Skilled and Sassy

A scone is a slightly sweetened baked good made from flour (gluten), fat (butter), and cream or milk. Ummm… the best three ingredients that have ever existed!!! Another delicious part of a scone are all the things you could possibly add to them- everything from blueberries to chocolate and everything in between! This recipe will take you through making a scone recipe that is so versatile you can easily change it to make the favorite flavor of everyone in your family.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients- flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. This will make sure that all of the dry ingredients are fully incorporated before the butter is cut in.

It is very important that the butter is cold so that it does not fall apart when blending it into the dry ingredients. Cutting the butter into cubes before adding to the dry ingredients also makes this process a little easier. So, cube the butter into manageable pieces and toss into the dry ingredients.

• 

• 

• 

Use a pastry blender or your hands to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Continue to blend the mixture until the butter has formed pea sized pieces and is evenly dispersed throughout the mix.

• 

• 

• 

Toss your preferred add ins into the dry mixture so fully coat them in flour. This will help the blueberries, chocolate chips, etc. from clumping together once the wet ingredients are poured in! For this demonstration I used fresh picked blueberries from a local blueberry farm in our hometown.

Measure the heavy cream (or half and half) into a liquid measuring cup. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the cream and mix together with the whisk.
You may not need all of the liquid, so start with pouring about three quarters of the mixture into the dry ingredients bowl. Use a rubber spatula or your hands to mix the dough together. If the dough is not forming add more of the liquid mixture until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into a dough ball.

• 

• 

Once chilled, use a knife to cut the dough into 8 scones. Place the scones on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

• 

• 

Bake the scones in a preheated oven set to 375*F for 20-25 minutes. The scones should begin to golden around the edges and should be golden brown on the bottom.

• 

• 

There are many delicious variations to this scone which is why it is so versatile! My mom’s favorite would be blueberries, my husband’s would be chocolate chip, and mine would be the cinnamon white chocolate. Another great thing about this scone recipe is that it is easily divided in half and you can quickly make two flavors at the same time!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1 1/2 cups add ins (blueberries, chocolate chips, etc.)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (half and half can be used instead)
• 1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla Extract

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375*F.
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl with a whisk.
Cube the cold butter, then cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or by hand until the butter is approximately pea sized.
Add the blueberries or other additional add ins. Toss with the dry ingredients until mixed throughout and coated int the flour mixture.
Measure the heavy cream in a liquid measuring cup, add the egg and vanilla extract– whisk together.
Add most of the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix with a rubber spatula or by hand until dough forms. Add the liquid mixture as needed, but not all at once so the dough isn’t too wet.
Form the dough into a round, flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 1 hour or over night.
Once chilled, cut the disk into 8 equivalent sized scones. Place on baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on the bottom and around the edges.

Optional flavor suggestions:

Cinnamon White Chocolate- add 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to dry ingredients and 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips as the add ins

Cranberry Lemon- add 1 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries