Pizza-Calzone Scones

I came across a recipe for Calzone scones, which I immediately altered to fit my tastebuds. I find myself doing this with a lot of scone recipes, either because the original doesn't sound good to me, or I'm out of some of the ingredients. Case in point. These Calzone scones out of the "Simply Scones" cookbook called for ricotta and spinach, neither of which I had. Therefore, I turned this recipe into a pizza scone. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt*
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
~1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (part-skim)
9 pieces pepperoni (I used Turkey)
~1/4 cup sliced olives
9 tsp pizza sauce

*see note in Results

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, baking powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

2. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and work into the flour with a pastry blender or a fork or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

3. Combine one egg and 1/3 cup milk and whisk gently to mix. Add to the flour mixture. If there is not enough liquid to bring into a firm dough after a couple of kneads, then add just enough milk to bring together.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop. Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper and, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it about 1/4-inch thick. With a 2.5- to 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut as many scones out of the dough as you can. Roll the excess back into a ball and repeat. You should yield approximately 18-20 rounds. 

5. Place 9 rounds (or half of your yield) on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Scoop approximately 1 tsp of pizza sauce onto the center of each round, making sure to leave the edges of the circle free so you can press the top scone layer on later. Add your ingredients, 1-2 pieces of pepperoni, a pinch of sliced olives, and a pinch of each Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

6. When you have added your toppings, take one of the rounds you have set aside as the top, and stretch it out slightly with your fingertips so that it can more easily mound over the toppings. Using your fingertips, press the edges of both levels of scones together and repeat with the remaining scones.

7. Take the second egg and whisk it in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg and sprinkle any remaining cheese on top (best if it's mozzarella, since it will brown nicer).

8. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack. Best served warm.

Nutrition Info: 
213 kC
21g carbs
10 g fat
9 g protein
1 g sugar
(nutrition info is for part-skim mozzarella, turkey pepperoni and 1% milk)

Steps: 

Results:
These are a yummy snack scone for a light lunch. They are neither greasy nor heavy, so it's better than pizza in that respect. That said, when I make them again, I think I would increase both the amount of salt and spices added. 

*The flavor is a little bland, leaving me to wonder if there wasn't enough salt in the recipe. I haven't repeated this recipe yet, so next time, I would probably add another pinch or another 1/8 tsp of salt.

Cranberry Coffeecake Scones

I'm a fan of coffeecake, and so when I came across this recipe, it sounded like something that must be tried. Immediately. Good thing I can send the excess to work with the hubby...

Ingredients:

Scones:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large eggs
1/4-1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed, drained frozen cranberries

Crumb Topping:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment papers.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

3. Add the butter to the bowl and, using a pastry cutter or a fork, work into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

4. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, 1/4 cup milk, vanilla, and lemon peel. Whisk lightly to combine.

5. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The dough should be sticky. If it does not come together after several stirs, add milk in small increments until you have a sticky dough.

6. Add the cranberries and gently knead into the dough until evenly mixed.

7. Turn out the dough onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. With lightly floured hands, flatten into an 11-inch round.

8. Prepare the scone topping in a medium-sized bowl. Combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon, stir to mix. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and, using the same technique as above, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

9. Spread the topping mixture onto the round dough. Press the topping lightly into the dough and, with a serrated knife, score the round to make 8 scones.

10. Bake at 375F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake taster comes out clean and the scones are lightly browned on the edges.

11. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for about 15 minutes. Then recut the scones if necessary and, with a spatula, transfer the scones to the wire rack to cool. 

12. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container. 

Nutrition Info:
414 kC
18.8 g fat
49.9 g carbs
18.6 g sugar
6.1 g protein

Results:

Like coffeecake, these are definitely a dessert. If you can handle coffeecake for a sweet breakfast, then these scones are for you. The fresh cranberries offer a tang to an otherwise sweet scone.

Sweet Cranberry Cornbread Scones

I started getting creative with this recipe, I fear. Cornbread scones with soy milk, crème fraîche and dried cranberries. Hmm. It was a toss up as to how this was going to emerge. However, I survived, and actually enjoyed them, a big surprise to me, since I'm not a big fan of cornbread.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup corn flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup John Cope's Toasted Dried Sweet Corn (Rehydrated according to directions on the package)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

5  tbsp butter

1/2 cup crème fraîche

1-1/4 cup soy milk*

*See Notes

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Mix dry ingredients: flours, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and sugar.

2. Add butter and mix to coarse sand/pebble consistency (a few pea-sized lumps okay). Add crème fraîche and mix until uniform.

3. Add dried cranberries and rehydrated toasted sweet corn and mix.

4. Add soy milk and stir until the dough comes together. If necessary, knead a few times with your hands until it all sticks. 

5. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and flatten to 1/3-inch high. Cut into 8 pieces. Bake at 400ºF until brown around the edges or golden on top.

6. Serve warm.

Results & Notes.

These scones came out quite pleasant. They're not dense, have a slight sweetness to them because of the cranberries and sugar, and none of the corn ingredients overpower the scone. These scones pair extremely well with chili, or can be consumed on their own.

*I used soy milk because I was out of regular milk, but in order to make these dairy free, you'd have to replace both the butter and crème fraîche with a non-dairy version.