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Sunday, June 2, 2013

ABC - Savory Cheddar Chive Scones

Scones don't always have to be sweet. So when a King Arthur Flour employee recommended the Cheddar Chives Scones to me, I knew I had to give them a try. I knew I'd be pleasantly surprised. I still remember making my first savory muffins (caramelized onions - check, sage - check, cheese - check). They were amazing. No wonder they're in the top 3 of popular blog posts on Hanaa's Kitchen.

Savory scones with goat cheese, chives, garlic, and capers!
I picked this recipe for the month of June because I knew I'd have fresh chives in my garden by then :o) I loved walking over to my garden and snipping a bunch of fresh chives. They smelled so good!


If you'd like to join the ABC bakers in their monthly baking adventures, please go to the ABC blog for more information.


These scones were really easy and fast to make, especially when you have all the ingredients in the house. I knew I was going to omit the pork and was hoping that the recipe would still work without substituting something else for it. It did!

I always like to play with recipes and change things up, and so I did. For starters, I used this small log of goat cheese I had. It had all sorts of yummy herbs and garlic in it already. I also tweaked the recipe a little bit to make it a less rich (aka fewer calories). You can find the rest of my changes at the bottom of the blog post.

Everything is ready to be mixed together.

Made 12 smaller scones.

Brushed the scones with milk. Now they're ready for the oven.

After only 15 minutes in the oven, they were ready.

Look at that soft and fluffy interior, chock full of yummy goodness. Bon appetit!


Final thoughts/tips:
  • My husband is not a big fan of overly buttery baked items. With that in mind, I made a few tweaks to make them "hubby-approved". We ate them while still warm and he liked them. He gave them a 8.5 out of 10 rating (they were buttery but not buttery, he said).
  • The scones smelled good before even going into the oven. I knew they were going to be good. They rose beautifully in the oven and had a lovely golden brown color. When they cooled a bit, I picked one up and I was surprised at how light it was. When I broke it open to take a peek at the inside, there was another surprise: they were so moist and tender. I had to take a bite. The crunch from the outside and the soft and tender inside made my mouth do a happy dance. And the flavors... oh! So good!
  • Instead of making 8 large scones, I decided to divide the dough in half and make 12 smaller scones. That's still too much for the two of us, so I froze the rest. Guess what we're having with our big bowl of soup tonight? :o)
  • Don't forget to check out what the other ABC bakers thought of these savory scones. Please click here to find out.
  • The original KAF recipe can be found here. My changes can be found below.

Goat Cheese, Chives, Garlic and Capers Scones
(adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe)

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) cold  butter
  • 4 ounce log of goat cheese with herbs and garlic
  • 1/3 cup (about 1/2 ounce) snipped fresh chives
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup capers, chopped
  • 2-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) 1% milk (mix with sour cream first), or enough to make the dough cohesive
  • Milk, for brushing
Follow the instructions of the original recipe. I baked the scones in a 400F convection oven for 10 minutes. Then I lowered the heat to 350F and baked them for another 5 min (with convection ON).

7 comments:

  1. You and I both decided to stick with what was in the house =) Your combination of flavors sounds delicious. I have some fresh chives growing in the back too. What a difference. Awesome adjustments!!!! They look delish.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Just had another with a bowl of soup today (thawed and re-crisped in the toaster oven). So good!

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  2. Hanaa these Goat Cheese, Chives, Garlic and Capers Scones are very fluffy and all so sound very delicious and the color nice , goat cheese is different.

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  3. Oh yes indeed we were thinking similar thoughts! I wish I had some goat cheese, seems like a really good idea! Weren't yours too salty? Mine were incredibly salty (incredibly good as well but that salt could be far less).
    I let mine go a bit too long maybe your 15 minutes were enough, yours looking great

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  4. Your scones look very appetizing, Hanaâ. And nice that you made the smaller version, and they were not too dry, so that's what I will do, too. I'm not at home, but in Portland, so my baking has to wait until the weekend. I was also wondering about the saltiness, because the amount of bacon seems an awful lot.

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  5. Hi Hanaa,
    These scones are yummy! I made the dough at night and bake them in the morning for breakfast, fresh and delicious! I have some nice chives in my garden pot, but since it was late at night when making the dough, I just used some spring onions from my fridge instead. Will make with homegrown chives the next time. The only thing is, I'll reduce the salt the next time, as I find the scones salty! I guess the saltiness from the bacon and cheese should be enough. Other than the saltiness, the scones is lovely, with buttery, soft and flaky texture!

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  6. These look mouth watering and we grow our own chives so another good use. I LOVE goat cheese too.
    Are you gearing up for the State Fair this year?

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