Best Scones Ever

My scones are better than any other I've ever eaten.  I'm not bragging, because it really has nothing to do with me... and everything to do with the recipe.

It comes from this tiny cookbook by Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright called Simply Scones: Quick and Easy Recipes for More Than 70 Delicious Scones and Spreads.  Quite a mouthful!  My rather battered and splattered edition is dated 1988, but I’ve only owned it since about 1994.  Scones are now readily available throughout the U.S., but things were very different twenty years ago.

Leslie and Barbara's recipes are adaptations of classic British scones.  Buttermilk Scones is the easiest, and in some ways, the most satisfying.  It reads as follows:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
½ cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup currants or raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut the butter into ½” cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture.  With a pastry blender or 2 knives, used scissor fashion, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, egg and vanilla.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine.  Stir in the currants, if desired.

With lightly floured hands, pat the dough into an 8”-diameter circle on an ungreased baking sheet.  With a serrated knife, cut into 8 wedges.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean.

Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes.

Using a spatula, transfer the scones to the wire rack to cool.  Recut into wedges, if necessary.  Serve warm, or cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Makes 8 scones

Simply Scones includes renditions of slightly less traditional scones.  And I have made the Apple Oatmeal, Bran, Brownie, Corn, Gingerbread, Cheese and Spiced Whole-Wheat ones with great success.  Today I baked a batch of Cran-Orange Scones:

½ cup chopped fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, drained

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon grated orange peel
½ cup chopped pecans
1 egg white mixed with ½ teaspoon water for glaze (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly butter a 10”-diameter circle in the center of a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, stir together the cranberries and 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Let stand about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, remaining ¼ cup sugar, baking powder and salt.  Cut the butter into ½” cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture.  With a pastry blender or 2 knives, used scissor fashion, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, juice, vanilla and orange peel.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine.  The dough will be sticky.  With lightly floured hands, knead in the cranberry mixture and nuts until evenly distributed.  With lightly floured hands, pat the dough into a 9”-diameter circle on in the center of the prepared baking sheet.

Brush the egg white mixture over the top and sides of the dough, if desired.  With a serrated knife, cut into 8 wedges.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean.

Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes.

Using a spatula, transfer the scones to the wire rack to cool.  Recut into wedges, if necessary.  Serve warm, or cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Makes 8 scones

I eliminate the egg wash, because I don’t like the coating it always leaves on my teeth.  Plus it seems to affect the crumbly, buttery texture of the scone.  You can use walnuts or hazelnuts instead of pecans.

For some reason, these recipes read as if they are super complicated.  But believe me, with simple, yummy ingredients, you can whip up scones everyday for breakfast or an afternoon snack.  Just make sure your butter is chilled.  Don’t leave it sitting on the counter!  And a pastry blender or cutter helps create the coarse meal you want when adding the butter to your flour mixture.

Serve Buttermilk Scones with your favorite jam or preserves.  I personally like Mackays Scottish Three Berry Preserve.  (I haven’t made homemade preserves in years!)  No jam or cream needed with Cran-Orange Scones.  They taste like butter, fruit, jam and nuttiness all in one bite!