Apple Cheddar Thyme Scones

This recipe for Apple Cheddar and Thyme Scones is perfect for crisp fall mornings with comforting flavours and a crumbly exterior housing a warm and soft center. I'd say the collaboration between flavours and textures in these Apple Cheddar and Thyme Scones is reason enough to believe in the power of community and collaboration. These Apple Cheddar and Thyme Scones combine sweet and savoury with salty cheddar, sweet apples and herby thyme wrapped in a buttery, biscuity scone base.

2½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
½ cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½" cubes
½ cup buttermilk + 2 Tbsp.
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup Sweet or Sharp Cheddar, grated
2 medium apples, such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, chopped into ¼" cubes

Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and black pepper into a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Dice the butter into ¼-½" cubes. Use your hands, a pastry cutter or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer on low speed to blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces of butter are the size of almonds.

Add the grated cheddar cheese and chopped thyme to the mix. Blend in just until evenly distributed.

Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. Add two-thirds of the mixture to the dry ingredients. Gently mix the dough just until it comes together, then add the remaining buttermilk mixture, the dough should look scrappy and rough at this point. Gently fold in the apples.

Scrape the dough from the bottom and sides of the bowl to incorporate floury scraps. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface, it should come out as mostly one big chunk with some scrappy bits.

Gather the dough ball and bits and pat until it just comes together. The top should be chunky and rough, this ensures the crunchy crumbly character of the finished scones. Gently form the dough into two 3-5" disks for smaller scones, or one 7-8" disk for larger scones.

Place the scone disks on a lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. This will help the scones hold their structure and prevent them from falling and spreading too much in the oven.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4) while the dough finishes chilling.

Cut the disk(s) into 6 wedges and spread out evenly on two baking sheets. Gently brush the tops and sides of the scones with remaining 2 Tbsp. of buttermilk.

Bake the small scones for 20-25 minutes or large scones for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The scones should come out a golden brown with bubbly melty cheese bits and some deep golden browns on the edges, giving that crumbly crunch to the exterior.

Place the baked scones on a cooling rack to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Makes 12 small scones.