Jalepeno Pepper Jack Scones

So I got this recipe some time ago and finally decided to make it yesterday after getting over my "after Christmas baking funk". They are from Joy the Baker, whom I have heard has some fantastic recipes. This is the first one I have tried of hers and these scones are delicious. You should try them...seriously!! I didn't have any fresh jalepenos handy, so I used an equivalent amount of diced canned jalepenos and skipped the sauteing step. It worked out just fine if you want to go this route, which involves less prep work.

As you can see...the recipe said to cut the dough wheel into 6 pieces, but it made HUGE scones...so you could cut them into eighths and it would make reasonable sized scones.

Jalepeno Pepper Jack Scones (from Joy the Baker http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2010/12/jalapeno-pepper-jack-scones/)

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream (plus more for brushing the tops of the scones)
1/4 lb pepper jack cheese, cut into small cubes
2 medium jalepenos, some seeds removed, diced small
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small saute pan and cook diced jalepenos until softenend, about 3-5 minutes. Let the diced peppers cool and mix them with the diced cheese. Toss mixture in 1 tablespoon of flour and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Work in the cold butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Some butter pieces will be the size of peas and the flour will be nice and crumbly.

Whisk together 2 eggs and heavy cream. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredient, fold together with a fork until almost fully incorporated. Add the jalepeno and cheese mixture to the dough and work together. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Form into a disk  about 8 inches around and 2 inches thick. Cut disk into 6 (or 8) wedges and refrigerate for 10 minutes before baking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. When ready to bake, place chilled scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and delicious. These are best served the day they are made.