The Chili Crisp Scone

From its inception, it has remained the most popular item I've ever made.

Welcome to our first recipe for paid subscribers! I’m excited to roll out these initial recipes for you all (you’re going to get a good amount right up front as a thank you for subscribing)! I figured it be best to start out with our #1 best seller and most popular item.

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Scones get a bad reputation for being dry and crumbly because, well, they often are. There’s nothing sadder than biting into a dense and bland triangle of flour with some mix ins. European scones are this way likely because they’re meant to be eaten with tea and jam/clotted cream. I’m not going to claim I know anything about the origins of scones or what they’re “supposed” to be, but I do know that over the years, I’ve had many people tell me these are the only scones they’ve ever liked or are best they’ve ever had.

A quick Google search leads to this AI Overview:

• Scones are a British quick bread that originated in Scotland in the 1500s.

• The first written record of scones was in 1513 by a Scottish poet.

• The word "scone" may come from the Dutch word “schoonbrot,” which means "fine white bread."

• Scones are thought to have evolved from bannocks, a griddled flatbread made from oats.

So there you go, we’ve gone from 1500s bannocks to an Asian-infused chili crisp cheese scone in the span of 500 years.

When I sought to find and develop my “standard” recipe for scones, I knew I wanted to start with savory because I’m a savory gal at heart. I also wanted a scone to stand alone without assistance, as in no beverage needed to choke it down. After trying out different recipes, I found one from King Arthur Flour and one from Stella Parks that both fit the bill. The recipes are almost identical with very slight variations. Both have lovely, moist, and tender textures that I’ve turned into the base recipe of these scones. Over the years, I played with different variations like cheddar and caramelized onion, feta and za’atar, and shiso cheddar and scallion.

Scones in their various stages

I can’t remember the exact point in time that I thought to add chili crisp. I just remember that I needed more vegetarian options and was also delving deeper into incorporating Asian ingredients into my baking. I had a shower thought that chili crisp would probably taste good in these scones so I immediately tested it out. I googled recipes for inspiration and surprisingly only found one similar recipe that used gochujang. Going off of the amounts in that recipe, I added Lao Gan Ma into my scone base and the rest is history.

The OG chili crisp

For those who are unfamiliar, Lao Gan Ma or “Old Godmother” in mandarin is the original chili crisp and a Chinese household name that is available everywhere these days. Tao Huabi, the founder, has created a billion dollar empire with chili crisps and sauces—just genius! It’s a staple for a reason, kind of how Frank’s Red Hot is a household hot sauce. Are there other chili crisps out there that are better? Oh, absolutely. (Insert plug for Q’s chili crisp here, but I am biased). The beauty of chili crisps is that every single one is different and can be selected for different applications based on what flavor/spice level you want to achieve. Lao Gan Ma is perfect for when you want that MSG-umami salty kick without too much heat, which is what makes it great in these scones.

Chili crisp adds a level of smokiness and depth to these scones that is honestly shocking. There’s a bit of heat but nothing too overwhelming. You can almost smell hints of bacon while they’re baking. I knew I had a winner when my friends taste tested it and were blown away. It went on the wholesale menu shortly after and is now a staple in the shop. I don’t think we can ever take it off the menu without riots. We have made tens of thousands of these scones by hand over the last few years.

This is a really special recipe to me as it was one of the first where I tried incorporating an Asian twist and it turned out to be successful. This scone remains our number one seller and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.