Hello! We’re over here still turning backflips over our newfound love of almond flour baked goods with these savory, spicy jalapeño cheddar scones. A good scone, especially a savory one is high on my list of ultimate comfort foods. Today, it’s raining and dreary and my darling tiny human was awake the majority of last night with mysterious dreams about terrifying caterpillars….?? So here I am,  all bleary eyed with a bonus cup of coffee and a piping, hot out of the oven, jalapeño cheddar scone. Today, folks, I tell you this combination is life giving. And yes, since you asked, I am enjoying my new favorite treat coffee with our Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer. I know, I know, I told you I reserved it for the weekends. I refer back to my previous statement regarding severe sleep deprivation. Anyhoo, onto to the scones!

I didn’t even like scones for roughly my first three decades life. Not even a little bit-dry, bland, not worth the calories. And then I discovered the not so secret frozen butter trick over on Sally’s Baking Addiction and decided scones were worth a whirl. The way she nerds out over food science just makes me giddy. Back in our sugary breakfast days, her blueberry scones were my standard “treat” breakfast for holiday mornings, ranch weekends and overnight guests. Freezing your butter allows you to grate it. Those tiny pieces of grated butter release steam when they melt into the scone dough in the oven, creating delightful little air pockets. These buttery little air pockets yield you a light, fluffy, buttery, swoon-worthy scone instead of a dry, dense lump masquerading as a pastry.

We did a lot of adapting to make this work for a savory version and to cut way, way down on the carbs. Adding a little more flour (swapping all purpose for almond flour, obvs), and an extra egg for additional binding power. We also cut the butter in half and reduced the cream to accommodate the extra fat we’re adding with the cheese.

I like a super flavorful scone. I actually like super flavorful everything. Subtlety is not my game, as you’ve likely gathered by now. So, we’re using an entire cup of diced sharp cheddar cheese. If you want a milder flavor, you could use mild or medium, but I strongly recommend the sharp and it pairs beautifully with the pickled jalapeños. You could sub shredded sharp cheddar for a time saver if need be, but I like to see the little cheese cubes all melted in my scone. Up to you.

When you add your wet ingredients to your dry, the dough will be loose and wet. As we’re working with almond flour rather than all purpose, you don’t have to worry about not overworking your dough as there is no gluten to overdevelop. One less thing to worry about when baking-hooray!

Stir until your wet and dry ingredient are combined. Then gently fold in the cheese and jalapenos. Using your hands, form a loose ball with the dough and flatten it into an eight-inch disc. It should be about an inch thick.

Using a large, sharp knife (an eight or ten inch chef knife works well) cut into eight even triangles, just like a pizza. For clean cuts, wipe the knife clean with a paper towel or a clean dish cloth after each cut.

See there on the horizontal cut where it gets all crumbly? That was one cut where I was lazy and didn’t clean my knife. Don’t be like me. Lastly, gently work the knife under each scone and pull them slightly apart. They need a tiny bit of breathing room.

Then pop those babies in the oven and wait for your kitchen to smell like heaven.

See those little melty bits of cheese? Hmmmm…. happiness. They just make me feel all warm and cozy. Perfect fall comfort food. These will be replacing the blueberry version for next weekend’s ranch trip. I’ll make them ahead of time at home to make my Saturday morning super easy. They reheat beautifully. And if you want to get really indulgent, you could brush the tops of these beauties with garlic butter. I think I will.

As always, thanks for being here, allowing me to indulge my creative cooking whims and cast them out into the wide blue yonder. I think you’re pretty cool. Please share with your recovering carboholics!

Happy Cooking! -Amanda

Jalapeño Cheddar Scones

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• 2 and 1/2 Cups Almond Flour
• 2 and 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
• 1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 Cup (one-half stick) Unsalted Butter (frozen)
• 1 Cup diced (1/8 inch) sharp cheddar (can sub shredded cheddar)
• 1/2 Cup (1/8 inch) Diced Pickled Jalapeños

1. Place the butter in freezer for 30 minutes
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
3. Preheat oven to 400 degree F
4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream and set aside
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder
6. Remove butter from freezer and grate on a box grater
7. Using your hands, combine the butter with the almond flour mixture.
8. Add your cream and egg mixture to the almond flour mixture and stir to make a loose, wet dough.
9. Stir in the cheddar and jalapeños
10. Using your hands, form a ball with the dough and flatten into an 8-inch disc on the baking sheet
11. Using a large, sharp knife (8" or 10" chef knife is a great option) cut the scone dough into 8 even triangles. (like a pizza) Clean your knife after each cut with paper towel or clean dish cloth
12. Using the knife, slide it gently under each scone and pull back slightly so they are each separated by about 1 inch.
13. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops are golden.

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