During my last mini vacation to NYC in March, I had an incredible cherry cream scone from Amy’s Bread in Chelsea Market. For a scone, the texture was incredible. Rather than dry and crumbly, it was soft, and more cookie-like. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t daydreamed about it a couple times since my return.
I was overjoyed when I found out that many of Amy’s recipes are published, and that particular scone recipe is found in the book The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread: Cakes, Cookies, Bars, Pastries and More from New York City's Favorite Bakery. I immediately put the book on hold at the library and patiently waited about 3 days until I could pick it up.
I flipped back the pages until I found the scone recipe. To my dismay, I realized why this scone was so damn good: heavy cream and sugar. 2 1/3 cups of heavy cream and 1 cup of brown sugar. Thanks, but no thanks. There had to be a healthier recipe out there.
Like magic, the next day, my aunt Kelly posted on my facebook wall that she had just made Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones from Skinny Taste. My prayers had been answered. I put the two recipes together to make a healthier version of my beloved cherry scone from NYC.
White Chocolate Cherry Scones, adapted from Skinny Taste
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup cold skim milk + 1 tbsp. of lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3 tbsp. chilled butter cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli, the best!)
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- 1-2 tbsp. sugar, for topping
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the first four ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.
- Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or line with a Silpat baking mat.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender, or using 2 knives, until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Mix in chocolate chips and cherries.
- Add milk mixture, stirring just until moist.
- Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly until a dough is formed.
- Form dough into an onto baking sheet, about 3/4" thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 12 separate wedges.
- Brush egg white over dough and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake until golden, 20 minutes.
These scones are sweet from the white chocolate and a bit tart from the cherries. The texture is more like a biscuit than a scone and would be best served with a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Right before baking these, I took a Pure Barre class with my friend Annabel. She told me she had just made strawberry shortcakes and that we should trade treats. Once I was done baking, I brought a couple of warm scones to her. In return, she plated me a delicious shortcake with fresh whipped cream, strawberries from Boone Hall farms, and mint from her garden. That’s what I call a fair trade and a good friend!
In other news, it was time for me to pick the winner of the Wine Sippin’ Socks giveaway. Via gchat, I asked Kaye pick a random name. She picked:
Congrats, Amber! Please send your shipping information to christinaorso @ gmail dot com.
Do you like scones or do you prefer other baked goods? Favorite kind?
Sweet or savory? As I was baking these, a friend told me he had recently tried a ham, cheese and chive scone that he really enjoyed. It sounded divine!
