Gruyère and Black Pepper Scones #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

Does anyone really need another scone recipe? Yes. Always. Especially this one made with buttery, nutty Gruyère (a queen among cheeses), toasted walnuts, and pep from a generous amount of black pepper. The little bits of cheese that melt out of the scones as they bake turn gorgeously crispy.

These scones are best served warm, the day they’re made, and they go deliciously with a bowl of soup or savory roasted vegetables. They also reheat beautifully and would make a nice change of pace with a cup of coffee or tea.

You’ll find a free, downloadable, printable pdf of the recipe below the cooking directions.

 

Gruyère and Black Pepper Scones

Adapted from Yossy Arefi in The New York Times

 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons black pepper (freshly ground if possible)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 1/2 ounces Gruyère cheese (I used the slightly less expensive Gruyère de Comté) cut into 1/4-inch pieces

3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

1 cup cold buttermilk, plus more as needed

Optional:

2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or chives

Flaky salt for sprinkling

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, with a rack in the center.

Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes until they’re golden and fragrant, while the oven heats. You can also toast them in a skillet on the stove. If you toast them in the oven, transfer them to a bowl when they’re done, let the baking sheet cool, then line the sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, black pepper, and salt. Add the butter, tossing the cubes to coat them in the flour mixture.

Using a pastry blender or your fingers, work the butter cubes into the flour mixture until you have pieces of butter that are pea-sized and smaller. Add the cheese, walnuts, and herbs (if using). Toss to combine.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the buttermilk. Gently stir until the buttermilk and flour mixture are just combined and still shaggy. Try not to overmix. If the mixture seems very dry, add another tablespoon or two of buttermilk. If it seems very wet, add a tablespoon or two of flour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half, then shape it into an 8-inch circle. Cut the circle into 8 equal wedges. 

At this point the scones are fragile. Carefully transfer them to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush their tops with a bit of buttermilk. Sprinkle them with flaky salt and more pepper.

Bake the scones until golden brown, roughly 20 minutes. Serve them warm.

If you have leftovers, they’ll keep for a day or two on the counter in an airtight container or in the refrigerator. They also freeze well. Warm leftovers before serving.

 

click here for a free, downloadable, printable pdf of this recipe

 

 

Out now!

All Shell Breaks Loose

Book 3 in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries!

 

On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . .

 

 

Happy reading!

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.