Mini-Scones

Last night I made a dozen mini scones.  It takes just a few ingredients, very little time, almost less effort, and the results are a dozen mini (or six regular-sized) scones.  No big mixer here - basically just a bowl and a fork can whip this mixture together.  Last night I made blueberry lemon with frozen Maine blueberries and lemon extract -- frozen berries work very well with scones, as fresh berries might be too delicate for the hearty batter -- but there are endless combinations of great scone add-ins.  In addition to blueberry lemon, my standards are cinnamon raisin (with a brown sugar/cinnamon mixture), cranberry orange, and chocolate chip walnut.  My friend Matt K. made some recently using fresh currants!  See what you've got around that might work, and use your imagination!

Mini-Scones

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla or other extract you might want
1/4 c. buttermilk (or 1/4 cup milk mixed with 1 tsp. vineger - let sit for a minute or two - works just as well).
add-ins:  blueberries, raisins, dried fruit, etc.  

Glaze (recipe follows)

Directions:

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in bowl.  To the flour mixture, cut in cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until butter is the size of small peas.  Make sure you don't mix it so much you can't see pieces of butter.

In small separate bowl, beat egg and whisk in vanilla and buttermilk.  Pour into center of flour mixture and, with a fork, pull dry into wet until it is all incorporated.  Pop the bowl into the fridge for 20 minutes or so.

On a piece of parchment or wax paper, spread about 1/2 c. flour.  Dump cold scone batter onto flour.  Turn over so both sides are covered in flour.  Then fold over itself and press into a rectangle, repeating about six or eight times (this makes flaky layers).  Use more flour if needed. Press one last time into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick.  For a dozen mini-scones, cut this in half and form each half into a circle, still about 1/2-inch thick.  For six regular-sized scones, form the one mass of dough into a larger circle, about 1/2-inch thick.  Firmly press add-ins over the top of the surface, roll up jelly roll style to incorporate, and form again into a circle.  Pop these scone circles into the freezer (parchment sheet can go on a cookie sheet).  After about 20 minutes, remove from freezer and cut each round into six wedges (I use a fluted vegetable cutter).  Separate on parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Brush scones with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water).  Bake at 375 degrees F until the edges begin to brown.

Remove from oven, cool in pan and, when cool enough, remove to wire rack. Drizzle with glaze.

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar mixed with water, 1 tsp. at a time, until it can run off a fork nicely without being too watery. 

Enjoy!


Photo: Click on my photo of cranberry orange mini-scones above to see, close up, how good they are!