Berries and Cream Scones Recipe

Berries and cream scones

If you like buttery, flaky, just a hint of sweetness style scones, then you will adore these. I finally mastered a good batch of scones, after one failed attempt after another. I just didn’t get it. It’s been a year since then, so I decided to take another shot at it. The trick, and most important part to scone making, is using cold, hard, butter. One would think the dough ought to be smooth and consistent. Not with scones. The dough should be clumpy, with noticeable bits of cold butter woven throughout the batter. It helps to contribute to the flaky biscuit texture once baked. By adding bits of cream cheese and fresh berries into the mix, this plain scone packs a surprise in every bite.

Dough

All you need are the some basics:  butter, flour, cream, sugar, fresh berries, and a few others.

Berries

Mixing the scone dough

The ingredients are completely interchangeable, so please, experiment.  Peaches and cream, oranges and cream, raspberries, blueberries, cherries,  just about any fruit that would go well with cream cheese.

Dough

Traditional triangle cuts

Make these beauties bite size, jumbo size, fun shapes, simple shape, however you prefer to eat your scones.

Berrie and Cream Scones

Lightly sprinkle with sugar, or glaze top with icing.

Berries and cream scones

Cream cheese filled center

Ingredients

• 4 cups plus 1/2 cup whole wheat PASTRY flour (if you’re having a hard time finding this, then just use all-purpose flour)
• 2 1/2 sticks of butter (approx. 1 1/2 cups), chilled and cubed
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 overflowing cup of fresh berries, sliced (I used strawberries and blackberries, but blueberries and raspberries would be delicious, too. I also used more strawberries than blackberries in this recipe)
• 6 ounces chilled cream cheese, cubed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a mixer on a low speed, mix 4 cups of  flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and butter together until butter is pea size and batter is crumbly
3. Combine eggs and heavy cream in separate small bowl, and lightly beat together until mixed
4. Pour egg cream mixture into your flour/butter mixture and mix on a low speed until combined
5. Add the last 1/2 cup of flour into your dough, mix until combined. Batter should look lumpy, but that is okay, we want it that way.
6. Lightly fold in berries and cubed cream cheese with a rubber spatula. Be as gentle as possible, we  just want it carefully folded in. By doing this, it will ensure you that you will get a cream cheese pocket with berries every other bite.
7. Plop scone dough onto a nicely floured surface and gently knead dough to a square shape (you can use a rolling pin, I just used my hands…..well floured hands)
8. Once in a nice neat square, or not so nice looking square, flour a large knife and make your cuts for size scones. You can cut squares, triangles, or use a round cookie cutter. I prefer the triangle look, personally.
9. Mix 1 egg with a splash of milk, lightly beat together, and lightly glaze tops of scones once placed on a baking sheet
10. Lightly sprinkle raw or cane sugar on top of each scone
11. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden
12. Optional:Bake the whole batch, or freeze dough for future gatherings and lazy Sunday mornings

Serves: 15 or more, depending on scone size

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