Sharp Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and diced pimiento lend delicious Southern flavor to this plump savory scone that is best paired with dollops of clotted cream and red pepper jelly.
Pimiento Cheese Scones
Serves: approximately 10
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup coarsely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup diced pimiento, patted dry
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, divided
Instructions
- • Preheat oven to 375°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese and pimiento.
- • In a small bowl, stir together cream and ¼ cup mayonnaise. Add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a shaggy dough begins to form. Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms. (If mixture seems dry and dough won’t come together, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does. Dough should be somewhat firm.)
- • Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently until smooth by patting dough and folding it in half 4 to 5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a ¾-inch thickness. Using a 2¼-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut as many scones as possible from dough without twisting cutter, rerolling scraps as necessary. Place scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Freeze scones until firm, approximately 15 minutes.
- • Brush tops of scones with remaining 1 tablespoon mayonnaise.
- • Bake until scones are golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
