Monday, May 09, 2005

Hey, these scones don't suck!

I've always respected scones more than enjoyed them. Traditional scones just aren't flavorful (read: sweet) enough to catch or keep my attention for more than a few bites.

That all changed when my husband, David, and I first paid a visit to a local eatery called Lazy Jane's. Jane, the proprietess, is known for her "world class" scones, and that's exactly what we found when we ordered a few of her triple chip (featuring chocolate, white chocolate and butterscotch chips) scones on our first visit.

Ever since then I've been looking for a scone recipe that closely resembles the ones at Lazy Jane's. I struck out (horribly) until recently, when someone shared a drop scone recipe in the pages of Bon Appetit.

Triple Chip Scones
Although the recipe below contains three kinds of chips like those found at Jane's, you can alter them to your liking--coconut, nuts, toffee chips and dried berries all seem like good additions to these buttery, sweet pastries.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
½ cup (each) chocolate, white chocolate and butterscotch chips
1/2 cup (or more) chilled whippingcream
1 large egg

As always (or nearly always), preheat your oven before beginning (this time to 400 degrees F). Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside.

Pour the first four ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk to combine (you can sift it if you want to make it harder on yourself, but there's really no need).

Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub it into the flour mixture until a coarse meal forms. Add the chips and stir to combine.

Pour the 1/2 cup cream and egg into a small bowl and blend with a fork or whisk. Gradually add cream mixture to dry ingredients, tossing with a fork until dough comes together in moist clumps. Add more cream by teaspoonfuls if the dough seems dry.

Knead the dough against the side of the bowl just until it comes together (a few strokes at most). Turn out dough onto the baking sheet and lightly press it into a 4x8-inch rectangle. Cut scones into 2-inch squares and place about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 18 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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