FAILED TO RISE....APPLE CINNAMON SCONES

These scones taste flavorful
but the crumb is heavy bordering on dry
(the apples keep them from being dry) and they didn't rise very well.

I love the Apple-Cinnamon Scones from Central Market in Austin.  I used to stop in on the way to work and get one to eat with my morning coffee...or I'd stop by and buy a box of 4 for the week-end at home.  I also loved the minis.  They were so tender and moist and flavorful....WONDERFUL crumb.  So, that is what these were up against.

Saturday morning I REALLY wanted scones.  I've never made them before but I felt like I should be able to do it with little trouble. (ha!) I searched around for a recipe and settled on one from food.com.  I stuck to the recipe except for using half and half instead of milk.  I think I should have either stuck with the milk or added a bit more liquid...the scone dough was a tad dry and pulled away from the apple pieces..which resulted in me probably over-working the dough in an attempt to get it back together.

After all was said and done...the flavor was quite good...but they were heavy vs having a good crumbly crumb.  They didn't double in height as I had expected.  These were also not as sweet as I would have liked.  Still, they were very tasty.  They will get eaten!

I'll make scones again - but I'll be looking for a different recipe.  I believe Ina Garten has one and hers looked good (of course)...so I'll be searching that out.

For now, here's the recipe - maybe it will do better for you!  It had a good rating.

APPLE CINNAMON SCONES

Ingredients:

Serves: 12

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter (cold)
• 1 cup apple, chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (I did not use)
• 1/2 cup milk (I used half and half)
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 tablespoon sugar (for topping)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (for topping)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F Grease a baking sheet. (I used a silpat)

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 tbsp sugar, baking powder, and 1 tsp cinnamon; mix well.


3. With pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Stir in apples and walnuts.
5. In a small bowl, combine milk and egg yolk, blend well.
6. Add milk/egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
7. On a lightly floured surface, gently knead dough several times.

8. With floured rolling pin, roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness.
9. Cut out scones with a 3-inch round cookie cutter.

10. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
11. In another small bowl, beat egg white until foamy.
12. Brush egg whites over tops of scones. (I brushed on sides too - might have been part of the problem)

13. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping and then sprinkle this over the scones.
14. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until firm to the touch.

15. Immediately remove from the baking sheet and serve warm.

So, that's how I did it...and I do think they are tasty...but they sure don't compare to the big fat wonderful Central Market scones.  I will continue in my endeavor towards replicating them!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!