Recipe: $4.50
Per Serving: $0.38-$0.75
The last of the Good & Cheap Cookbook recipe series is here! And we're finishing things off with a bang. (Don't forget to enter the giveaway - it ends tonight!)
The bang being spicy-cheesy scones that will make your home smell like a bakery. Jalapeño and cheddar are made for each other. I learned that in college when my roommate was OBSESSED with Jalapeño Poppers from the local pizza shop - open til 4am, of course. I'm a plain cheese pizza gal through and through, but 4am calls for pizza and Jalapeño Poppers, amiright?
So these super easy Whole Wheat Jalapeño Cheddar Scones are one of the most fun things we made from the cookbook. (They're tied with the Raita for most popular.) These were more of a challenge for me because we don't have an oven, just a super small toaster oven in the tiniest kitchen ever. I took a photo to show everyone, then realized how dirty it was and cleaned it. So 45 minutes later...the before and after shots:
A very productive day off. I'm full of tangents here - so back to the scones. I'm always wary of things like scones and biscuits because of the cold cold butter rule and the folding and forming. Although I might not recommend making these on a super hot day because the butter will melt, they're super easy and delicious! It's been 80 degrees here everyday for two weeks, so ours came out a little more crumbly than flaky, but a longer time in the freezer for the butter might have prevented that.
To make these scones, you should freeze your butter for at least 30 minutes (or overnight), and grate it into the flour, mixing lightly to coat the pieces with flour. Then add chunks of cheese (I just pulsed it in the food processor - image below), and the remaining ingredients. Form into shapes and bake on 400º!
They really are super simple. We can't actually locate Jalapeños here, despite my earlier tangent, so I used 1 teaspoon of chili powder instead. That gives it just a hint of heat, so feel free to add even more if you like things spicy! We actually used Kirkland's sharp cheddar, from our recent outing to Costco and it was really good, though if you can splurge on Kerrygold Dubliner, or even Tillamook, the cheese wouldn't melt as much and you'd get larger chunks in each scone. We made ours in two batches - cutting one circle into 4 large scones, and another circle into 6 small scones.
Personally, I much prefer the smaller scones, which means that instead of 6 scones, you can easily get 10-12! They pair well with a big breakfast bowl! (Also - when you reheat them in your toaster oven, um, keep an eye on 'em so they don't burn! Oops!)
Here's the Good and Cheap recipe from the cookbook, and my changes are listed at the bottom of the post! I tried some of the scones with and without the egg wash, and I definitely preferred the egg wash, so if you can afford the extra egg, I wouldn't skip it. I will say that they're best when warm, and a bit too crumbly when cold, so take the extra time to heat them up before serving!
Thanks for your support and for sharing the comfort of healthy, frugal, delicious food! I'll announce the Giveaway winner tomorrow morning after it closes!
Whole Wheat Jalapeño Cheddar Scones
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder cayenne, or 1 minced jalapeño
- ½ cup butter frozen , 1 stick
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar chopped into chunks (about 1 cup!)
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup milk or buttermilk
Egg Wash
- 1 egg whisked, + salt and pepper
Instructions
- Freeze the butter for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Chop the cheese into chunks, or lightly pulse in a food processor and set aside. Lightly beat the eggs and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, chili powder, and salt - together in a large bowl. Grate in the frozen butter and gently coat with the flour mixture, then add the eggs and milk (add jalapeños here if using), and gently mix together with your hands. The dough will be shaggy! (You can refrigerate for 10 minutes to re-chill the butter if it is super hot in your house!)
- Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a large circle, then cut into 6, 8, 10, or 12 scones (like slices of pizza!). Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with the egg wash, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Nutrition
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