Sugar High. Nicole Hampton
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BISCUITS, SCONES, MUFFINS & QUICK BREADS
These biscuits take things to another level. They use not just walnuts, but candied walnuts. And they don’t use just chocolate, but dark chocolate. Seriously, these babies are fantastic.
MAKES ABOUT 8 BISCUITS
FOR THE CANDIED WALNUTS
1⁄2 cup walnuts2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons honey
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamonPinch of salt
FOR THE BISCUITS2 cups all-purpose flour3 teaspoons baking powderPinch of salt
1
⁄2 cup shortening chilled and cubed
3
⁄4 cup buttermilk
1⁄3 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips1 tablespoon heavy cream
For the candied walnuts: Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet with foil. In a bowl, mix together the walnuts, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and salt. Spread evenly on the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. They will look wet and the mixture will be easy to move around. Remove immediately from the pan and let the nuts cool on a sheet of parchment or a cutting board—the mixture will harden as it cools. When cool, roughly chop.
For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper ora nonstick mat. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the shortening and pulse just a couple of times, until the shortening is cut into pea-sized pieces. Add the buttermilk, and pulse until a dough begins to form. Place the dough on a floured work surface and knead in the chopped walnuts and the chocolate chunks. Pat the dough until it’s about
3⁄4 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out as many biscuits as you can, then pat together the scraps to get a few more biscuits. Place the biscuits on your baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the cream. Bake until the tops are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm to get that melty chocolate moment!
CANDIED WALNUT–DARK CHOCOLATEBISCUITS
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BISCUITS, SCONES, MUFFINS & QUICK BREADS
SAVORY SCONES
I can’t remember who introduced me to savory scones, but that person is a true hero. These ones are full of caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, and crumbled sausage. They’re basically a full breakfast in scone form.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SCONES
1 tablespoon unsalted butter plus
6 tablespoons chilled and cubed1 large yellow onion diced5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1
1
⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper21⁄2 cups all-purpose flour1 tablespoon baking powder1 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix
1
⁄2 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage cooked crumbled and drained
3
⁄4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1
⁄2 cup plus 1 tablespoon
heavy cream1 tablespoon sour cream1 egg
In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the diced onion, 1 tablespoon of the sugar,
1⁄2teaspoon salt, and 1⁄2teaspoon pepper.Stir andcook until the onions have reached a dark caramel color, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, the remaining 11⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, the garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Using a pastry blender, cut the 6 tablespoons cubed butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with butter pieces the size of peas. Stir in the cooked sausage, cheese, and caramelized onions.
In another bowl, whisk together 1⁄2 cup of the cream with the sour cream and the egg. Pour the cream mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until a dough starts to form. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick mat. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a floured work surface. Use your hands to press the dough together into a cohesive round. Form the dough into a long rectangle about 1 inch thick. Using a large knife, cut the dough into triangles and transfer them to the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool before serving.
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BISCUITS, SCONES, MUFFINS & QUICK BREADS
Scones always make me feel like I should be drinking tea out of a fancy teacup, and why not? The delicate orange flavor of these scones is boosted by the sweet orange glaze on top.
ORANGE CREAM SCONES
MAKES ABOUT 8 SCONES
FOR THE SCONES
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1⁄3 cup granulated sugar2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest1 tablespoon baking powder
1⁄8 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt6 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and cubed
1
⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled
buttermilk1 tablespoon sour cream1 egg1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
FOR THE GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
For the scones: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick mats. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. There should still be chunks of butter throughout about the size of peas.
In another bowl, mix together the buttermilk, sour cream, and egg. Then pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Use a spatula to mix until the dough mostly holds together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and pat the dough into a disk about 1⁄2 inch thick. Use a 2-inch cutter or a large knife to make round or square scones, and place on your baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Brush the cream over the tops. Bake until just golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.
For the glaze: In a bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, cream, and orange zest with a fork. Dip the cooled scones in the glaze, and let it set completely before serving, about 20 minutes.
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BISCUITS,