Simple Scones

This winter will never end. A few days away from March and we just got about five inches of snow. Yes, this is normal, but I am just downright over it.

And I absolutely love winter, but this year it's really been getting me down. I've never experienced seasonal affective disorder before, but I've been not too sunny the last few weeks. Grouchy moods and lazy attitudes have made me dull in mind and spirit, and my healthy eating kick, while doing wonders for my body, isn't so good for my mental health.

At least, that's what I'm telling myself to justify these absolutely delicious scones.

Sometimes you need some butter, sugar, flour, and heavy cream to put a smile back on your face. And with this recipe, you can experience this artificial sunlight in about twenty minutes. Oh yes.

So essentially, you can make any kind of scone you'd like. It's best to stick with simple formula of two mix-in ingredients. Pictured are some dried cherry and almond scones with orange glaze, but I've made cranberry white chocolate and hazelnut chocolate chip with equally delicious results.


But it's that tart-sweet fruit and butter-tender dough that makes my heart melt. I love it. These aren't your typical dry, crumbly scone that inevitably disappoints. It's light and flaky and just sweet enough. In short, it's perfect.

Put some summer back into your life. Treat yourself and share with friends. I did, and I definitely felt the love.

Recipe (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

2 cups all purpose flour (Wheat will probably work but may be a bit denser)

1 Tbsp baking powder

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" chunks

1/2 cup dried fruit of choice, cutting up large pieces if necessary

1/2 cup nut or chips of choice, smaller nut pieces, the better (optional)

1 Cup heavy cream

*I had to make an orange glaze because I forgot to add 1 Tbsp of orange zest, and I really wanted cherry orange scones. So, if you want glaze, just mix the zest with a few Tbsp of powdered sugar and a bit of milk for your desired sweetness and consistency. 

Method:

You can either do this by hand or use a food processor to whip everything together. Food processors make this super quick, but I have done it by hand several times with equal results, just a bit more work!

Preheat oven to 425 F. Put flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in large bowl or in bowl of food processor. Wisk or pulse together quickly until combined. Cut in butter- if by hand with fingers, a pastry cutter, or a fork; and with a food processor pulse quickly about 12 times. You want the mixture to resemble a coarse meal, but some larger butter chunks are just fine, and encouraged. 

Add additional dry ingredients (fruits, nuts, etc). 

With both methods, stir in heavy cream until a dough just begins to form. Turn out dough onto work surface and knead quickly to form a rough ball. (or just do it right in your bowl for less mess). To make evenly shaped triangle scones, press dough ball (and any dried scraps) into an 8x8 baking pan. Turn out onto work surface and cut into 8 equal triangles. Place on baking sheet and bake about 12-15 minutes, until scones are lightly browned.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes (if you can wait that long) and serve warm or at room temperature. Store in airtight container, but best eaten immediately or within one day.