Scones

On our recent trip to Colorado we stayed with some good friends, they may not care to have their picture and names out there so I'll leave it at that. They just moved to this really neat lodge house on the side of a mountain. We loved it. We love Colorado. The wife was so sweet to make us breakfast and dinner each day. I mentioned I had a good scone recipe and she requested it. I could just type it out and send it to her but that would too easy. I made them and took pictures (albethem un-professional since I'm still waiting on the new camera- keeping it real here, some ppl can't afford to ski and get new cameras)

The scones are really good and relatively easy to make...




Start with a mixing bowl then add 2 cups of this stuff- flour



add 1/4 cup sugar (these scones are the perfect blend of semi sweet)



add 1 Tablesp of Baking Powder, (not fowder)



and a 1/4th teaspoon of salt



Measure out 5 1/3 Tablespoons of Cold Butter on the packaging



cut into cubes or pats for easy blending



Use this thing, a pastry blender, if you have one, to blend that cold butter into the flour mixture. If you don't have one use a fork. Keep working it until the butter is very small balls, kind of resembling Busquick.




Next you add 1 cup of whipping cream. I only had half and half and it worked.
As I'll show you in a minute, you can use flavored coffee creamer for a tasty treat





At this point you can leave it plain or add extras...I added dried apricot pieces but you could try ...
dried cranberries




I also like pecans , chopped up




and orange zest- yippee!





I made 2 sets, one plain for my picky-non-nut-eating children and one apricot/pecan/orange zest one for me and Cody.

You blend it all together, knead it 5-6 times, add flour as needed to make it workable but not overly dry.

Then take the ball of dough, hand press it down into a circle, 1/2 inch thick.



Then you cut it before it cooks, I always forget this.



You can do 8 pieces or leave it at four.



Then you separate them a little. The recipe tells you to brush them with whipping cream on the top. I have done this before, it's overrated.



And while they cook at 375 for 13-15 min. you can fix the Devonshire Cream, which is a must. Also great with fruit. This makes just enough to eat with those scones.



Start with room temp. cream cheese. It says use 3 oz.



After measuring it out again on the packaging, I cut and opened it up and decided to use the rest, why not? and it worked.



Add 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar, it's about all I had.



This is where I have experimented and liked it...it calls for 1/4 cup whipping cream again and you can use half and half but I like using this because it's good!




You notice it's the only thing not great value? Even I have my limits.





Add a teaspoon of vanilla to it and whip it, if you have lumps and I usually do because I am never "together" and have room temp cream cheese so I zap it in the microwave for 20 sec. which is ok but leaves bumps so to get the bumps out I mix it with a blender for a min or two.

I forgot that photo but it's getting late and I'm tired.

Boy that measuring spoon has seen better days.

By then your scones have come out nice and ready, do not burn these, don't wait for golden brown, they'll be bad tasting. Trust me!



Put them together and there is harmony in the house- add coffee and strawberries and call it perfection.