My husband: "Mmmm these are lovely, what are they?"
Me: "Erm... they're like apple-filled 'scone balls' but I haven't thought of a proper name for them yet".
My husband: "Well don't call them scone balls anyway".
Me: "Ok".
I like to bake sweet treats regularly in case my husband fancies a snack, and since I do the grocery shopping and refuse to buy him sugar-filled products, he gets to sample all kinds of my weird and wonderful home-baked goodies! The apple in these gives all the sweetness they need, and the hazelnuts on the outside give such a satisfying texture that this in itself becomes more-ish! I love using spelt flour for scones, though usually around half-and-half each of spelt and wholewheat, as 100% spelt is way too rich for my taste. It's a very flavoursome and characterful flour... perfect for scones, bread, pastries, etc. Anyway, I know there are plenty of you who prefer sugar-free recipes so I thought this could be one some of you will like to make :-)
Ingredients:
5 apples (I use Gala or similar sweet apples)
75g butter
150g fine wholewheat flour
150g wholemeal spelt flour
Pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 free-range egg
Milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
75g chopped hazelnuts
Method:
Peel, core and dice the apples. Put into a saucepan with a little water and saute on medium heat until softened. Stir in the cinnamon, and puree using a stick blender. Set aside.
In a large bowl chop the butter into chunks and rub into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the salt and baking powder. Add the egg and enough milk to form a firm dough.
Shape into 'thumbpots' and fill with the apple cinnamon sauce.
Pinch the opening together using your fingers and a little water to seal it. Carefully shape into balls. If any cracks appear in the scone, use water to smooth the crack.
Coat each scone ball with egg, and roll in chopped hazelnuts. Place onto a baking tray and pop in a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes until golden-brown. Allow to cool (the apple inside will be piping hot) and then enjoy them warm or cold!
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Many thanks.
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All photos in this post are my own original.
