I’ve always been big into baked goods as hostess gifts, especially if you’re staying somewhere for the weekend.
I get it from my mother who taught me to never show up somewhere empty-handed, and who is a fabulous baker.
One summer when I traveled a lot I was a muffin fanatic – you name the muffin, I made it: Ina Garten’s tri-berry muffins, peanut butter and jelly muffins, pecan pie muffins, zucchini muffins.
While the spree was appreciated by people on the receiving end, this summer I’ve diversified. I’ve already shared the chocolate chip zucchini bread I made for 4th of July.
I’m also dying to make Smitten Kitchen’s strawberry summer cake but unfortunately I don’t think it will travel well.
So instead on a recent weekend trip to the Hamptons I made Deb’s very blueberry scones. I love blueberries and think blueberry pie is about as summery as you can get.
These aren’t half-bad either. And because they’re half whole wheat flour you can pretend they’re good for you.
Since scones are best right when you pull them out of the oven, I cooked them part way, then froze them and baked them the rest of the way at my friend’s house on Saturday morning.
It’s a great trick for making sure your baked gifts taste as fresh as possible. But you should probably just make them for yourself and eat them immediately with lots of butter.
I won’t tell.
Blueberry scones
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
3 tablespoons turbinado or light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits
1 cup fresh blueberries
2/3 cup milk, whole is best
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon coarse sugar for finishing
Heat oven to 400° and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the two different kinds of flour, zest, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add cold butter and work it in until the biggest pieces are the size of small peas – you can use a pastry blender if you have one but your fingers are easiest.
Stir in blueberries, then milk, mixing just until large clumps form. Then, use your hands to gently knead the mixture into one mass. You’re trying not to burst too many blueberries here, so knead as few times as you can.
Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and pat into a roughly 1-inch tall disc. Cut into 8 to 10 wedges. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart, and brush the tops of each with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until scones are golden brown on top. Serve warm.
If freezing: Bake 10 minutes, let cool, then put in ZipLock bag and freeze. When you’re ready, bake them at 400 for 15 minutes – there’s no need to thaw them first.
Very blueberry scones: https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/07/very-blueberry-scones/
