These pear, blue cheese, and walnut scones are the ultimate brunch food! Image your favorite happy hour cheese board but… for breakfast! Crunchy walnuts pair perfectly with sweet pears and earthy blue cheese– all in a light and flakey scone! The only question is: coffee or champagne?
Substitutions
Walnuts: Pecans or Almonds
Blue Cheese: Parmesan or Goat Cheese, or leave out the cheese entirely
Pears: any mild apple (fugi, gala, honeycrisp)
Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make it by combining ½ cup milk and 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice. Just let the mixture sit for five minutes before using it in this recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I make these in advance?
A: Sure! You can make them the night before and leave them in the fridge overnight. Then, just bake them in the morning!
Q: What is cardamom?
A: Cardamom is a complex spice with flavors of citrus, tea, and mint. It pairs perfectly with pear and blue cheese!
The Recipe
Pear, Blue Cheese, & Walnut Scones with Spiced Honey-Pear Compote
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup cold butter chopped
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbled
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup chopped pear
- 2 large eggs whisked
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (see substitution above)
For the Pear-Honey Compote
- 1 ½ cups chopped pear
- ½ cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick or ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cardamom optional but highly encouraged
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Scones
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Next, work in the chopped butter using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your hands. Work the butter into the flour until only pea-sized lumps remain.
- Next, add in the walnuts, pear, and blue cheese. Stir to combine.
- Add the whisked eggs and stir to combine.
- Lastly, add the vanilla and buttermilk and stir to combine. The dough should come together into a large ball, if it seems too dry, add another tablespoon of buttermilk.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a circle about 1” thick.
- Divide the dough into 8 triangles and place them two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Let the scones rest in the freezer while you preheat your oven (about 30 minutes).
- Remove the scones from the freezer and brush the tops with milk.
- Bake the scones at 425F for 18-20 minutes, or until the scones are lightly browned around the edges.
- Brush the cooked scones with the pear “caramel” while they’re still warm (see directions below).
For the Spiced Honey-Pear Compote
- Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the pears are tender, about two minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for another five minutes.
- Strain the compote through a fine mesh sieve (save the liquid!). Remove the cinnamon stick and transfer the solids to a blender. Pulse until the compote is your desired consistency.
- Pour the liquid back into the saucepan and cook it over medium heat for about 15 minutes until it has thickened into a caramel. Brush the caramel over the scones as soon as they come out of the oven.
Nutrition
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