Buttermilk Scones

The snickerdoodles quenched my thirst for baking– for one day. So when the itch came back, I decided to revisit a buttermilk scones recipe I had tested out the weekend before.  These scones are buttery and simple to make. I’ve tried a few varieties, including chocolate cherry and blueberry, and they’ve all turned out delicious. The recipe is adapted from food network.com and can be found here.

Makes approx. 16-24 scones

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup currants, blueberries, dried cherries, chocolate chips… pretty much anything! (optional)
1 tablespoon heavy cream, for brushing. Try not to substitute with whole milk– the heavy cream makes a big difference in terms of the shine on top of the scones.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Add butter and mix with your fingertips to a coarse meal (the butter should still be visible). Add buttermilk and mix just until combined. Add currants, chocolate, etc. if desired.

Transfer dough to a floured board and divide into 2 parts (NOTE: I divided mine into 3 parts. The scones were small but a good size given the richness). Roll each to 3/4 inch thick rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges and place slightly separated on a greased baking sheet (or use parchment). Brush the tops with the cream, and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. (NOTE: I sprinkled the tops with some sugar before baking to achieve a slightly crunchy coating. Also, some excess butter or blueberry juice (if you use them) may roll of the sides of the pan while baking, so I recommend placing a piece of tin foil at the bottom of the oven to catch the spills, or baking on a rimmed sheet.)

These are great served split in half with butter or jam.

Happy nibbling!