series (Vinegar, Olive Oil, Chocolate, Honey, Coffee, Tea, Superfoods, Essential Oils) published by Kensington. (The collection has been featured by the Good Cook Book Club.) Her website is http://www.calorey.com.