Easy Dreamy Scones

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. (You can also use a food processor for making the dough.)

Using two knives or a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal. I just squish it as quickly as I can into the dry ingredients and rub my fingers together until it looks like coarse meal. It gives my fingers a workout. If using a food processor, dot the butter evenly across the dry ingredients and pulse about 12 times.

Add Craisins, chocolate chips, and lemon zest and mix in. Transfer mixture into a large bowl if using a food processor.

Use a rubber spatula or fork and mix in the heavy cream until a dough forms (about 30 seconds or so). Scrape the whole thing (dry floury bits on the sides of the bowl too) onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until it comes together into a sticky ball (about 5-10 seconds). Then it’s time to form the scones.

There are two ways to form the scones:
1. Press the dough into an 8-inch round cake pan, turn it out onto a floured surface, and slice into 8 wedges with a knife. Pros: nice even scones and you only have to cut them out once. Cons: scones are too big for my preference. Plus, sometimes you don’t want a wedge-shaped scone.
2. Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch thick circle and use a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter (I used a cookie cutter) to cut out the desired shapes. It can get a little rough at the end when you have a couple of scraps left. Then you have a baby scone! Pros: Greater quantity of scones (I got 32 out of my batch) and better control over the size and shape of the scones. Cons: you’ll have to work with the dough scraps. The last few scones may not look as nice.

Put the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake about 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of your scones. Sprinkle a little extra sugar on top before baking if you want. If they’re on the small side, start with 8 minutes and go up. Rotate the trays about halfway through for even browning. They’e done when they’re a little golden brown on the top. Cool on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.