Marionberry Scones Food

THE BEST GLAZED MIXED BERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment; set aside.
• In a large bowl, add 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
• Add the butter, and with a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter in. You can use a food processor, but I find not having to wash it is a big time-saver. I smoosh the butter with forks and when it's the size of large marbles, I use my hands and knead it in. It will feel like semi-wet, cool sand. Some larger pea-sized butter clumps are okay; set bowl aside.
• In a small bowl, add the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk to combine until smooth.
• Pour wet mixture over dry, and fold until just combined with a soft-tipped spatula; don't overmix or scones will be tough. Dough will be wet and shaggy.
• Fold in the berries and optional zest.
• Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons flour over a Silpat or clean work surface and lightly coat hands.
• Turn dough out onto surface and knead it into a 8-inch round, approximately. Dough is very moist, wet, sticky, and tacky, but if it's being too stubborn or too wet to come together, sprinkle with flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you get it to come together and into a round.
• With a large knife, slice round into 8 equal-sized wedges.
• Using a flat spatula or pie turner, transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet spaced at least 2-inches apart. Do not crowd because scones puff and spread while baking. Tip - try to make sure there are no exposed berries touching the baking sheet because they'll be prone to burning.
• Optionally, sprinkle each wedge with a generous pinch of turbinado sugar, about 1 teaspoon each.
• Bake for about 18 minutes, or until scones are very lightly golden and cooked through. 18 minutes in my oven with frozen fruit is perfect, but if using fresh fruit, baking time will likely be reduced. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Because they're baking in quite a hot oven, watch them closely starting after about 15 minutes to ensure the bottoms aren't getting too browned.
• Allow scones to cool on baking tray for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. While the scones cool, make the glaze.
• In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and cream (or citrus juice).
• Whisk together until smooth. Depending on desired consistency, you may need to play with the cream and sugar ratios slightly.
• Evenly drizzle the glaze over the scones before serving.

STRAWBERRY AND ROSEMARY SCONES

Steps:

• For the scones: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, salt, and butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 1/2-inch thick, 10-inch circle. Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out heart-shaped pieces of dough and put on the prepared baking sheet. Gently knead together any leftover pieces of dough and roll out to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough into more heart shapes and add to the baking sheet. Using an index finger or a small, round measuring spoon, gently make an indentation in the center of each pastry heart. Spoon a heaped 1/2 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Transfer the cooked scones onto a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes.
• For the glaze: In a medium bowl, mix together the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Gradually add the water until the mixture is thin enough to spread. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the scones. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes. Serve or store in an airtight plastic container for 2 days.
• Cook's Note: The dough can also be made by hand by stirring together the flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough.