Berry Scones

Easter brunch anyone? These scones would be a perfect addition to your traditional Easter brunch menu.  (Side note: Williams Sonoma has some really great menu ideas for a memorable Easter dinner or brunch.  Check them out!) It is often very difficult to get the right consistency for scones (they become hard as rocks if you over-mix even slightly) but this recipe is very forgiving and produces just the right texture, although I still warn you not to mix too much.  The beautiful and vibrant colours of the berries look great on the table and remind everyone that even though there is a chill in the air IT'S SPRING! I found the original recipe that has a streusel topping, but I chose to omit it because I felt that scones should taste like a breakfast item and not a dessert. I would recommend sprinkling some sugar (a type of sugar with big crystals such as turbinado or organic) on top of the milk or cream wash on the scones before baking.  The addition of the sugar on top adds a bit of a crunch that kicks up the texture.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

6 tbsp chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk or cream, plus some for brushing on top

3 tbsp large crystal sugar (turbinado or organic) (optional)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425º F and place rack in middle of oven.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into flour mixture with a pastry blender or 2 knives.  The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.

3.  Gently fold in the blueberries and raspberries.  

4.  In a small bowl, combine the cream, beaten egg, and vanilla.  Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough (as I sated before).

5.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently 4 or 5 times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into four pie-shaped wedges.  Place the scones on the baking sheet and brush tops of scones with a little cream or milk.  If adding large crystal sugar, sprinkle the tops of the scones with it.  

6.  Bake the scones until nicely browned, about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a scone comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.  

Photography by Ruzan Orkestar