Cherry Scones

I've done a lot of cleaning in the last month. Not so much making things clean (although I did take some cotton swabs to my waffle maker to get it clean again) but to get rid of the excess stuff I've accumulated. Like a hermit crab, I fill the space I have. And now, I'm about to have slightly less space and less of an inclination to move things I don't really need. A few trunk fulls of donated stuff later and I still feel like I have too much stuff.

So I've moved on to purging the pantry. It's good to get rid of those one time useful ingredients that are probably not so good anymore (and clearly not worth the investment) and results in delicious items. By now, my kitchen tools are all packed up so I'm using my roommate's which are mostly brand new but still unfamiliar.

Based on the ingredients in my fridge and pantry, I slightly modified this raisin scone recipe to be cherry scones instead. Craisins, raisins, same difference! Scones have always been a challenge for me because I'm not a cold butter person. My favorite recipes are when the butter needs to just melt so I don't even have to try and make it soft or room temperature (aka: melt it in the microwave). But the cold butter is key so I carried on. 

This simple recipe requires mixing the dry ingredients together with the cold butter cubes. Then, an egg and plain yogurt are mixed together and added to the dry ingredients. The dough gets a bit sticky, I ultimately just dug in there with my hands and folded in the dried fruit. 

I was under the impression that scones don't rise or spread so I made some giant scones and placed them close together. FYI, they do expand a little. I don't have a pastry brush at the moment so I used a fork and my fingers to spread some egg on top of each scone. This part greatly concerned me because I thought I would end up with scrambled eggs cooked on top of my scone. Granted, I ended up with some scrambled eggs on the pan where the egg had run off the scone but all in all, the egg is also an important factor in keeping the scones together and fresh. 

Mission accomplished: flour is depleted. The other thing about baking and moving is not many blog photos were taken, oops! These are definitely best hot but breakfast the next day is still an option! Store in an airtight container and share with coworkers, friends and family alike.

Recipe

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 6 Tablespoons cold butter, cubed
• 1 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 eggs, used separately
• 3/4 cup dried cherries (or cranberries or blueberries or chocolate...)

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together and then cut in the brown sugar and cold butter.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt and one egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine. You may need to use your hands to make sure everything mixes well.
4. Lastly, fold in the fruit. 
5. Dish out circles of dough onto the parchment paper. These can vary in size, depending on how many you want to make.
6. Whisk the second egg and using a pastry brush (or your fingers), glaze each scone with the egg. 
7. Allow to bake for 15 minutes at which point they will be dense and delicious.