I made some scones to take to work on Monday. This is one of my favorite recipes, and a favorite of my Pap-pa, so I was a little out of practice. I guess they turned out alright, because when I was out for lunch the custodial staff helped themselves to the delectables. They are picky too and don't just eat anything. I took it as high praise.
Recipe: Apricot-Cream Cheese Scones*
I'm not sure where I found this recipe, but the addition of cream cheese makes the crumb especially light and moist.
2 ¼ cups cake flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, chilled
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, chilled
1 cup diced or slivered dried apricots
1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk plus more for brushing (it took about ¼ cup milk for brushing)
2 tsp. pure vanilla
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the cream cheese and butter, using your fingers, a pastry blender, a fork or a miser, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.^ Stir in the dried apricots. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, ½ cup buttermilk and vanilla. Combine the liquid and dry ingredients and stir until the dough becomes cohesive. Don’t mix and mix and mix: the more your work the dough, the tougher it will get.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and fold it over several times until it holds together. Pat the dough into a ¾ inch rectangle. Cut it eight rectangles and then cut each of those in half diagonally. Brush the tops lightly with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Place the scones about 2 inches apart on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Turn the oven off, leave the door closed, and bake for 8 minutes more, or until the scones are light golden brown. Serve warm. (It may take a little longer, just watch and make sure the bottoms don't burn.)
Mangez!
*I've tweeked this a little and the recipe now reflects changes as of June 2009.
^ I use a food processor: combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and give a whirl to combine. Add the cream cheese and butter, then pulse until it resembles meal. Then dump into a big yellow bowl and proceed.
Recipe: Apricot-Cream Cheese Scones*I'm not sure where I found this recipe, but the addition of cream cheese makes the crumb especially light and moist.
2 ¼ cups cake flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, chilled
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, chilled
1 cup diced or slivered dried apricots
1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk plus more for brushing (it took about ¼ cup milk for brushing)
2 tsp. pure vanilla
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the cream cheese and butter, using your fingers, a pastry blender, a fork or a miser, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.^ Stir in the dried apricots. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, ½ cup buttermilk and vanilla. Combine the liquid and dry ingredients and stir until the dough becomes cohesive. Don’t mix and mix and mix: the more your work the dough, the tougher it will get.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and fold it over several times until it holds together. Pat the dough into a ¾ inch rectangle. Cut it eight rectangles and then cut each of those in half diagonally. Brush the tops lightly with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Place the scones about 2 inches apart on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Turn the oven off, leave the door closed, and bake for 8 minutes more, or until the scones are light golden brown. Serve warm. (It may take a little longer, just watch and make sure the bottoms don't burn.)
Mangez!
*I've tweeked this a little and the recipe now reflects changes as of June 2009.
^ I use a food processor: combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and give a whirl to combine. Add the cream cheese and butter, then pulse until it resembles meal. Then dump into a big yellow bowl and proceed.