Scones. Yummm.

I made scones this morning. I've tried making them before but have not been very happy with the results. It's tough when you've experienced the best which are stuck in your memory like delicious glue. The scones of happy memory were made my Kevin's Auntie Jean. I meant to get the recipe to try them myself. I've heard her daughters speak of trying to make them like their Mom but not being so successful either. They were the best scones EVER! *sigh*

Still, the ones I made today, while not the same, were VERY good. I'm happy with them and will try them again, experimenting with flavours. When they came out of the oven the smell of lemon in the house was lovely and they taste lemony, too. If you're not so keen on lemon, you can simply omit it and I'm sure they'd still be just as good, just different. Orange peel might be good, too. And, I should mention that one of my most cherished kitchen tools is my zester pictured here. It is EVER so handy.

Here's the recipe I used, with variations, from Epicurious.com. It has a great rating and lots of good tips and suggestions for variations in the comments. I used currents because I had some that needed to be used up.

Meyer Lemon and Dried Blueberry Scones (without Meyer lemons nor dried blueberries according to Heather)

• 3 cups self-rising flour (I used 3 cups regular flour, 3 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt --- as recommended in the comments)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 & 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 & 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 & 1/2 cups dried wild blueberries (I used currents but I see lots of people used dried cranberries or fresh blueberries)
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• 1 & 1/2 Tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel or regular lemon peel

1. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 425°F.
2. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Whisk self-rising flour and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl.
4. Using fingertips (or one of those tools designed for this purpose, which is what I used), rub in chilled butter until pieces are size of small peas. (I have since learned that my food processor makes short work of this - easy peasy)
5. Add dried wild blueberries and toss to coat.
6. Mix 1 cup buttermilk and finely grated lemon peel in glass measuring cup.
7. Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients and stir until dough begins to form (some of flour will not be incorporated).
8. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and gather together. Knead dough briefly, about 5 turns.
9. Divide dough in half. Form each dough half into ball and flatten into 1-inch-thick disk. Cut each disk into 6 wedges.
10. Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush tops with remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.
11. Bake until scones are golden brown on top and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

 *Note: I tried using cranberries instead of blueberries and orange zest instead of lemon zest and I think they were even better!