Scones

We all know about my Parker & Otis obsession. I love them. I miss them.

Their scones were to die for...they do a drop scone with fresh fruit and nuts and chocolates in all kinds of combinations.
To.
Die.
For.

Death may be a little extreme, since I no longer live within my half-mile walk, so I am now on a quest to re-create the P&O scone. Attempt numero uno was quite successful if you ask me.

Strawberrry-Almond-Chocolate Chip Scones

First up dry ingredients and butter.

I grate my butter because I don't own a pastry cutter. Is that what it's called? You know, one of those things where it has all the little slicers that you chop the butter up into the flour with for a lovely flaky pastry. Grating works for me.

Next the wet stuff separately.

It's all about the cream. Milk is for pansies.

Wah-nilla, I love you.

Wet and dry need to join forces in a gentle way. If you think it's too dry, add more cream. I increased by about 1/4 cup for this batch.

Take a moment to think about how beautiful strawberries are.

I chose strawberries, almonds and chocolate chips because I had them. I think peaches and pecans would be yummy. Or blueberries. Or chai and pecans. Or rhubarb. Or apples, cinnamon and pecans. [I really like pecans.] Or citrus zest and a citrus glaze.
Possibilities...I'll try them out, don't worry.

Plop those babies on your parchment lined cookie sheets. You'll definitely want some sort of non-stick surface since the strawberries will release some sticky juice as they bake. I sprinkled some sugar on top so I could get a good crunchy surface. These things are important.

Take a picture of your dirty dishes. It's easier than actually washing them.

 

Take pictures of your roommate's congratulations-on-your-engagement tulips. Congrats MG and Cam, in a little less than a year your big day will arrive!

 

Eat. Share. Enjoy.

Strawberry-Almond-Chocolate Chip Scones
Adapted from Food.com
-2 cups Flour
-1/3 cup Sugar
-2 tsp Baking Powder
-1/4 tsp Salt
-6 Tbsp Butter, very cold
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Grate the butter into the bowl and combine with a fork until the mixture is crumbly.


-1/3 cup chopped Strawberries
-1/3 cup sliced Almonds
-1/3 cup Mini-Chocolate Chips
Then add the remaining strawberries, almonds and chocolate chips. I'm not going to lie, this part was difficult. The strawberries didn't want to be friends with any of the other ingredients and I was afraid to mix them too aggressively. I ended up kind of placing them where I wanted to put them on top of the scones. **UPDATE: If you mix your fruit/nuts/chips into the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients [you can still adjust the amount of cream if it's too dry] it all comes together much easier!**


-1/2-3/4 cup Cream
-1 large Egg
-1 tsp Vanilla
Beat eggs, cream and vanilla together and add to the dry ingredients by gently folding until all the flour is just moistened.

Drop by large tablespoons onto your parchment-lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.