Blackberry + White Chocolate Scones

Growing up, change was a common theme in our home. That’ll happen with a blended family that has young kids on both sides. Ever-changing schedules, rotating weekends with divorced parents, clubs, sports, concerts, practice, practice, practice. And, of course, the ever-changing attitudes of kids trying to figure out their place in the world. Some things were constant though; the important things. The things that stick with you. Like the living room stereo constantly on and playing 90’s Country. Like fresh-brewed pots of coffee, and mom humming while weeding the garden. Like heartfelt talks over rhubarb coffee cake, banana bread or whatever treat my mom decided to whip up that day. [I fully believe she is single-handedly responsible for my obsession with coffee and baking. Thanks, Mom.]

These days we’re all grown-up and scattered across Minnesota, but there are some constants that don’t fade. I still have a love of 90’s Country music, fresh flowers, and heartfelt talks with my mom while sharing baked goods and too much coffee. She and I have a standing coffee date a few times a month, and I love them. One of my favorite things to bake for her when she comes over for coffee are fresh scones.

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Scones are such a versatile baked good, and this recipe is a wonderful base. I added blackberries and white chocolate to these ones, but you can easily swap them out for different mix-ins like blueberries, raspberries and dark chocolate, or strawberries. This recipe is so quick and easy; perfect for entertaining. Another perk is that they can be mixed together days ahead of time, frozen, and then baked off from frozen when you need them. No need to wake up early if you don’t want to!

To start we are going to rinse the fruit and chop up some white chocolate – you could also just use chips instead of a chocolate bar. Next, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Toss the berries and chocolate into the dry ingredients and gently mix them together being careful not to crush the berries.

Now it is time to add the cream and vanilla. I like to combine the cream and vanilla so that the vanilla is more evenly distributed throughout the dough. Drizzle half of your cream/vanilla mixture into your bowl and gently toss the ingredients together with your hands. You don’t want to squish or knead the dough – we are really just using our fingers to carefully combine the ingredients. Add a little more of the cream/vanilla and mix a little more. We only want to add enough cream so that we have a cohesive dough. We don’t want the dough to be too wet and sticky. You want it to be kind of shaggy looking and just coming together. Crumbly is good for scone dough.

Once you have your dough mixed together it is time to shape them. You can definitely gently press the dough into a disc shape and cut them into wedges if you would like. I prefer a more “organic” hand-shaped mound approach. This recipe should make about 12 evenly sized handfuls. Grab a handful and apply light pressure to mold it into a loose ball. Place on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.

If you are making these ahead of time and freezing them, this is the point in the recipe where you would stop and put the scones in an airtight container and freeze them until you want to bake them. If baking these right away, I still like to pop them in the freezer or fridge for 15 minutes while my oven preheats. They bake-off a bit better when the dough has had time to chill back down.

Once your oven is ready and the scones have had a few minutes to chill, remove them from your freezer/fridge, brush the tops of them with a light layer of heavy cream. This has a similar effect as egg wash and will help the scones brown up beautifully. The cream also helps the coarse sparkling sugar (optional) stick to the tops of them. Sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar and pop them into the oven. They will bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Rotate your pan, and bake them for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the scones are slightly golden and bounce back when you gently press on the top. If you lightly press on the top of one and it stays squished down that means that it is still too raw in the center, and needs a few more minutes. Serve warm, (with coffee!), and enjoy!

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