Mixed Berry Scones

So many of my fellow Americans love biscuits, but I much prefer what I perceive is a "cousin" to this Southern specialty.  I'm talking about scones.  I think I prefer scones because they are mildly sweet, and so versatile with all the ingredients that you can add to them.  I've made several versions of scones, and shared them on this blog here. 

This recipe was featured on Cook's Country, and I decided to bake them especially for my husband. My husband is a berry lover, so I was pretty confident he'd like these.  If you are familiar with Cook's Country Magazine (and the TV show) they are part of the America's Test Kitchen family.  I like that there's usually a "twist" in the recipe to make it even better.  Here's what the publisher had to say,

To keep the (frozen) berries from bleeding into the dough, we tossed the berries in confectioners’ sugar. To get light and flaky scones, we discovered that treating the butter in two different ways was key. First, we processed half the butter until fully incorporated into the dough. Then, we added the remaining cold butter and processed it until small clumps remained, creating pockets of steam as the scones baked. A simple glaze of butter and honey adds a nice finish to the scones.

 

I have a pastry cutter, but I find that my food processor gets the job done very quickly.  Butter is incorporated in two batches.

Okay, then, I have the dry ingredients mixed in with the butter.  I gently tossed in the berries and added some honey to milk...

...after making a "well" the wet ingredients are added.  

The same as making biscuits, it's key to not over-mix the dough.  I gently shaped the dough (using floured hands) into a 12"x4" log...

..then cut into fourths and then each fourth into two triangles.  

After baking for about 15 minutes, I brushed the honey butter glaze over the four scones, and baked them for about 5 more minutes.

Yum!

ROUND TWO

I froze the four remaining scones, and this morning I decided to bake them. I preheated the oven to 475 degrees.

The honey butter glaze was okay but I much prefer to brush my scones with milk (or cream) and sprinkle it with coarse sugar, before baking.

I really like the "crunch" of the coarse sugar.

The frozen scones took about 25 minutes to bake. 

The scones were bursting with fruit, and perfect for a lazy morning at home.

TASTING NOTES:  Since it's just the two of us, living at home, I like the convenience of freezing extra portions for later use.  The scones were very tender, baked freshly made and frozen.  I highly recommend trying the brushed milk and coarse sugar, though I wouldn't overrule the butter honey glaze. Both were good.   Once again, Cook's Country came up with a winner of a recipe.

 

Here's the printable recipe card: