These have to be the absolute best scones I've ever had!!! Scones in general are too dry and bland but these will change your mind about it! They disappear within a day at our house (I can't imagine where they go :) lol). They're flaky, tender and supremely moist...have fun and enjoy!
YIELD: 8 medium / large scones PREP TIME: 15 minutes COOK TIME: about 18 minutes
TOTAL TIME: about 45 minutes, including cool down time
Scone Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour + about 2 to 4 tablespoons for work surface and hands
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter, cold (1 stick)
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping cup mixed berries (If using frozen, keep frozen so the berries bleed / run less)
1 tablespoon lemon or orange zest (optional) or coarse sugar
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
about 1 tablespoon cream or milk (or substitute with orange or lemon juice)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Line cookie sheet with parchment and set aside
In a large bowl, add 2 cups of flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, optional salt and whisk to combine.
Add butter, and with a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter in. You can use a food processor if you like but it is harder to clean out :) I smoosh the butter with the pastry cutter until it is the size of peas and mixed thoroughly.
In a small bowl add the egg, sour cream, vanilla and whisk to combine until smooth.
Pour wet mixture over dry, and fold until just combined with a soft-tipped spatula. Be sure not to overmix or the scones will be tough. Dough should be wet and shaggy.
Fold in the berries and optional zest.
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons flour over cutting board or clean surface and lightly coat hands.
Turn dough out onto surface and knead it into a 8-inch round, approximately. Dough is very moist, wet, sticky, and tacky, but if it's being too stubborn to too wet to come together, sprinkle with flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you get it to come together and into a round. If it is too dry and flaking off too much use some more sour cream or yogurt to bring it together.
With a large knife, slice round into 8 equal sized wedges.
Using a flat spatula or pie turner, transfer the wedges to prepared cookie sheet spaced at least 2 inches apart. Do not crowd because scones puff and spread while baking. Tip...try to make sure there are no exposed berries touching the cookie sheet because they'll be prone to burning.
Optionally, sprinkle each wedge with a generous pinch of course sugar, about 1 teaspoon each.
Bake for about 18 minutes, or until scones are very lightly golden and cooked through. 18 minutes seems to be perfect using frozen berries, but if using fresh fruit baking time will likely be reduced. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Because they're baking in quite a hot oven, watch them closely starting after about 15 minutes to ensure the bottoms aren't getting too browned.
Allow scones to cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling. While scones are cooling, make the glaze.
In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cream (or citrus juice).
Whisk together until smooth. Depending on desired consistency, you may need to play with the cream and sugar ratios slightly.
Evenly drizzle the glaze over the scones before serving. Scones are best fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Enjoy!!! :)
Recipe courtesy of Averie Cooks
