Just Peachy Scones

Our first batch was blueberry scones and our second was peach scones.

I love scones. I know I've posted scone and biscuit recipes before, but I just can't help posting another. Something about a freshly baked scone with a cup of coffee can put even the grouchiest person in a good mood.

We had our weekly family trip to the farmers' market this Saturday morning and all I could think about was the Irish baker that sold me a delicious scone the previous week. My mouth was watering on the way there as I thought about what type of scone to try. But when we got there, the scones were nowhere to be found! I hope they just missed this one week and will be back the next, but in the mean time, I decided to make my own (it was actually my sister-in-law's idea since she wanted a scone that morning too).

We figured blueberry scones would be good and found some blueberries in the freezer, which worked great! Then she had another idea...why not try making the same recipe but with peaches instead? Yum. I had a peach scone for the first time from a bakery we visited while in Bend, Oregon, but I thought I could do better.

Our peach scones were really good, but not very sweet. If we had used sweeter, riper peaches, they would have been perfect. I enjoyed them as they were because I don't like a really sweet scone.

I think cream scones are the best because they have enough fat in them. These have butter and cream, do they're definitely not diet food, but an occasional pastry made with butter and cream never hurt anyone.

Peach, blueberry, or other fruit scones

(original recipe* from Tyler Florence)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons butter, cold, cut in chunks (I used salted)
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or peaches** (chopped into bite sized pieces)
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Fold the blueberries or peaches into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 6 inches. Cut into 8 rectangles. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*The original recipe for blueberry scones had a lemon glaze, which makes the scones sweeter if you want sweeter scones.

**If your peaches are sweet and juicy, add a little less cream initially, then add more as necessary. If your peaches are less sweet, add an additional tablespoon of sugar.

Delicious, buttery, not-too-sweet peach scones