Cream Scones Recipe

How to make it

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• Preheat oven to 450oF.
• If you have a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together (about 6 pulses). If you don't have a food processor (like me), mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk. Scatter the butter evenly over the flour mixture and pulse until it resembles wet sand with some slightly large clumps (about 12 pulses), or use a pastry blender or your fingers until you get the same effect.
• Add dried fruit and pulse once or stir to combine. If dough is not in a large bowl already, put it into one. Add 1 cup heavy cream and stir in with a large spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times until the dough forms a rough, slightly sticky ball.
• Press the dough into a greased 9" round cake pan. Turn back out onto floured surface. Using a knife or bench scraper cut the dough into 8 even pieces.
• Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush tops of scones with cream and generously sprinkle with raw sugar (or other course sugar, this provides a nice crunchy top).
• Bake until scone tops are lightly brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at RT.
• Variations:
• Ginger scones: substitute 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger for cherries.
• Cranberry-orange scones: add 1 tsp grated orange zest with the butter and substitute 3/4 cup dried cranberries for the cherries.
• Lemon-Blueberry: add 1 tsp grated lemon zest with butter and substitute 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries for cherries.. Mix the dough by hand after adding the berries to keep them as whole as possible.