Saskatoon Scones

Saskatoon season around Lillooet is always highly anticipated. Saskatoons grow wild around the area and are always a welcome addition to baking. The berries are similar to blueberries but are smaller, have more teeny seeds, and have a different flavor (maybe sweeter? It's hard to describe!).

If you don't have access to saskatoons you could sub in blueberries, no problem. 

This is our basic, go-to scone recipe and can easily be used for tons of different flavor combos. I get 12 fairly good sized scones out of it but it can be halved to just get 6, if you prefer. Scones freeze well though so I say make the full batch!

Saskatoon Scones

Ingredients

4 cups flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup butter, cold

1 1/2 cups saskatoons

1 cup sour cream

1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in the butter using 2 knives (or a pastry blender or pulse in a food processor) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the saskatoons. 

Mix together the sour cream and buttermilk. Stir into the dry ingredients until dough comes together.

Place on lightly floured work surface and knead once or twice. You don't want to over work the dough, just have it come together. 

Roll into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Cut into 12 triangles. You can also use a biscuit cutter if you want them a different shape. Just make sure they are about 1 inch thick. 

At this point you can cover them and place in fridge overnight, to be baked in the morning OR you can continue on to baking them. 

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place scone wedges on the sheet about 2 inches apart. 

Bake at 400 for approx 20 minutes - tops will be lightly golden and appear dry. 

Remove from heat and serve warm or let cool to room temp.

Scones freeze very well. Just pop in the microwave for a few seconds to thaw and reheat. They are best eaten the day they are made but for a day or two they will still be good. I recommend reheating in the microwave for a few seconds to freshen. 

Our saskatoon scones make a great on-the-go breakfast. They are sweet but not too sweet and travel well in a lunch bag. 

Lavender Scones

Our local U-pick farm, Old Airport Gardens, in Lillooet has some of the best produce ever. 

True story. 

Something else they grow that is amazing? 

Lavender. 

Until I saw it at the farm I had never considered cooking with lavender. Once I saw the rows and rows of beautiful purple flowers however, I knew I had to give it a try. I previously made Lavender Lemon Shortbread Cookies (link HERE), which I adored, so I decided to give some scones a go.

Scones, as we all know, are one of the most perfect foods on the planet. Add in some vanilla bean and lavender and *voila* they move to the top of the list. 

Lavender Scones

Ingredients

Scones

3/4 cup cream

2 Tbsp honey

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

pinch salt

1 Tbsp lavender

1 vanilla bean, scraped and pod discarded

6 Tbsp butter, cold

Glaze

1/2  to 1 cup icing sugar

2 tsp to 1 Tbsp milk

Decoration

lavender

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper, set aside. 

In a small bowl, whisk together cream, honey, and egg. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, lavender, and vanilla bean seed.  Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed. 

Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Roll out to about 1 inch thickness. Cut out scones using a biscuit cutter (or sharp edges cookie cutter). Place on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 for about 15 - 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Prepare glaze - whisk together icing sugar and milk until it is the consistency of white glue. While scones are still warm, brush the glaze on top using a pastry/basting brush and then sprinkle with a little more lavender. 

FYI - I doubled the recipe to get all the scones pictured above. 

Serve warm or room temp. These also freeze very well.

Light and airy and a perfect snack. 

The lavender lends just enough of a flavor to balance the vanilla bean. 

Like I said - one of the most perfect foods on the planet. 

Rhubarb Roll Up Cobbler

Once again I am terrible at coming up with a name for a recipe. This dish is what would result if rhubarb crisp and scones had a baby. Crazy good! But what to call it?

I went between rhubarb cranberry roll ups, rhubarb crisp with biscuits, and a bunch of other terrible names that you don't even want to know about. 

Rhubarb Roll Up Cobbler seemed to be the most favorable name.

It is the perfect combination of tart and sweet and, with ice cream, will make your brain explode. Not even lying. Serve it hot, warm, or chilled. Whatever you prefer. All three ways are amazing (if I do say so myself). 

I first created this dish back in 2008, before we started the blog, and had forgotten about it in my old recipe book. When I came across it the other day I thought it would be a brilliant way to use up some of the massive amount of rhubarb in Sue's garden. #BrilliantIndeed

Rhubarb Roll Up Cobbler

Ingredients

Syrup

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1/4 cup water

Rhubarb Base

4 cups rhubarb, cut into about 1/2 inch pieces

2 tsp cornstarch

Scone Topping

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

pinch salt

1/2 cup butter, cold

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 cup milk

Scone filling

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp white sugar

2 cups rhubarb, finely diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a 9 X 9 pan with cooking spray, set aside.

Prepare syrup - stir together sugar, cranberry juice, and water in a medium saucepan.

Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Remove from heat and set aside while you continue the cobbler. 

Prepare rhubarb base - Toss the 4 cups of rhubarb with the cornstarch and spread in prepared 9 X 9 pan. (You should also prepare the 2 cups of finely diced rhubarb so it is ready when you make the scone topping.) 

Prepare scone topping and filling - In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in the brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Lastly, stir in the oil and milk until a soft dough forms. (If it is too dry, add in a few spoonfuls of milk. If it is too wet, add in a few spoonfuls of flour.)

On a floured work surface, roll out dough to a 10 inch square. 

Spread the softened butter over the dough, sprinkle with the brown and white sugars. Lastly, sprinkle with the finely diced rhubarb.

Roll up, jelly roll style and press gently to seal.

Cut into 9 equal rolls. Place on top of the rhubarb in the pan. Drizzle the rolls evenly with the cranberry syrup.

Bake at 425 for approx 25 - 30 minutes, until scones are golden brown. (If tops appear to be browning to quickly then place tinfoil on top and continue to cook until the scones are done.) 

Let sit for at least 15 - 20 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or chilled. (Personally I like warm so when you top it with ice cream or whipping cream it starts to melt!) 

Of course, whipping cream or ice cream is a necessity. 

That color tho. 

Tart and sweet, flaky and squishy, there are all sorts of things going on in there. 

This is best eaten the day it is made but will survive until the following day without getting too soggy. 

A great recipe to use up rhubarb if you have it filling up your fridge. I put 4 cups for the base but I may have added closer to 5. I measured 4 cups in the pan but it seemed a little low so I cut up 2 more stalks (just an FYI). 

Be sure to pop over to Carole's Chatter for some foodie links. 

Lemon Coconut Scones

Just when you think there can't possibly be any more scone flavors, along comes another fantabulous one. We've done caramel apple scones, apricot scones, chocolate zucchini scones, Guinness scones, vanilla bean pumpkin scones, strawberry shortcake scones, cream scones, maple bacon scones, and on and on and on.

But today we bring you the lemon coconut scone.

*taaah-daaaah*

Lemon and coconut go together smashingly well. 

And, as we all know, scones are super easy peasy to whip up so you could be in coconut and lemon heaven in a very short period of time. 

Go.

Hurry.

Thank me later.

Lemon Coconut Scones

Ingredients

4 cups flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

zest of 2 lemons

pinch salt

3/4 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup butter, cold

2 cups whipping cream (or half and half cream)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp vanilla

Glaze

1 cup icing sugar

juice of 1 lemon

Topping

1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, lemon zest, salt, and coconut. Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (NOTE - you can also place in a food processor or blender and pulse briefly until you get coarse crumbs.)

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, lemon juice, coconut extract, and vanilla extract. 

Using a fork, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until dough just comes together. Dump out of bowl onto a floured surface.

Roll or pat out to 1 inch thickness. Cut out with a biscuit cutter or cut into triangles (see photo below).

Place on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 until lightly golden brown and puffed up, about 15 or so minutes. Remove from oven and set cookie tray on wire rack.

Prepare glaze by whisking the icing sugar and and lemon juice together. Using a pastry or basting brush, coat the tops of the warm scones with the glaze.

Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Remove from the cookie tray and place on wire rack to cool completely.

Best eaten the day they are made BUT they do freeze very well. Simply remove from freezer and bring to room temp and enjoy. 

I love them warm but the lemon and coconut flavors really shine through at room temperature.

Be sure to pop over to Carole's Chatter for tons of fun links!

Buttermilk Biscuits

Everyone needs an easy, go-to biscuit recipe. I've made several biscuit recipes for the blog (Type "biscuit" in the search bar to see them all!) And, I keep coming back to this one.

It's classic, it's easy, it's flaky, and it's delicious.

All the things a good biscuit should be. 

I tend to use butter for my biscuits but you can sub shortening for an even flakier biscuit. 

Give them a try - you'll see why I use this as my go-to. I still attempt other recipes just out of curiosity BUT I'm saving this one forever, 

and ever...

and ever...

P.S. - this makes a fairly large batch but is easily halved. 

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients

4 cups flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

pinch salt

4 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup butter, cold (or shortening will work)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside. 

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cream of tartar. 

Cut in the cold butter (or shortening) using a pastry blender or 2 butter knives. (NOTE - You can also pulse the dry ingredients and butter briefly in a food processor/blender) Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk and eggs. 

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix.

Roll or pat out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Fold the dough in half and gently press to 1 inch thickness. (Folding the dough will result in the lovely split in the biscuit so it is easy to pull apart.)

Cut out dough using a sharp edged cookie or biscuit cutter.

Re-roll the scraps to 1 inch thickness and cut out as many more biscuits as you can get. (If you re-roll more than once your biscuits will start to get tough!)

Place on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake at 450 until biscuits are risen and tops are golden brown, about 10 - 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and serve warm or room temp.

Biscuits can be frozen and reheated and are almost as good as fresh out of the oven!

Don't forget the melty butter on top.

*so gooooood*

I got about 2 dozen biscuits out of this recipe using a 2.5 inch biscuit cutter. 

Lightened Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Scones

These scones are "lightened" in calories with some healthified ingredients thrown in for good measure but you would never know. They don't taste healthy.

I know..I know... I say that like things tasting healthy is a bad thing. See... the thing is... I am not a huge fan of things tasting healthy that aren't usually healthy.

Vegetables. Sure. They're already healthy so you get what you get. But, scones... well... they are usually full of flour and sugar and butter and chocolate and other such beautiful nonsense. They don't taste "healthy" nor should they.

And thus... this recipe is magic. 

You're welcome.

Lightened Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Scones

Ingredients

3/4 cup 1% buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 cup flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

2 Tbsp Sugar Twin Brown Sugar

pinch salt

2 tsp ground flax

4 Tbsp butter, chilled

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

2 tsp sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vanilla, and egg. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flours, sweetener, salt, and flax. Cut in the cold butter using 2 butter knives or a pastry blender (or pulse briefly in a food processor or blender) until mixture resembles course crumbs.

Stir the chocolate chips into the dry ingredients.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed - do not over mix. (If dough is too dry add a bit more buttermilk - too wet, add a bit more flour.)

Knead mixture very briefly to form a ball. Pat into an 8 inch circle and place on prepared cookie tray. Cut into 8 wedges and sprinkle with the 2 tsp of sugar.

Bake at 400 for about 15 or so minutes - until top is golden brown. If you find the top is getting too brown but the middle still seems under cooked, gently pull the wedges apart just a little and lower oven temp to 375. Continue baking until scones are done.

Remove to wire rack to cool completely. 

Or, of course, serve warm!!

You get 8 good sized scones out of this. Each scone (according to Myfitnesspal) is:

210 calories, 28 carbs, 9 fat, 6 protein, and 2.25 fiber.

Pretty good for breakfast with a piece of fruit or for snack time. These also freeze quite well and just need to be popped into the microwave for a little bit to re-heat. 

From start to finish in about half an hour. 

Banana Bread Scones

If you have skimmed through our blog at all you have probably seen several recipes for scones and biscuits and muffins. See.... we LOVE our quick breads. 

Love. 

Yes, we would marry them if we could.

These lovely little flaky bits of goodness are no exception. 

Banana bread meet scone... scone meet banana bread.... 

Book the church and buy the ring.

I see a wedding in my future. 

Banana Bread Scone

Ingredients

Scone

2 cups flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, cold

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted & chopped

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)

1 egg

Caramel Drizzle

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp milk

1/2 cup icing sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or two butter knives, cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (Alternatively - you can pulse the mixture briefly in a food processor.) Stir in chopped walnuts. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together mashed banana and egg.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until stiff dough forms. (If too dry then add a few spoonfuls of milk. If too wet, add a few spoonfuls of flour.) Try to handle the dough as little as possible - it will make your scones tough!

Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Pat or roll to one inch thickness. 

**You have several options here - you can pat it into a 9 inch circle, cut into about 8 wedges, and bake as such. OR, you can roll into a rectangle, 1 inch thick, and cut with a biscuit or cookie cutter, and bake. OR, you can roll into a 1 inch thick rectangle and cut into wedges (this is what I did).**

Place your scones on the prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350 until tops are golden - about 15 - 20 minutes. 

Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.

While scones are still warm - prepare caramel glaze.

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, vanilla, milk, and icing sugar. (You may need to add a tsp more milk or pinch more icing sugar to get to drizzling consistency.)

Using a spoon, drizzle caramel glaze over scones.

Serve warm.

Can also be frozen and then reheated in the microwave.

Of course, you can serve these at room temp too. I just prefer them warm...

So yummy for breakfast, brunch, tea time, and snack time. Perfect to have in the freezer for when unexpected guests drop by. Simply pop them in the microwave and *voila* just like freshly made. 

Soft, crumbly-but-not-too-crumbly, caramel and banana-y deliciousness. 

Don't like walnuts? Leave them out entirely or sub them with mini chocolate chips! 

Apricot Cream Cheese Scones

We've shared an apricot scone recipe on the blog before (Click HERE for our Apricot Scones with Apricot Honey Butter recipe) but this one needs its own post. 

See... this one has cream cheese. 

Cream. Cheese.

Have you ever made a scone with cream cheese? Well, you need to. 

They turn out like a regular buttery, flaky scone BUT with this amazing richness that puts them over the top. Plus, fresh apricots in a scone is brilliant. 

Apricot Cream Cheese Scones

Ingredients

31/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, chilled

1/2 cup butter, chilled

1 cup fresh apricots, diced

1 egg

1/2 to 1 cup buttermilk

Garnish

2 -3 Tbsp sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 butter knives, cut in the cream cheese and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the apricots.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Mix into the crumbs until stiff dough forms. (If dough seems a little sticky add a touch more flour, if it seems too dry, add a bit more buttermilk.) Pat into an 8 inch circle.

Move onto prepared baking sheet. Cut into 8 wedges and pull apart just a little bit. 

Sprinkle with sugar.

Cook at 400 for about 15 - 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown and center appears dry.

Remove from heat and let cool on wire rack.

Serve warm or room temp.

Great with a little butter, or even Apricot Honey Butter (recipe HERE), or some clotted cream. 

Flaky, buttery, rich, crumbly - scones are perfect any time. 

FYI - you can also pat the dough out until it is about an inch thick then use a biscuit cutter to cut out scones, instead of leaving them in a big circle. 

 

We're sharing at these fun linky parties. Be sure to check them out!

The Chicken Chick, Joy Love Food, Simple Life of a Fire Wife, Lou Lou Girls