Jalapeno and Cheddar Scones

Bread and plain biscuits can get a little old at the dinner table. This weekend while I was out, I decided to run into Trader Joes. Of course I bought a lot of unnecessary things, I was able to grab about a 1 lb of fresh jalapenos for about $2.

Now, I love jalapenos. One of my favorite snacks is to cut them in half and put a dollop of cream cheese in the middle. Peppers have more vitamin c in them them oranges, so I makes sure to try to eat a couple everyday.

It was a cold evening and it was the last day my husband was going to eat dinner with us before he had to leave again for work, so I thought I would cook up some of his favorite foods. My oldest asked for biscuits and I decided to get a little creative. 

I used 2 whole jalapenos and to my surprise, my 2 boys and husband demolished all the scones by the end of dinner...a success I might say.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup fine milled corn meal
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups packed) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (1 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons diced fresh jalapeños (more or less to taste)
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus extra for brushing

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn meal, salt, sugar, cayenne, and baking powder. Stir in 1 1/4 cups of the grated cheddar cheese and the diced jalapeños.

2. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the cream. You just want everything to get wet enough so that the dough will be sticky and clumpy.

3. Turn the dough out onto a surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead the dough just a few times - maybe only three or four pushes. You just want it to come together.

4. Form the dough into a rectangle about 3/4-inch to an inch thick. Cut it in fourths and then cut each one in half making 8 triangles. 

5. Pace on a parchment lined baking sheet, with at least an inch or two between the biscuits. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little more cream. Top the biscuits with a sprinkle of the remaining cheese.

6. Bake at 425°F for 11-12 minutes or until golden and the cheese is nicely melted.