Pesto Parmesan Scones | How Sweet It Is

Pesto Parmesan Scones.

March 6, 2012

So how did these scones come about?

Wellllll. Have a seat.

A handful of days ago as I was stirring my chicken meatball soup and pondering life’s great wonders such as why this jar of gummy vitamins has so many more yellow than red ones (ew, whatevs) and can anybody (no, I mean ANYBODY) truly beat out the terrificness that was Boyz II Men in the mid 90s?, I decide plain old soup would just not suffice. I needed dippers.

But not boring dippings, like plain biscuits or scones or anything. Something with some sass. Some flavor. Some knock-your-socks-off zing. !!!! Bring on the exclamation points.

I like to make things difficult. I mean, I sound like such a mentally complicated person, as demonstrated above. I know, right?

So I scanned the pantry and the fridge and all the junk on my counter that I’d been too lazy to put away, and came up with nothing. Should I look in the freezer? Why would I look in the freezer? What could possibly be in the freezer that is going to aide my bread-like dipper making process? Nothing, that’s what. Does this mean I need to clean the freezer? Does this mean I should empty the ice cube trays since we have a stone-age fridge that doesn’t make it’s own ice? Does this mean I have to suffer through frost bitten fingers in yoga?

Oh! But I’m craving something chocolate-like. And I think I stuck a chunk of chocolate in there because I wanted it good and cold for shaving purposes. Nooo… not like leg shaving purposes. Chocolate shaving purposes. Like, chocolate shaving purposes on top of a boozy cake. Don’t be silly!

I open the freezer to appease my sweet teeth and lo and behold, I spy a bag of almost freezer-burnt pesto staring back at me. This is huge, since I rarely can find the time to freeze things (too busy pondering life’s great wonders, see above) and if I actually do, discover them 14 months later encased in a beautiful sculpture of ice. But not this time… I win.

Pesto couldn’t work the magic on it’s own though. Eh, well maybe it could have, but not for me who has cheese running through her veins. And yeah, I know cheese doesn’t really run… it moreso like, clogs things… up. So who knows how much longer I’ll be here.

But whatever! I’m going to eat some scones and soup while I am. Live it up baby.

Pesto Parmesan Scones

[adapted from my go-to scone recipe]

makes about 12-16 scones, depending on how you cut them!

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cups cold butter, cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup prepared pesto

2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, pepper, baking soda and powder. Using your fingers, a fork or a pastry blender, cut in butter until it forms coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk, parmesan and pesto. Stir with a spoon until a dough forms, using your hands to bring it together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently.

Divide in half and pat into 7 inch round circles, cutting into 6-8 triangles each. You can also cut out round scones or form the dough into a rectangle and cut squares. Brush each scone with melted butter.

Bake for 12-14 minutes (wedges) or 9-11 minutes (rounds/squares). Top with butter pats.