Bold, earthy, sweet and savory, these Perfect Gorgonzola Apricot and Walnut Scones will have your friends talking. This recipe blends the salty earthiness of Gorgonzola cheese with the sweetness of dried apricots. And the walnuts add an interesting textural element. Reduced fat buttermilk not only lightens the texture of the scones but also brightens the overall flavor of the bake.
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Gorgonzola Cheese on trend
According to a recent article by Saputo Foodservice, Cooking with Blue Cheese: Go Bold with Mold, blue cheese is trending up. We often think of pairing Blue’s bold flavors with savory dishes, but what about baked goods? I like to serve these scones as a side with a hearty steak salad, but they also go beautifully with a simple ham and leek quiche or as a continental breakfast bread.
Tips for using blue cheese in this recipe for Perfect Gorgonzola Apricot and Walnut Scones and all your bakes.
The base recipe for these Perfect Gorgonzola Apricot and Walnut Scones is very similar to my recipe for Lemon Currant Scones. However, because blue cheese has a high fat content, you’ll need to take a few extra precautions with this recipe to chill everything down before baking. For best results, do the following:
- Chill your mixing bowl and paddle in the freezer for 15 minutes before starting. I usually do this while I’m gathering and measuring my ingredients to save time.
- After cutting your cold butter and breaking up your blue cheese crumbles, place them back in the freezer for 5 minutes to chill them down again.
- Lightly coat your blue cheese crumbles in flour to prevent them from melting out of your scones.
Follow these simple steps and you’ll have great success and perhaps a new favorite scone recipe!
Scones: Perhaps the perfect shareable bake
Scones may be one of my most favorite bakes. They are very easy to make. And they are so versatile – pairing perfectly with any meal of the day or serving as a simple snack. Savory or sweet, haute or humble, they are just so very lovely.
And they are very shareable, too. If I am looking for a way to let someone know I am thinking about them, I will sometimes bake a batch of these Perfect Gorgonzola Apricot and Walnut Scones or Lemon Currant Scones and pack them up with a box of tea. I especially like how these scones pair with tea, but really, they go well with just about anything.
Perfect Gorgonzola Apricot and Walnut Scones
Course: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate16
servings30
minutes20
minutesThis recipe blends the salty earthiness of Gorgonzola cheese with the sweetness of dried apricots.
Ingredients
- For the Scones
2 cups AP Flour, plus 2 Tbsp. for coating the Gorgonzola, dried apricots and walnuts.
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup cold, reduced fat buttermilk
2 cold eggs, beaten
1 1/2 sticks very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
- For the egg wash
1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp. of milk.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
- Chill your mixing bowl and paddle in the freezer for 15 minutes while measuring out your ingredients.
- Cut the butter into small, pea-size pieces. Place the butter in the freezer for 5 minutes to chill down.
- In a small bowl, combine the Gorgonzola crumbles, dried apricots and walnuts. Toss them gently with 2 Tbsp. of flour. Place the mixture in the freezer to chill down for 5 minutes.
- In your chilled mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and butter. Mix on low until the butter is evenly distributed and begins to look like Parmesan cheese with some larger beads of butter.
- Blend together the buttermilk and eggs. With the mixer still on low speed, gradually add the egg and buttermilk mixture to the bowl. Mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and turn up any flour that may have been left at the bottom of the bowl.
- Add the chilled Gorgonzola cheese, apricot and walnuts that have been tossed with the 2 Tbsp. of flour. Mix on low until just incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Using your hands, gentle press the dough out into an 8 inch x 8 inch square. Cut the dough into 16 triangles.
- Transfer the unbaked scones to a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before baking.
- Remove the scones from the refrigerator. Arrange the scones on the baking sheet – leaving approximately 2 inches between each scone as they will double in size.
- Brush the top of each scone lightly with the egg and milk mixture and bake for 18 – 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Transfer scones to a towel or wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Why do I need to chill the Gorgonzola and toss it in flour before baking? Because Gorgonzola has such a high fat content, it will act like butter in the baking process. By chilling down the cheese and coating it in flour first, you are ensuring the cheese will stay in place and not melt out of the scones.
