Apple Sage Scones with White Cheddar & Bacon
the savory fall scone of my dreams!
I’ve been growing sage since May as part of my windowsill herb garden. I’m no plant expert but I’ve kept a ton alive over the years and even got my elephant ear (that my sister and I have joint custody over and named Fredrick Douglas) to bloom which is a pretty big accomplishment. When I was 14, my younger siblings and I had a raised garden bed while we lived in College Station where we grew summer squashes and tomatoes with surprising success despite the Texas sun. My grandpa also had a green thumb and grew a few blueberries in Michigan so maybe I do have a natural knack for keeping things alive.
Back to the sage. If I’m being honest, I really got it so I could have fresh sage for Thanksgiving because it always sells out around the holidays, but watching it grow has been making me crave putting it in a recipe. So I ran to the store, grabbed a pack of sage, and whipped up these apple sage scones. For the record I’ve never made or eaten an apple sage scone so these were new to me but oh so delicious. I used my jalapeño cheddar scones as the base and switched around a few ingredients to make these work!
To serve, I paired them with a small batch of maple clove butter which added the perfect bit of extra sweetness. I’ll definitely be making these time and time again because although I’m obsessed with fall sweets, sometimes you need something savory!
Note: these would also taste good with asiago cheese! Let me know if you swap it in place of the cheddar!
Apple Sage Scones with White Cheddar & Bacon
makes 12-14
Scones
5 slices bacon, crispy, cooled, and chopped
1 medium green apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (be sure not to pack your flour when measuring)
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1-2 tablespoons minced sage
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cloves (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold, grated
7 oz white cheddar, shredded
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg
heavy cream to brush on top
1 oz finely grated white cheddar to sprinkle
extra sage leaves to decorate
Instructions
Fry your bacon (or make it in the oven according to package instructions) to your desired crispiness and set aside on paper towels to drain and cool.
Grate the butter and cheese and put in the freezer to keep cold. Finely grate the 1 oz of cheese and put it in a separate bowl in the fridge.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, sage, salt and spices until well combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk the greek yogurt and egg together. Set aside.
Take the cold butter and cheese out of the freezer and mix into the flour mixture. Add in the bacon and diced apple and mix.
Pour in the Greek yogurt mixture. The dough will seem dry but continue to mix until it is cohesive. I like to dump it on the counter and knead until there are no dry spots.
After the dough comes together, lightly flour your counter and flatten the dough to an inch thick. Using a lightly floured cutter, cut out your scones. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Transfer the scones to the freezer for 10 minutes. While they chill, preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Take the scones out and place them on the baking sheet with about 2 inches between each. Brush the tops with heavy cream, sprinkle with the finely grated cheese then top with a leaf of sage.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Serve with butter or top with a poached egg.
Happy baking!
Janaya