Scones

This is the recipe I use to make scones. It is from Maida Heatters Book of Great American Desserts, except that over the years I have made a couple of changes: I think they are more tender made with heavy whipping cream instead of milk and I prefer to cut the dough into wedges rather than make as drop biscuits. Also like to sometimes vary the currants with other chopped dried fruit:

Ingredients:

2 cup sifted all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

scant 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup sugar

6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), diced

1/4 cup currants (or finely chopped pecans, dried cherries or cranberries as a variation)

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (or milk/half and half)

Additional sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions:Heat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup, or other small mixing bowl, beat together the egg and egg yolk, then add cream or milk to mix -- set aside. In a medium bowl measure the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar; "whisk" with a pastry blender until combined. Add the butter and cut it in to make rather large crumbs. Add the fruit/nut combination you've chosen, mix. Make a well in the middle. Add the egg, egg yolk, and cream/milk combination, mixing lightly with a fork until the mixture comes together--don't over mix this.

Can make these as drop biscuits, dropping by rounded tablespoonfuls placed an inch apart on your prepared cookie sheet (to make 12). OR what I like to do is -- take all of the dough and gently make it into a ball with your hands and place onto the prepared cookie sheet. Gently pat or roll out to about 10 inches, then with a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges. Space out a bit on the sheet so they have room to bake.

Sprinkle lightly with the additional sugar and bake for 14-15 minutes, or until nicely golden brown, reversing cookie sheet from front to back halfway through baking time.

Remove scones from baking sheet onto a rack to cool. Can be served right away. Any leftovers can be sliced in half and gently heated in toaster oven for a few minutes to regain fresh baked texture.