So, Christmas is almost here.

How? I don't know but the whiplash is painful. 

This week I'm knee deep in holiday menu planning for Christmas Eve/post- Star Wars snacking, Christmas Dinner and a Boxing Day party, and I just remembered we'll probably want something fun Christmas morning too, but it can't be too involved because I just want to drink tea and watch Elf before prepping Christmas dinner, not stand around the kitchen making waffles for an hour. The thought is almost as exhausting as that run-on sentence.

If you are in a similar situation come Christmas morning, may I suggest scones? Fresh, flaky and warm out of the oven, they have a "special occasion" air about them but really they are sneakily easy,  and if your family traditionally holds out long enough to open presents on the 25th (unlike mine), they also happen to leave one hand free for tearing into all that wrapping paper. 

And, if your family doesn't celebrate Christmas, so you will be spending your Friday morning as just a bonus day off sans family tension, well, lucky you, but also these make a pretty excellent and cozy "just because it's Winter" breakfast, too.

White Cheddar, Apple and Green Chile Scones Recipe

Adapted from Bill Yosses via Leite's Culinaria

1 granny smith apple
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt, plus more for egg wash
6 tbs cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 4oz can whole green chiles
2 eggs
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel apple and cut in half lengthwise. Remove core and slice each half into 8 pieces, lengthwise. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 20 minutes and set aside to cool.

2. On another parchment lined baking sheet, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a large mixing bowl, place the butter, apples, cheese, heavy cream, chiles, and one egg. Pick up the piece of parchment with the flour mixture and sprinkle the flour over the top of the other ingredients. With mixer on low, mix until everything just comes together.

4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and press into a round, at least 1 inch thick. Using a knife or a bench scraper, cut the round into 6 equal wedges. Transfer wedges to the parchment lined baking sheet (the one you mixed your flour on), leaving at least 2 inches beetween the wedges.

5. In a small bowl, mix together remaining egg and a pinch of salt, and brush onto the tops of the dough wedges. Sprinkle with turbinado (or regular) sugar and bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes, then serve warm.