Peppered Pear & Goat Cheese Scones

By CheeseDiva

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium pear, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese (such as Capriole's Chèvre), broken into walnut-size pieces
• 1/2 cup whole or low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons whole milk, plus more for brushing

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from culturecheesemag.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the butter and break into pea-size pieces with your fingertips. Sprinkle the pear pieces and goat cheese over the flour mixture and gently toss together, being careful not to break the cheese into smaller pieces.
Soften the yogurt by whisking in the milk. Pour the yogurt over the flour mixture and gently blend together with a spatula, being careful not to break up the cheese. The dough may look slightly dry and crumbly, but it will produce a very moist scone. Divide the dough into six mounds on the baking sheet, leaving about an inch between them.
Brush the tops with a little milk, and place the baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake until lightly brown, about 35 minutes. Remove the sheet to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.