i am a food blog

I have a thing for scones. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve always had a thing for British things (as a child, Harry Potter, more recently, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock) or if it’s because they’re legitimately delicious. These cream scones, at least, have a definitive answer: they’re delicious! Two impartial judges proclaimed their worthiness. It could have been because they were hungry, but they aren’t really the scone liking type. Too poncy, they claim.

Poncy or not, these cream scones are everything scones should be: tender, moist and delicate. They were awesome warm from the oven – with sweet raspberries and tart lemon zest, they were full of the flavours of summer, kind of like raspberry lemonade. And, because they’re cream scones, there was no cold butter to cut in, no eggs to mix and no buttermilk. All I did is whisk everything up into a shaggy dough, pat, cut and bake.

My scones weren’t as tiny (I couldn’t find my tiny biscuit cutter) or as perfect as Joy the Baker’s, but they were pretty darn tasty. I love the way Joy’s scones look with their neat, straight sides, but my scones decided they were just going to be a little lazy and ended up sagging. I’m pretty sure it was because my cream wasn’t super cold – I took some time photographing it. Generally, the loft/height of scones and biscuits comes from cold fat exploding in a hot oven. Warm-ish cream = saggy scones.

Sagginess aside, these were super simple and, I suspect due to the lack of eggs and butter, super simple to vegan-ize. I didn’t get a chance to try, but I think these would be dreamy with full-fat coconut cream sitting in for the heavy cream. With toasted coconut and some dark chocolate, they’d be like vegan Mounds bar scones. I could seriously go on and on with scone variations…sometimes, when I’m bored, I do. What are your favourite kinds of scones?

i am dreamy, i am creamy: i am lemon raspberry cream scone!

Lemon Raspberry Cream Scones adapted from Joy the Baker
makes 6 2-inch scones

• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• a bit to cream, to brush on top
• raw brown sugar, for sprinkles

Position a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat to 425°F. Line a baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Set aside.

In a liquid measuring cup, mix together the cream and vanilla. Pour the cream, in a thin stream, over the dry ingredients while gently mixing. Gently mix the raspberries in. If needed, a bit of cream, a teaspoon at a time to create a moist, but not overly sticky dough.

Move the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat into a 3/4 inch thick disk. Use a 2 inch biscuit cutter and cut out scones. Place the scones, 1-2 inches apart, on your prepared baking sheet and brush with cream and sprinkle with raw brown sugar. Chill, in the freezer for 15 minutes, if you’re looking for scones with straight sides.

Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 12-14 minutes. Enjoy warm.

biscuitscreamlemonraspberryscones