Scones, Fabulous Scones
VEW
Please pardon the horrible lag in new posts. This is the first year that I participated in the “holidays are so busy” cliché. I am still recovering. Couple that with the fact that my only New Year’s Resolution was to slow down a bit. Which means letting certain things go when more important things (say, my kids) are underfoot. Anyway, for the Tasty Plate, that should translate into simpler weekly menus and quicker preparations…so I guess it’s a good thing.
One of the things I am always busy doing and will likely never give up is making scones. The world of scones is huge and varied and limitless. I will post a few of my favorite recipes here. If the word scones conjures up images of crumbly, tasteless bricks that can be found at certain coffee establishments, please give any of these recipes a try—you will be pleasantly astonished.
Basic Scone recipe
This recipe is my mom’s and is responsible for launching me into my need for a scone to always accompany my morning coffee. While this is likely due in large part to the fact that when I was young my parents would often make these scones at night, after we kids were in bed and enjoy them alone in a quiet house. The following morning the scene was always one of mixed emotion: childish outrage that they had done it AGAIN! And excitement that they had at least left some for us.
These are classic cream scones—best eaten with raspberry preserves and freshly whipped cream.
2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
2T sugar
1T baking powder
1/2t salt
6 T butter
1 egg, beaten
1/3 C half & half or cream plus enough milk to equal ½ total liquid
1 slightly beaten egg for egg wash
Mix dry ingredients and then cut in butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture is like coarse crumbs. Combine the cream/milk mixture with the beaten egg; add into crumb mixture and stir to combine. Knead a few times to bring dough together. Form into 2 discs and cut into wedges. Brush tops with egg wash. Bake on parchment paper on cookie sheets at 425 for about 12 minutes.
Cinnamon Chip* Scones
2 Cups unbleached, all purpose flour
1T baking powder
2T sugar
1/2t salt
6 T butter
¼ Cup sour cream
¼ Cup buttermilk
1/2t salt
6 T butter
¼ Cup sour cream
¼ Cup buttermilk
1 egg
½ cup cinnamon chips
Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry; stir to bring dough together, then knead a few times to make a nice dough. Add in chips and knead to incorporate. At this point you can either prepare them for baking as in the previous recipe, or you can just pull off mounds of dough and place them on the baking sheet for a more rustic looking scone.
Orange Currant Scones
These are a great, tasty scone. The recipe makes quite a few—I often cut it in half and reduce the butter to 6T.
Oatmeal Currant Scones
These are similar to the scones above but the oatmeal adds interesting texture and flavor. They aren’t quite as dense as other scones, and on days I feel bad about letting my 3 year old eat a scone for breakfast, the oatmeal in this makes me feel better. Slightly.
This scone recipe is great for add-ins and is my current favorite. I leave out the raisins and add in any kind of chip or dried fruit and have good results everytime. To add something to the recipe, make the dough and knead it until it comes together (I often add 1-2T of cream because I find the dough as written is a bit dry), then knead in the chips or dried fruit. I use about a cup. If you add dried fruit sprinkle the tops with some turbinado sugar for a nice crust and some added sweetness.
½ cup cinnamon chips
Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry; stir to bring dough together, then knead a few times to make a nice dough. Add in chips and knead to incorporate. At this point you can either prepare them for baking as in the previous recipe, or you can just pull off mounds of dough and place them on the baking sheet for a more rustic looking scone.
Orange Currant Scones
These are a great, tasty scone. The recipe makes quite a few—I often cut it in half and reduce the butter to 6T.
Oatmeal Currant Scones
These are similar to the scones above but the oatmeal adds interesting texture and flavor. They aren’t quite as dense as other scones, and on days I feel bad about letting my 3 year old eat a scone for breakfast, the oatmeal in this makes me feel better. Slightly.
This scone recipe is great for add-ins and is my current favorite. I leave out the raisins and add in any kind of chip or dried fruit and have good results everytime. To add something to the recipe, make the dough and knead it until it comes together (I often add 1-2T of cream because I find the dough as written is a bit dry), then knead in the chips or dried fruit. I use about a cup. If you add dried fruit sprinkle the tops with some turbinado sugar for a nice crust and some added sweetness.
Great add-ins:
Dried cranberries, soaked in a little orange juice for at least 15 minutes before adding
Small frozen blueberries—tossed with 1T four before adding
Applesauce or grated apple—you will need to adjust the liquid ingredients so your dough isn’t too moist
*While you can find Hershey’s cinnamon chips by the chocolate chips in certain grocery stores, they are not available everywhere for some reason. King Arthur’s chips are far superior and you can order online through their web site, so no one has an excuse for not making these.
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