Strawberries -n- Cream Scones

Strawberries are hitting the local farmers markets and I'm overloading on Strawberries. Sometimes I forget about them being in the fridge and then get some overripe strawberries. When this happens, I usually make a glaze or a strawberry smoothie but this time, I figured I would make strawberry scones. I've enjoyed eating a local chain stores orange scones and have tried their strawberries and cream scones. I figured I would "reverse engineer" the scones and make them at home. The other day I did the orange scones and absolutely loved them. They were nice and moist and popped with orange flavor. I decided to try making the strawberries and cream scones.

Scones are a small British quick bread that traditionally hails from Scotland and Southwest England. Originally the scone was round and flat and baked on a griddle then cut into triangle-like quadrants. Today in Scotland, the large round cake is called a bannock while the quadrants are called scones. You can find scones in a round, biscuit like shape, square shape, or the traditional triangle shape. Scones are the basic component of tea. Devonshire cream, clotted cream, and lemon curd are usually served at teas and used to spread on the scones. Jellies and preserves are also used.

Enjoy this recipe for Strawberries and Cream Scones. If you are adventurous, you can make some lemon curd or some clotted cream to enjoy with your scones.

Ingredients: 2 c flour, 1 TBSP baking powder, 3 TBSP sugar, .5 tsp sea salt, 5 TBSP cold unsalted butter, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 c diced strawberries, .25 c strawberry preserves, 1 c heavy cream, 1 TBSP lemon juice, .75 c sifted powdered sugar

Instructions: (1) Preheat oven to 425F. (2) Place flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse for 6 1-second pulses. (3) Sprinkle butter, that has been cut into 1/4" cubes, evenly over mixture. Add lemon zest and cover and process for 12 1-second pulses. (4) Transfer dough to a large bowl and mix in strawberries. Add heavy cream and mix the dough with your hands until the dough forms. (5) Knead gently the dough by hand until it comes together into a rough ball and divide dough into 2 equal pieces. (6)Lightly flour your hands and shape dough into 2 8-inch rounds. Spread preserves over one round leaving about .5" plain border. Place the other round on top and seal the edges. Cut the dough into 8 wedges using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife. (7) Place wedges on a baking sheet and bake until tops of scones are lightly brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack. (8) Make a lemon icing by adding lemon and powder sugar until you form a thick opaque icing. Drizzle over scones and serve.

*I usually will add some strawberry puree to help make the frosting instead of using lemon juice.