Cream Cheese Apricot Scones

Did you know that Apricots, cousins to the peach, actually originated in northeastern China? And thanks to the explorations of Alexander the Great, King Henry VIII and English settlers to the New World, apricots are popular in a wide variety of cuisines.

Alexander the Great is credited with bringing apricots to Greece from Asia. It’s said that King Henry’s gardener brought the fruits to England for Italy. English settlers carried Apricots to Virginia, and the Spanish explores introduced them to the American west coast. Apricots are cultivated throughout the world, with Turkey as the largest global producer.

Apricots are one of the most highly perishable fruits. You would think that might have stopped their spread. However; drying apricots is an age-old method of preserving them, making dried apricots available in most markets year round. And that’s good, because today is National Apricot Day. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Apricot Scones
8 oz Cream Cheese, cut into cubes
1/3 cup dried Apricots, diced
2 cups Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 large Egg
2 tablespoons Milk

Heat oven to 400-degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper, set aside. Fit a food processor with a steel blade, set aside.

Cut cream cheese into cubes, set aside. Dice apricots, set aside.

In the bowl of the prepared food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; blend for 8 seconds.

Cut cream cheese into flour mixture and by pulsing 8 times with food processor, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk egg with milk. Reserve about a tablespoon of the egg mixture. Add remaining mixture to dry mix in food processor. Pulse just until dough comes together. Stir in apricots.

Turn dough onto floured surface and gently pat into 8-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. Cut scone dough into 8 rounds with 3-inch biscuit cutter and place on prepared baking pan.

Brush scone tops with reserved egg mixture. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with lots of creamy sweet butter.