Love the dough and I don’t mean money. It’s scones.
I’ve looked high and low for better-than versions of white-flour butter-laden scones. The high-test versions are sooo good and believe me I have a scone map of the excellent bakeries in town – I get my share! But, if you are looking for a weekday scone filled with nutrients and fiber, then give my Cherry Walnut Oat Scone Recipe a try.
This recipe is flexible enough that you can change it up – try lemon poppyseed (I’d nix the cinnamon in that case & use lemon yogurt), raisins instead of cherries, or dried ginger and coconut.
Apple Butter Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Kitchen scale, if you have one
- 1 Heavy pot
- 1 Stovetop
- 1 Sieve or Food Mill
- 1 Set of measuring spoons and cups
- 1 Pairing & 1 Chef's knife
Ingredients
- 4 pounds apples Use a blend - or your favorite
- 1.5 cup water Some people use more
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced Use juice,compost lemon rind & seeds
- 2 sticks cinnamon use whatever spices you like - whole or ground
- 4-5 whole allspice
- 5-6 whole cardamon seeds
- 3 tsp local honey
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Quarter apples (can slice smaller). Leave skin on, core in but seeds out.
- Place sliced apples, vinegar, water, and spices in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes then turn down to medium, and cook, stirring and smushing, for 45 minutes to an hour or more, until apples are consistency of a thick apple sauce. You can do this step and then leave overnight.
- Either push through a sieve (to remove skins, cores, whole spices), or use a food mill. I found this step a workout!
- NOW the question of sweetener. Taste your product, get to know it a bit. Does it need a touch of sweet? Some cooks use brown sugar, I used just a bit of honey, and a touch of salt.
- Cook down until you reach a jelly-like consistency. Sometimes it turns a rich brown, but I aimed to keep it pink, so I stopped before it got to that stage. My consistency was velvety and delicious.
- Keep in the freezer in small containers, or can in jelly jars. This makes a really lovely holiday gift.
Scones are quick and easy, but here are a couple of thoughts that may be helpful:
Mix the wet & dry ingredients separately. I put the oats in the wet mixture to soften them up.
Keep the butter cold – in the fridge – before you slice it into the dry ingredients.
You can shape the dough into a disc that’s about 3/4 inches high, and however wide across as your amount of dough allows. Bake it on a sheet or like me, use a pie tin. I love the roughness of dropping dough – so, I dollop it into a lightly buttered pie tin. Here’s what my raw dough looks like before baking.
You can tell if a scone is done by touching it – press lightly into it, and if it still needs time it has a doughy smoosh to the touch – it gives in a smushy way. If it’s done, it has a real firmness to the touch. Scones are dense!
I’m no great chef but I am a holistic nutritionist who likes to cook – check out my easy tasty healthy recipes, by visiting my Easy Healthy Recipes page.
All the very best,
Annie
