A distinct shift in season could be felt and seen today. You may have noticed a bit of crispness in the air. On the 22nd of September at 4:44 p.m. EDT, the sun appeared directly overhead at the equator before its direct rays shifted into the southern hemisphere for the next six months. You could almost feel the warmth of the sun drifting away. Today we raised jars of pressed cider to toast this first day of the autumnal equinox. We agreed that for our favorite season, it was time to align our hectic schedules, combine talents and toss some flour together. For the first time, Wit + Aroma cooked together in one kitchen.
Because we are crazy about apples and the spicy warmth of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, we created a recipe for Apple Cider Scones that we think you'll enjoy. They're easy, as light as cake, and sweet and addictive as apple pie. The bits of chopped apple are tender and help keep the scones moist. And we can't say enough good things about the syrupy awesomeness of the glaze! Our taste buds were swooning – don't hesitate to slather it on. The sugary mess and drips only add to the charm.
Ingredients:
APPLE FILLING
- 3/4 cup Gala apple, chopped into small pieces
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
GLAZE
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup apple cider
SCONES
- 2 cups of flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cold so cutting is less messy
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1/4 cup of sour cream
- 1 large egg
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chopped apple with brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread in a lightly greased 9 x 9 baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- For the glaze, mix brown sugar and cider in a small saucepan. Heat on medium low for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more sugar to thicken the glaze, then leave on the medium low heat uncovered for another 20 minutes.
- Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl.
- Cut the butter into pea-sized portions. Add butter to dry ingredients bowl as pea-sized butter portions are cut. Mix with spoon every time you add more butter to ensure that the pieces are not clumped together.
- Whisk the heavy cream, sour cream, egg and vanilla together. Add to the flour mixture. Combine well in a mixer using a paddle attachment.
- Dust your work surface with flour and spread dough until it is a 3/4 of an inch thick round.
- Scatter the cooled chopped apples onto the dough and gently fold it into itself. Knead the dough to form 2 balls. Dust with flour as needed and pat into 2 disks about 8 inches across. For each disk, using a sharp knife, cut lengthwise in half and again to make 4 quarters. Subdivide again to create smaller wedges.
- Place your scones on to the baking sheet with paper or floor dusted. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until the scone tops are light brown.
- Transfer scones to baking rack and once they have cooled for 5-10 minutes, slather on the glaze.
Thanks to everyone who has shown us support and encouragement! We love you all. Here are a few other places that have shown Wit + Aroma some love: The Sweetest Occasion featured our Zucchini Pizza on their list of "Best Zucchini Recipes." German blog, Chance Discovery mentioned our Earl Grey Cookies. This weekend we are co-hosting our first event alongside inks+thread at Crabtree Farms in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Stay tuned for the menu, pictures, and gripes on the hardships of traveling with food.