Raspberry Lemon Scones

Well, with temperatures up near 70 degrees in northern Maryland yesterday I thought that winter had finally loosened its (unreasonably firm) grasp on us.  Then, when temperatures dipped right back down to 20 degrees overnight I realized that Mother Nature is actually just a cruel mistress that enjoys toying with my emotions… dangling springtime weather in front of me like a cupcake in front of a hungry toddler (a perfect vanilla cupcake, at that, too).

We’re supposed to have warm weather here again over the weekend… only for  winter to creep back and threaten snow on Monday.  What!?  Snow!?  Ugh, I’m so over it.

I need sunshine, warm weather and bright colors.  Green grass (not the wilted, dead and soggy stuff that’s been buried under inches of snow and ice for what feels like the past 6 years) and fresh seasonal fruit.  And if Mother Nature denies me these things, well then, I’m just going to seek out springtime in whatever form I can…

Enter these Raspberry-Lemon Scones:

Mmm… sunny flecks of yellow lemon zest in bright, pillowy-soft scones.  And let’s not forget about the raspberries–those juicy, bright, beautiful raspberries (though of course…these raspberries were frozen, just like Mother Nature’s heart).

Made with heavy cream, these scones are so soft and light inside and make the perfect springtime breakfast partner.  Or… would, anyway, if winter would ever just move on…. but I digress.  Let’s get back to the scones.

That’s more like it.  Springtime in pastry form.

Here’s what you do:

(Inspired by my favorite Taste of Home scone recipe)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine 4 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar,  4 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl.  Using a pastry cutter (or just a fork and knife, as I did for years before obtaining a pastry cutter) cut in 3/4 cups cold butter and combine until your mixture resembles coarse crumbles (there will be small pieces of butter throughout, but the dough will not cling together at this point).  You will want to use cold butter and not softened in this recipe because cold butter will yield lighter, flakier scones.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs, 3/4 cups heavy cream, the zest of one lemon (this came to about 2-3 Tablespoons for me) and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but a very good option).

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones until just mixed.  As with most baked goods, you do not want to over mix or you will end up with a too-tough end product.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half.  Using your hands, fold in 1/2 cup of raspberries into each half of the dough.  You can use either fresh or frozen raspberries, though you need to be a bit more careful with fresh (juice everywhere).  I used frozen since (as I mentioned) raspberries aren’t in season right now.

The first few times I made these scones I folded the fruit in very carefully to try to avoid untidy swirls.  Now, I’ve decided that I really like the colorful swirls and think they gives the scones a more rustic look.  Plus, it’s easier that way.

Shape each half of the dough into a circle, like so, and cut each into 8 wedges:

Transfer wedges to parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Using remaining heavy cream brush tops of wedges and then sprinkle with granulated sugar (I used raw turbinado sugar, which is why the sugar looks almost brown in the photos).

Bake on 375F for 18 minutes.  Allow scones to sit for about ten minutes (until cool, or at least not so hot that they burn the inside of your mouth.  That might have happened to me, I have no patience when it comes to these things) before eating.