I had a few leftover strawberries from last weekends Farmer's Market that I needed to use up so I combined a few different scone recipes into one and loved the results. These scones are light and fluffy like a muffin but the edges are crispy and well done like a scone. Since I had strawberries on hand, I used them but I would think that any fresh berry would substitute well.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted
butter, cubed
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, plus more for
brushing
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
For Glaze:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and
line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk
together flour with the granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Using a Kitchenaid mixer, pastry blender or your fingers, cut in the butter until the
mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the buttermilk until just incorporated,
then gently fold in the sliced strawberries.
Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop the dough into 16 mounds on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with reserved sugar. Bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven until the scones are golden and cooked through, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes, but keep an eye on them as the berries have a tendency to burn. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans in a thin layer on a small baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until just golden. Remove from oven and let cool.
To prepare glaze, in a small bowl,
whisk the confectioners' sugar with the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Drizzle the scones with the glaze, then top with the pecans, pressing if
necessary to adhere. I found it helpful to apply the glaze again over the pecans to hold them in place a little more. Let the glaze set for for 10 minutes, then serve.






