Blackberry Cornmeal Scones

Guysguysguys. LOOK at these beautiful scones. I’m a sucker for a good basic cream scone with butter and jam, but I’d have to say that this version right here is my new fave. I was feeling extra inspired and, well, bored a few days back and realized that it’s been a WHILE since I last whipped up a batch of scones, so I decided to jazz up my favorite recipe by adding in some blackberries and subbing out a few of the ingredients for cornmeal, brown butter and honey. All super yummy things that proved to be even yummier when combined.

The recipe is so easy that if you start now, you can have scones in your mouth in just about a half hour flat (excluding the time it takes to cool down your brown butter). I got a head start by browning my butter pre-grocery shopping trip so that by the time I came back and assembled the rest of the ingredients it was chilled and ready to go.

To brown the butter, just place 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small saucepan and cook it over medium heat until it melts, then bubbles, then eventually starts to brown. You’ll start to see little brown flecks at the bottom of the pan, and when that happens you’ll want to keep a close eye on things so nothing gets burnt. Being very over-confident in my butter browning abilities, I allowed mine to heat a bit too much and ended up with LOTS of black flecks in my finished product. Not what you want. So I started over and this time watched very, very carefully, removing the pan from the heat when the liquid was a light golden color. Once your butter reaches this stage, pour it into a small bowl and let it cool a bit before transferring to the freezer to chill until solid.

Once your butter’s all chilled, you can make the scones! Stir together some flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Then, using a pastry cutter, cut in both the browned butter and a bit of chilled unsalted butter until your mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in a handful of blackberries and stir gently to incorporate.

In a small measuring cup, whisk together some cream and honey, then pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir to combine. Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and gather it into a ball.

Press this into a circle about 1″ thick…

And cut it into 8 wedges.

Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat, brush them with any extra cream, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Pop them in a 425 F oven for 15-18 minutes, or until they look like…

This!

Take a deep breath, ’cause your kitchen will smell like buttery heaven by now.

Serve these warm with softened butter, and enjoy every last bite.

Blackberry Cornmeal Scones

Makes 8 scones

from crumbsandnibbles.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, divided
• 6 oz. blackberries
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. First, brown the butter: Place 3 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan and cook it over medium heat until it melts, then bubbles, then eventually starts to brown. You’ll start to see little brown flecks at the bottom of the pan, and when that happens you’ll want to keep a close eye on things so nothing gets burnt. Remove the pan from the heat when the liquid was a light golden color. Once your butter reaches this stage, pour it into a small bowl and let it cool a bit before transferring to the freezer to chill until solid.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the chilled butter and the chilled brown butter into cubes. Using a pastry cutter, cut in both butters until your mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in the blackberries and stir gently to incorporate.
4. In a small measuring cup, whisk together the cream and honey, then pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir to combine. Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and gather it into a ball. Press the dough into a circle about 1″ thick and cut into 8 wedges.
5. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and brush with heavy cream. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar, then bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm!

Happy nibbling!