Rosemary scone (cookie) with macchiatos ローズマリースコーン

This is my wife's baking project of making savory cookies (it was dubbed as a scone but it is more like a fluffy cookie). It is based on a recipe in the "La Brea Bakery" cookbook. It has a fresh rosemary flavor which you would not expect from the appearance. One weekend afternoon, we had this with espresso macchiatos. I am not a big desert or cookie eater but this is really good and perfect with the macchiatos. Please note, in the picture below, the scone/cookie is very large and the coffee cup is a demitasse size. In truth we shared one cookie between the two of us. (We admit this was a staged photoshoot).

The cookie is soft but slightly crumbly with gentle sweetness with fresh rosemary flavor which are such a great combination of tastes and textures.

The picture below shows our usual macchiatos which we often have as a second cup of coffee after morning cappuccinos on the weekend. The bean was a blended bean called "Altiplano" from Sweet Maria. We home roasted to full-City+. I use foamed cream (just a small amount) on the top. I use my  Nespresso frother for this. This cup may look similar to one with cappuccinos but, as I mentioned, this is a much smaller cup.

This scone is made using the rosemary from our herb garden. Our current rosemary is the third or fourth iteration we planted. Our winters are generally too cold for rosemary to survive more than a year or two. Remarkably, we planted this rosemary more than 20 years ago. It has grown into a small gnarled bush with a beautifully thick twisted stem. This spring we were afraid that it may not have survived the winter. After removing several dead branches, however, at least two major branches are still alive and producing new growth. We were so glad and relieved; it was like welcoming back an old friend who had been seriously ill. We have been refraining from cutting sprigs of our rosemary, during the summer,  to give it a chance to fully recover.  Now, it has grown enough that we can safely use our rosemary again.

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups All Purpose flour
1 3/4 cups corn flour (or corn meal)
1 Tbs. plus 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary (more or less to taste)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 sticks (12 oz.) butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes and frozen
2 large eggs
2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. honey


(The original recipe called for, 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk and 1/2 cup plus 2 tsp heavy cream. I misread the recipe and as shown above I used 2 eggs. In addition, I left out the heavy cream...the scones were still really good.  I'll have to try the original recipe to compare with the one I made. Nonetheless, my variation is worth trying).

Directions:

In a food processor fitted with a blade, combine the flours, baking powder, rosemary and brown sugar and process until incorporated. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of fine meal. (The amount was too big for my food processor so I processed it in batches) In another bowl add the eggs, honey and cream and whisk together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Turn the dough out only a floured work surface and gently knead a few times until it comes together. Roll the dough into a 3/4 inch thick square. Cut the scones (I cut them into squares to eliminate the scraps that would have to be reworked if I cut them into rounds). Place the pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until slightly browned and firm to the touch.

This one is in the same category of other savory cookies we have made such as "anchovy black pepper cookie", "rosemary pine nut cookie", "castagnoccio"  and "chili cheese shortbread". It uses a ridiculous amount of butter but it is well worth it. We like all the savory cookies but this one may be our new favorite.