Thursday, February 25, 2010

Would You Like A Scone With That Tea? Foodie Friday


The scone is a small British quickbread (or cake if recipe includes sugar) of Scottish origin. Scones are especially popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United States, and Canada, but are eaten in many other countries. They are usually made of wheat, barley or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent. The scone is a basic component of the cream tea or Devonshire tea. (Wikipedia)

     I have been in the mood for scones. I've made several different recipes in the past few days and have come up with one that both my husband and I loved. Scones can be delicious, or they can be dry and tasteless. The recipe that we liked the best started with a recipe posted on allrecipes.com that I tweeked a bit to our taste. 


Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
pinch salt
4 tsp. baking powder
5 T. unsalted butter
1/2 cup dried mixed berries (or any dried fruit you prefer)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream

1 egg beaten with 1 T. milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

In a large bowl whisk together (or use a fork) the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into chunks and mix it in with the flour mixture until crumbly. Some people use a fork, some a pastry blender...I use my hands (very clean hands). The result will be dry and powdery with small pieces of butter through it. Add the dried fruit and toss with flour mixture.


In a bowl or the measuring cup, mix the sour cream with the 1/2 cup milk. Pour into dry mixture and stir just until blended.



The dough will still be a bit dry (not like cake batter).



Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop out dough and roll into a ball. Place on greased cookie sheet and slightly flatten. Brush with egg/milk mixture. Let sit for 10 minutes before putting them in the oven. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned. You can freeze these. They are best if you reheat them in the oven instead of the microwave, but I've done both. Don't they look good? A little butter and strawberry jam? Really, they are very good plain. Enjoy!


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34 comments:

Lexie said...

i looooove scones! we bake REALLY good orange-pecan scones at the bakery i work at ... mmm you're making me hungry for saturday!

Maria said...

I'll have a cup of Earl Grey Tea and a scone please ;o)
(getting up now to make tea and find a lil' something to have with it!)
Enjoy your weekend, Sue!
~Maria

The Charm of Home said...

Really yummy looking! I am dying to try these, have never made any. I will make an effort to make these this week!

Red Couch Recipes said...

They are really good looking. I also think your photo is just beautiful! Love the name of your blog too. So apparently empty nesting agrees with you! Thanks Joni

dee dee said...

Sue,
I love scones too! Want to know what I put in mine???? Chocolate chips! I have a recipe that I normally use, however anything you post is always better than mine!
Dee Dee

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Sounds good. Would love one with my coffee in the morning.

Holly Lefevre said...

We love scones here, especially my son...but I have never made them from scratch!

Barbara said...

Sue, I also love scones and most I have tried have been very dry...will try this recipe...thanks.
Have a great weekend.

Barbara

bj said...

O, these sound so much like the ones i made last week. I just love scones and I will make YOURS soon. I am pretty sure it is the sour cream that makes them more moist. I have a post coming up on the 1st about mine.

xinex said...

Yum! I have never made a sconce and I am anxious to try these when I get home. Thanks for the recipe, Sue, my co-freak tablescaper, lol....Christine

Mary Bergfeld said...

I certainly would love one of your scones with my tea. They look delicious. I hope you have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

Tammy@InStitches said...

Yum, I love scones but I've never made them. That is an area rug in my study, it's wild isn't it ? I have a wireless mouse with my laptop so I still need a mousepad ! :)

The Fajdich Times said...

How about a little lemon curd!! They look wonderful:)

Shellbelle said...

I love scones, but haven't made them in ages. I always order one with my latte at Starbucks. I think the closest SB to my new home will be over an hour away, so I need to get back into backing more. These sound delish!

Roberta said...

This looks like a yummy Saturday morning treat! Thanks for sharing ~ xo

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

Looks YUMMY Girl...I haven't had one since the tea room closed here...I use to have a Victorian Valentine tea at my house every year and make these...now that was a fun memory down the lane for me...Hope all is well in your world my friend...My daughter was coming but can't now due to snow...oh well guess i'll eat that Boston cream pie myself ha ha!! Hugs and smiles to you my dear friend...Gl♥ria

Gypsy Heart said...

Sue, those look delish! I haven't made scones in awhile...nice reminder.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo
Pat

Natasha in Oz said...

Thanks for sharing this great recipe Sue. I love scones, especially when they are served straight out of the oven and covered in butter!

Thanks for letting me know about the following issue too. I have had some real problems with blogger lately and now they are restricting the amount of posts that all blogger users can have on one page. I only have 3 posts per page now...

Enjoy your weekend and thanks again for visiting.

Best wishes,
Natasha.

Sue said...

Thanks so much for all of your comments. I wish I could invite you all over for tea and scones!

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Hey Sue
Sometimes at work they bring in scones with jam and cream and sadly I just have to sit there and watch them eat it... haha...it's making me hungry!!! have a great week xx Julie

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Ooooh...they look soooo scrumptious...can you tell me how many WW points are in one:) Thanks for coming by for a visit...I have been following you and will be back for more visits...hope you have a FUN weekend!

Blessings,
Linda

Pat@BPM said...

These look wonderful Sue!

Beach House 27 said...

Oh boy - that's exactly what I want right now. It's raining and cold, and I just checked to see if I have all the ingredients and I do. I only have cranberries with orange flavor though - but it sounds good to me.

I'm going to take them (whatevers left) out to the Flea Market tomorrow - Perfect at 6 AM with hot Tea in a thermos.

Happy Day -
Marsha

Lynn said...

What a lovely blog you have! This is my first visit. Your header is absolutely gorgeous, and so is the purple background paper. And I love the title of your blog, too, and all the posts about food and books :) Very lovely place. Thanks for sharing all the beauty.

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Sue - those look soooo good! I wish I had one right now! Thanks for the recipe!

Happy Saturday!

XOOX
Jen

Low Tide High Style said...

Yum, and they're transfat free, perfect! Thanks for the recipe!

Kat :)

Sophie said...

The twins love making Chocolate chip scones (and I love letting them)!

Rettabug said...

Sue, your scones sure turned out better than mine did. I think I over mixed mine or else my baking powder is dead. Whatever! You done Goooood, Girl!!

koralee said...

Scones are my favourite ever!!!!!!! We eat them all the time ...cranberry white chocolate ones are to die for. Happy Sunday to you! xoxo

J Rodney said...

These look really tasty Sue. My dad and his girlfriend are coming to visit all of March, and they love tea, so maybe I should whip up some of these.

BTW I love baking with sour cream.

Terri Smith said...

Sue..these look absolutely magical! Thank you so much for all the photos and the outstanding recipe! I have never tried baking scones but now with your wonderful instructions, I think I could. Thank you so much for sharing this. Also..LOVE THE NEW BLOG! Delightfully inviting! Makes me want to take my shoes off and stay awhile!

Blessings and sunshine, Terri

Sue said...

Perfect! I want to have my granddaughter and her friends over for a tea party.

Rettabug said...

I'm sorry I misled you, Sue. I didn't mean to imply that YOUR recipe went wrong, it was just that I had made them recently & MINE didn't look as pretty. I'm sure it was *operator error* & not the recipe. I apologize if I scared you into re-checking your posted recipe. I'm sure its fine. I think my oven is off, as I've had several things brown waaaay too fast. Its only 4 yrs. old but a builder's model. I hate it & am about to pitch it for a new fancy one. :D

I hope your next batch of scones turn out just as nice.

Hannah said...

These look great...I love scones (especially with clotted cream)!