Introduction: Fresh Strawberry Scones Recipe

About: From time to time, I'll provide Amazon affiliate links. When you click on them, it helps me continue to contribute awesome Instructables.
Many scones recipes are dry, tough, or bland, but these are light as a dream, and oh so tender!  Whereas I can usually only muscle my way through most of one traditional scone, for these, I could eat the whole batch.  Be warned!

Summer in California brings a bounty of gorgeous berries, so I used fresh strawberries for this moist, delicious scones recipe.  If you're off-season or don't have access to strawberries, you can use any fresh fruit in season or, more traditionally, dried currants.  I don't know how frozen fruits will work in this scones recipe, but I look forward to hearing about all of your experiments with it! 


INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup fresh strawberries (or other fruit), chopped 
  • 3 tablespoons sugar 
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) butter, in cubes, slightly softened
  • 2/3 cup (160ml) cream or buttermilk
  • 1 extra tablespoon sugar to top

TOOLS:

  • Mixing bowl
  • Spatula
  • Baking Sheet
  • Silpat (optional but awesome)
  • Knife or ice cream scoop


DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F (205C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment.
  2. Cut fruit into small pieces.  If using fresh fruit, toss with 1/2 tablespoon sugar and set aside to macerate.  
  3. Combine remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add butter and combine using a pastry cutter, two knives, or (my favorite) very clean hands, until very well combined.
  4. Add fruit and cream or buttermilk, and stir until it all holds together and all of the dry ingredients are just combined.  
  5. For little round scones:  Scoop 1/4 cup size mounds onto the cookie sheet with an ice cream scoop.  
  6. For more traditional triangular scones: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to get everything sticking together.  Sprinkle with extra flour if it gets too sticky.  Form into a circle about 3/4" (2cm) thick.  Cut into wedges with a knife and transfer to cookie sheet.
  7. Bake scones for 15 minutes.  
  8. Sprinkle tops of scones with reserved sugar and bake and additional 5-10 minutes until tops are golden brown and spring back when you touch them.  

Enjoy!

Will my English relations ever forgive what I've done to their beloved pastry?