Sriracha Almond, Bacon, and Sharp Cheddar Scones

I think my love for Sriracha is well documented on this here blog (um, here and here and here). The fact that I, purveyor of mild foods, hater of heat, chile-pepper-aphobe, loves a hot sauce enough to have not one, but two bottles of it (one mixed with mayo and one just “straight up”) in her fridge must make it something really special. Sriracha is my spirit animal.

I love Sriracha so much because it’s much more than just burn-your-tongue-off-heat. It’s sweet. It’s flavorful. It’s garlicky. It’s full-bodied. It actually adds something to dishes instead of just making them hotter (it does that, too, though). If you’ve been afraid to jump on the Sriracha trend because you’re heatphobic like I am, I highly recommend snagging a bottle and trying it out. You might be surprised! Especially if you mix it with equal parts mayo—best. burger. condiment. ever.

Because of this love of all things Sriracha, you know I totally flipped when my friends at Blue Diamond Almonds told me they recently came out with their own Sriracha-flavored snacking almonds! Like all of Blue Diamond’s snacking nuts, they are great for munching on when you need a boost of healthy fats and protein, but I actually love using their flavored almonds for cooking even more than I do just noshing on them (okay, maybe it’s a tie). They add such a great crunch and flavor to recipes!

I had a million ideas of ways to use these Sriracha almonds in a dish—I basically want to put these amazing almonds on everything—but the winning concept were these savory sharp cheddar scones. I’m on a huge savory scone kick! I love the idea of having a grab-and-go breakfast that isn’t chock full of sugar. It’s hard to figure out easy, savory breakfasts that don’t require a frying pan or a drive thru. Savory scones fit the bill!

To keep these cheddar scones on the healthy end of the spectrum, I used white whole wheat flour, which is my favorite flour for baking. It’s got the same light and fluffy quality of regular all-purpose flour, but it’s 100% whole grain—giving you lots of healthy fiber and nutrients. It’s milled from a different, more mild-flavored wheat berry, which helps keep the carboardiness that you sometimes get with whole wheat flours in check.

A few years back, it was almost impossible to find white whole wheat flour in stores, but I think many grocery stores (at least in my area) are catching on, and it’s getting much easier to find. It is a little bit pricier than all purpose or just regular whole wheat, but if you do a lot of whole grain baking, it’s well worth the extra couple of bucks.

My favorite white whole wheat flour is Organic Ivory Wheat by Bob’s Red Mill, but it can be a bit hard to track down (you can’t even order it on Amazon). I order mine directly from the company. Second up is the Organic Unbleached White Whole Wheat from King Arthur, it’s great and available at many grocery stores and on Amazon.

I added bacon to these scones, because Sriracha and bacon are a match made is foodie heaven, but if you’re a veggie, just skip the pork, and you’ll still have an awesome, flavorful scone. I’d just recommend upping the salt by a pinch or two to help make up for the missing salty, delicious, porkiness. Enjoy.

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Sriracha Almond, Bacon, and Sharp Cheddar Scones

Yield: 6 scones

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

These savory sharp cheddar scones are a great, healthier way to have a grab-and-go breakfast without a ton of sugar. Plus, they are packed with flavor! Adapted from Bacon, Cheddar, and Chive Scones from King Arthur Flour.

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Ingredients

• 8 slices bacon
• 3/4 cup animal, nut, or soy milk
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour {recommended: Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur}
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder {recommended: Rumford Aluminum-Free}
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup Blue Diamond BOLD Sriracha Almonds, chopped
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the bacon on the parchment, and bake in oven for 7-10 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp. Crumble bacon and set aside. Leave the parchment in the baking sheet.
2. In a small glass measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar, and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the crumbled bacon, flour, salt, baking powder, butter, almonds, and cheese. Mix well, and then, using clean hands smoosh the butter into the flour mixture until only small pieces remain. You can also do this using a pastry blender, two forks, or even a food processor (or though, if you do it with a processor, don't add the bacon, almonds, or cheese until afterward).
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add in the milk mixture and the honey. Mix until the mixture comes together to form a loose dough. Form into a disc about 10 inches wide.
5. Place disc on the parchment paper (yes, the one with the bacon grease—it makes the bottom of the scones delicious and crispy!), and flatten. Using a sharp knife, slice into six equal triangles.
6. Pull the scones apart slightly on the baking sheet, and brush tops with additional milk to aid in browning (if desired).
7. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 scone
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 542Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 2269mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 7gSugar: 13gProtein: 25g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.