Recipe: Cucumber Scone Finger Sandwiches

Afternoon tea is steeped in tradition; one of those traditions seems to be offering cucumber sandwiches as a savory option. The quality of a tearoom sometimes hinges on this one little morsel.

And I love cucumber sandwiches. They are by far one of the things I look most forward to when sitting down to tea. Sometimes they are completely nondescript Wonder Bread and cream cheese, but sometimes you have a revelation of pickled cucumbers or dill cream cheese that is nearly transcendent.

Lemon Thyme Basil Cucumber Sandwiches

So when a few weeks ago I finally perfected the recipe for Lemon Thyme Basil Scones (weren’t those sooooo good?) I had a lightbulb moment: could I make these into cucumber sandwiches? How great a twist on a classic would that be, the savory herbs blending with the sweet, crisp cucumber. I could almost taste it, mouth suddenly parched from desire of wanting that ultimate refreshment.

I practically ran to my refrigerator and found a glorious cucumber…and a lack of cream cheese. *Head smack* But I wouldn’t give up, hopping in my car to drive to the grocery store and buy the smallest container of cream cheese I could find. The checkout lady gave me a weird look and say,”Don’t you want a bagel with that?” “No,” I responded. “I have scones.” Let her contemplate that one with confusion all day!

Lemon Thyme Basil Cucumber Sandwiches

Ingredients assembled, I took a bite into my first open-faced sandwich. Yeah, it worked beautifully. No bagel or Wonder Bread required.

These bite sized open faced sandwiches are the perfect choice for afternoon tea. Not only are they unique yet classical, but they also show off your scone-making skills in a whole new light. A scone turned into a sandwich? What could be better than that other than more scones?

Lemon Thyme and Basil Cucumber Scone Sandwiches

Lemon Thyme Basil Cucumber Sandwiches

Ingredients

2 cups self rising flour
3 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped lemon thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
full fat cream cheese (do not use herbed cream cheese as that would overwhelm the scones)
thick slices of fresh cucumber

Preheat oven 450°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour and salt. Mix in fresh herbs.

Break up butter by running it through a cheese grater. Rub into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and knead until all ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth.

Turn out onto floured surface (this can be lightly floured as the dough is pretty self-contained) and pat down to desired thickness (1 cm). Cut out into scones (5 cm) and place on baking sheet. Recombine scraps and continue cutting out additional scones. Bake for 8 minutes until beginning to toast on the edges. Turn out to cool on a wire rack immediately.

Once cooled, cut each scone in half. Top each half with a smear of cream cheese and a slice of cucumber. Serve these super light and refreshing savories to all enjoyment.

Once Upon an Afternoon Tea

The Art of Afternoon Tea from Los Angeles and Beyond