Raspberry Red Currant Scones

It's a scone kind of day.  This morning I made raspberry red currant scones, with a very special jam, a Saratoga County Fair prize-winner from my friend and jam maker Catherine Golden.  I usually always use real berries in my scones, but as I looked at the pretty quilted jar of jam I thought, that'd be great IN a scone, not just on it!  So, I made my basic scone dough and spread the jam on top, rolled it up jelly-roll style, formed it into a circle, and cut it into wedges. The results are the beautiful scones you seen in the photo accompanying this post. Now I'm thinking of all the very tasty and unique jams out there, and how my scone world is about to experience fairly expanded horizons!

RASPBERRY RED CURRANT SCONES
400 degrees F
Parchment-lined cookie sheet

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk soured with 1 tablespoon vinegar - let it sit for five minutes)
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
4 tablespoons raspberry red currant jam (or any jam you want to use)
egg wash

In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in cold butter with pastry blender or two knives until the butter pieces are the size of peas.  Put the bowl in the fridge or freezer for five or ten minutes (keeps the butter from softening).

Take bowl out of fridge.

In small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and extracts.  Stir all at once into the flour mixture, and combine until all the dry ingredients are picked up.  Return to fridge or freeze for another 10 minutes.

On floured surface, drop batter and toss to cover all sides with flour.  Add more flour if needed.  Knead five or six times and divide in two.  Take each half and shape into a flat round, about 1/2-inch thick.  Spread 2 tablespoons of jam on each round.  Carefully roll up each round jelly-roll style, using flour as needed to keep it from sticking to the surface.  Take the log of dough and gently tuck ends under.  Gently shape into a new round.  Do this for both halves.  Each new round should be roughly six-inches wide and 1-inch thick.

On cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, place each round.  Put in freezer for 10 minutes, then cut each round into six wedges.  Separate wedges on cookie sheet and brush with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water).  Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until nicely golden on top.

Remove from oven, and immediately drizzle with a glaze made of 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract, and a few drops of water.  Mix with fork, adding just enough drops of water as needed, until the glaze takes on the consistency of white glue (like Elmers).  You don't want it so thin it disappears, but you don't want it so thick it won't drizzle from a fork.  Drizzle scones with glaze.  Let cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 1 dozen scones (or 24 mini)