Cookies and Candids

I’m really on a scone kick! I want to make them all the time. Here’s my second attempt, and it is another adapted and veganized scone recipe from The Cheeseboard Cookbook. To celebrate the beautiful weather we’ve been having lately, my friend Rachel had a grilling party tonight, and the corn-cherry combination struck me as tasting very summery. The cornmeal added good crunchy texture, and made the scones savory enough to go alongside the grilled vegetables, and the cherries were tart and added a nice bite to the gently sweet scone. The cherries were also a beautiful deep red and looked stunning in the light yellow cornmeal batter! Because they didn’t have the butter and buttermilk that the original recipe called for, these scones were lighter than the classic Cheeseboard/Arizmendi creation so they were perfect for dessert (or snack).

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tblsp. baking powder
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup medium-grind cornmeal
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup millet (measure whole millet, then grind to a meal-consistency before adding to dry ingredients)
1 cup cold Earth Balance, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup dried cherries
1 1/4 cup almond milk
1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.

Combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup and stir together quickly. Let stand for a few minutes till good and curdled. While you are waiting, sift the flour, soda, and baking powder together into a large bowl. Add the 2/3 cup sugar, cornmeal, almond meal, and ground millet together, and stir with a wooden spoon till combined. Add the Earth Balance and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until it is the size of small peas.

Using the spoon, mix in the cherries. Make a well in the center and add the almond milk-apple cider vinegar mixture. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes so some of the liquid soaks into the cornmeal and millet.

Gently shape the dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (they should have a rough, rocky exterior) and place them on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart.
Sprinkle the 1/4 cup sugar on top of the scones and place the pan in the oven on the middle rack and immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until the scones are golden. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.