“You make the best scones!” my son’s fiancée said. I gave her a big hug!
I do love to make scones. but it does take a certain knack. Mostly I’ve learned through trial and error, so I hope to pass my scone making expertise on to you as I share it with my “daughter-in-love” to be.
When making scones there are two important things to remember: First, don’t overwork the dough. You want to knead it just enough to combine the ingredients. The less the dough is fussed with, the higher the scones will rise, so just knead the ingredients together until they form a rough ball of dough. Second, remember to roll the dough out nice and thick about one and a fourth to one and a half inches. The thicker the dough, the higher the scone. And that’s really all there is to it. The mastery of these two steps will make nice tender scones with ample room for your favorite jam or jelly.
Mini-Chocolate Chip Scones
Ingredients:
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp sugar
5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
2/3 cup firm butter
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup heavy whipping cream or half and half
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silpat (silicone) baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, 6 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, semi-sweet morsels, and Kosher salt together with a wire whisk.
3. Next, cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. First beat the eggs with a fork, then stir in the cream and vanilla and mix with a wire whisk.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together with a big enamel or wooden spoon. Then, using your hands, bring the dough together into a ball. The liquid measurements are pretty accurate, but if the ingredients won’t hold together, add a half teaspoon of cream at a time until they do. Lightly knead the dough until it holds together. Do not overwork.
6. If you’re making wedges, divide your dough into fourths. Place 2 fourths on one cookie sheet, and 2 fourths on another. Pat or roll the dough out into 1 1/2 inch thick rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges with a knife that has been dipped in flour. Do not separate the wedges. If you prefer individual rounds, roll your dough out and cut with a biscuit cutter or a small to medium drinking glass.
7. When placing the scones on a cookie sheet make sure you don’t crowd them. Give them plenty of room to “breathe” while they’re baking. Brush the tops with heavy cream or half and half. Sprinkle with large crystal sugar.
8. Bake 14 to 18 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove to serving platter. Serve warm.
The photos below were for cream scones, but I wanted to show you the consistency of the dough.
