The Green Tea Scone

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But then I lost it.  Lost the recipe.  Just big fat lost it.  I had it in my head, mostly… (I can make scones in my sleep)…but I just couldn’t remember the amount of green tea leaves I used so I didn’t wanna risk posting it if it wasn’t exact.  They were a big hit.  My friend loved them, I loved them, my husband loved them, lots of love… So I knew I wanted to recreate them.  But…then I got an idea to use matcha instead of leaves.  Matcha is a green tea powder, which you’re actually ingesting when you drink it instead of just drinking the infused water from the leaves.  This makes it higher in antioxidants and all the other good stuff we know about green tea.  It’s pretty powerful stuff, matcha.  High-octane green tea.  It’s no joke.  In fact, one cup of prepared matcha offers up 10 times more antioxidants than a cup of brewed green tea made from the leaves.  That’s insane!!  And the bonus is that it’s a beautiful bright green color, perfect for ‘dying’ baked goods.  So…my thought process was that if I used that in my dough, then my scones would not only have a delightful green tea flavor, (and also healthier) but they would come out all pretty and green and stuff too.And I was right!  They’re so pretty!  I giggled when the dough was finished because it made me so happy!  Like edible, grown-up play-doh.  They’re kind of this sage-green color, very earthy and lovely.  And the green tea flavor is much stronger this time.  It’s kind of like eating green tea ice cream…but chewing it instead…?  (Yeah, wrap your brain around that.) What’s also really cool about these scones is that because there’s so much matcha in the dough, they’re an antioxidant powerhouse!  So, whether you’re eating these with your tea or without, consider yourself served.

I’m just gonna go ahead and say that eating these scones will ward off a cold this season.  And all the holiday stress.  I’m gonna say they’re magic scones.  I’m gonna start prescribing them instead of offering them.  I just gave myself a doctorate.  (Isn’t the internet amazing!)

So, here’s what I want you to do, love.  Eat one scone and call me in the morning.

 

 

In the bowl of your food processor, pulse to combine the following dry ingredients…
-3 cups AP flour (I always prefer unbleached when I’m using white flour.  And you know I usually prefer whole wheat pastry flour for health reasons, but you really need the white in these so the green from the matcha stands out.)
-1 cup white sugar
-1 TB baking powder
-1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/4 cup matcha powderAdd in…
-1 (8 ounce) very cold brick neufchatel cream cheese, diced


Pulse to break down the cream cheese into the dry and then add in…
-1 1/2 sticks very cold butter, diced

Process until the butter has broken down.

With the mixer on, through the spout, add in…
-good splash vanilla extract
-roughly 1/3 cup cold half&half

Drizzle the half&half slowly, and stop once the mixture has been fully moistened and becomes a dough.  (You may not need this much half&half!) Don’t take it so far that it becomes a sticky ball- go slowly and add a little bit at a time.

Turn the dough out onto your counter, it will be a very moist dough but should not be sticky.  Shape the dough into a flat disk about 2-3 inches tall.

 

(Sprinkle the tops with some sugar if desired)  Bake on the top rack of a preheated 375 oven for 20 minutes.  Remove and allow the scones to rest on the cookie sheets until firm, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve room temperature and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days or tightly wrapped in plastic AND foil/zip bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

And enjoy!