You can’t have a proper afternoon tea party without serving scones. There are thousands of recipes for these taste-tempting treats—either savory or sweet. Scones are similar to baking powder biscuits, either cut into traditional, triangle-shaped wedges or in rounds, using a biscuit cutter. Serve your scones warm with Devonshire or clotted cream and jam or flavored butters. If Teapots Could Talk has eight scrumptious recipes for scones. Try the one below:
Apple Scones
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup apples, peeled and finely chopped
Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together egg, half-and-half and vanilla extract; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in apples. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times or until smooth. Pat into a 7” circle, about 3/4” thick. Cut into 8 pie-shaped wedges. Or roll dough to 3/4” thickness and cut out circles with a 2-1/2” biscuit cutter, or 1-1/2” cutter for mini scones. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar or cinnamon sugar. Place 1” apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes (15-18 minutes for mini scones) or until golden brown. Serve warm with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Butter (recipe below).
Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a small bowl, beat all ingredients together until fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Soften for 15-20 minutes before serving.
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