Adapted from ‘Grandma Johnson’s Scones’ – Allrecipes.com
Used to make my Cinnamon Scones and Blueberry Scones
This recipe makes a double batch of scones. For my post, I divided the dough in half and made one batch of cinnamon scones and one batch of blueberry scones.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, cut into chunks and frozen.
- 1 egg
- 4 – 6 teaspoons cinnamon – OR -
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or lightly thawed frozen blueberries
Optional Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 – 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
In a medium bowl, blend the sour cream and baking soda; set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Pulse briefly to mix. Add the frozen butter and process until the butter is well distributed and the pieces are about the size of small peas – about 10 – 15 good pulses. Stir the flour mixture into the sour cream mixture and add the egg. Stir until just moistened.
This is the time to add your flavorings, if you choose to do so. If you are making cinnamon scones, add the 4 – 6 teaspoons of cinnamon to the batch, and stir until just incorporated. For the blueberry scones, add the 1 1/2 cups blueberries and stir just to combine.
If you are making ‘drop’ scones, simply drop the batter into 12 equal mounds on the baking sheet. If you are making more traditional scones, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Pat each piece of dough into a 3/4 inch thick round and cut into 6 wedges. Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Optional: Place the baking sheets, with the prepared scones, in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. This extra step will help re-solidify the fat, making for a flakier scone.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom.
Optional: For my cinnamon scones and blueberry scones, I wanted a light glaze on top. To do this, let the scones cool until just slightly warm. Stir 2 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla into 1 cup of powdered sugar. If the glaze seems too thick, add a bit more milk. The glaze should be thin, about the consistency of honey. Drizzle or spread the glaze on the lightly warm scones. You should be left with a lightly sweet, very thin coating on the scones.
NOTES:
If you plan on splitting the batch and making two separate flavors of scones, divide the dough in two, then add your mix-in ingredients. The amounts of cinnamon and blueberries noted above are for a full batch of scones; if you divide the dough, cut the amounts of add-in ingredients shown above depending on how you divide the batch.
After adding blueberries, I found the dough to be very loose. You can add a small amount of additional flour if you are planning to form them into a round. My choice was to make drop scones as the extra mixing and handling would have smashed the berries and caused them to turn the entire scone blue.
Prepared, unbaked scones can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for later use. When ready to bake, simply remove the plastic and place on a prepared pan. Bake as directed above, adding an additional 1 – 2 minutes of baking time if needed. Wrap in portions of 1 or 2 and enjoy freshly baked scones any time.
