Tomato Basil Scones

These flaky scones feature two of summer’s best ingredients: fresh basil and tomatoes. They’re perfect for a leisurely weekend brunch and easy to grab on your way out the door throughout the week. Tomato Basil scones are great at room temperature, but even better warm!

When it came time to plant our summer herb garden, James had only one request: lots and lots of basil. Pesto is one of his all-time favorite foods and he’d eat it every night if he could. But, I think I overestimated our weekly consumption a bit. We have more basil than I know what to do with! I’ve been incorporating it into our meals almost daily and still can’t seem to make a dent in our crop. So, I started baking.

Scones are by far my favorite breakfast pastry. They’re amazingly buttery and extremely versatile. I like to think scones are paired perfectly with a warm cup of coffee and a foggy summer morning.

I’m someone who enjoys a savory breakfast more than a sweet one, so this recipe takes the classic combination of tomato and basil and turns it into a delicious pastry. These scones remind me of pizza, and who doesn’t love the idea of pizza for breakfast?!

Scones are also one of those amazing foods that look and sound fancy but take minimal effort to put together. No one expects them to look perfect but they end up tasting like a true work of art.

I took a batch of these into work yesterday and they were gone within an hour. I’d say that’s a pretty good sign, right? These scones are amazing plain, but out of this world when you throw some homemade garlic butter on top. Just whip unsalted butter with one minced, fresh garlic clove together using an electric mixer on medium speed. So simple and delicious!

If you’d rather have a scone to satisfy your sweet tooth, try out these cookie butter scones.

Tomato Basil Scones

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup Asiago cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup basil, packed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 Campari tomatoes, thinly sliced

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix until combined.
3. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut butter into flour mixture until moist and crumbly.
4. Add cheese and basil and mix until combined.
5. Slowly pour buttermilk into flour mixture and stir until just combined.
6. Carefully transfer dough onto a flat, floured surface. Divide into two equal portions and knead each into a circle that’s about 1-inch thick. Cut each circle into eight triangles.
7. Transfer scones to two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Top each scone with a slice of tomato and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until bottom edges start to turn slightly golden brown. Serve warm with butter.

[/directions]