Apple Cheddar Scones

You'd think the only thing I do is bake these days...not true. In fact, yesterday, I spent hours and hours cooking and photographing (with intrepid cohorts Kumiko and Tya) Indian food. And it was goooooood. But, even though I am a day late? It's still Tuesday again and that means Tuesdays with Dorie!

This week's event: Apple Cheddar Scones. Once again, someone picked something after my own heart, because I pretty much have zero willpower when it comes to sweet/savory combos. So the thought of apples and cheddar really works for me.

I decided to make this Monday morning, but when I opened the fridge, someone (bad bad bad person) had finished all the milk. That meant I couldn't have my daily dose of caffeine (double espresso with 1 cup of skim: my homemade latte). So I quick checked the ingredients list and saw I also didn't have apple juice or dried apples. Nothing the local 24 hour drugstore wouldn't have, right (yes, it was that early; no supermarkets were open). A quick trip garnered me the necessary ingredients (I made my own buttermilk by souring the milk with white vinegar). A bag of really great mixed, dried fruit yielded enough apple slices-dried, yet soft at the same time...I also fell hard for the peaches, which may be what I need to use the next time I make this recipe!

Anyway, yep, as predicted by the commenters at TWD, a very wet dough. I patted it into a relatively neat rectangle....Then used a dough scraper to cut nice, squared scones...except they aren't. I figured I should have just done drop biscuits at this point. Anyway.The scones (do you know in Bath, England, they say "scone" to rhyme with "gone?" No, not many people know that. I am married to a Bath native. Say it to rhyme with gone. Here in this house, anyway...) baked up nicely, really short, melt in your mouth. the moist-yet-dried apples give a hint, but not too much, sweet, and the cheddar is a nice balance. Dorie likes them three minutes out of the oven, so I complied! I added a little extra butter (oh, yes I did!) and then drizzled a bit of honey over it all, too, because I think cheese and honey is one of the best things ever. Enjoy it, folks.