Scones

When I decided to invite a friend over for brunch, I knew immediately that I would make scones. This recipe is great for three reasons: 1) these scones are made with staple ingredients, 2) they are fast and easy, and 3) they can take all kinds of substitutions and variations. That being said, I would highly recommend eating them the day that you make them because they do not store well. As you can imagine, this is rarely a problem at our house.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (scant)

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ½ inch pieces

½ cup heavy cream*

1 egg

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup berries**

In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using your fingers, rub the butter pieces into the dry ingredients until you have pea-sized lumps of butter. In a small bowl combine the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla. After you crack open the egg, set the shell aside and do not discard. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough comes together in a loose ball. Divide the dough into two parts, shaping each half into a disk. Place the berries between the two disks and flatten slightly to make a six to eight inch circle. Cut the circle into eight wedges and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Again using your fingers, scrape out the last bit of egg white from the shell and brush it lightly over the top of each scone. (This makes the tops a little shiny.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes.

*Substitute half & half, milk, or even eggnog for a holiday twist.

** Variations: You could leave out the berries and instead add citrus zest, candied ginger, chopped fresh mint, lavender buds, chocolate chips, poppy seeds, etc.