So, yesterday I was looking through our refrigerator and realizing some of our food was going to go to waste. Like that giant flat of strawberries from Costco we thought we were going to eat...right. I found a strawberry scone recipe since I've had an itch to make scones lately. You can follow this one or you can follow mine for a more yummy version : )
First, you need to put your Pandora station on. I personally prefer my Missy Elliot station. It's the biznaz.
Gather these ingredients, turn the oven on 425 and shake your tailfeather.
Don't forget to line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Which, by the way, is NOT the same as freezer paper. Apparently you should NEVER use freezer or wax paper in the oven. You're welcome for that little nugget of knowledge ;)
According to the recipe, you're supposed to hull the strawberries and slice them in half. First of all, who has time for that? Second of all, who cares? Third of all, if you're trying to use your strawberries before they go bad, add an extra strawberry or two for the "missed" pieces you cut off the top.
I used about 12 ripe strawberries. Definitely ended up being more than what is called for. But in this case, more if better!
Dice the strawberries and spread out on a paper towel to get rid of the moisture. Set aside.
Next, combine your vanilla and cream in a small bowl and set aside. I used buttermilk with this one instead of light cream.
I recommend leaving the mixture in the fridge until you need it.
Mix your dry ingredients and the lemon zest together in a separate bowl. I used 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup old fashioned oats instead of the 2 cups flour the recipe calls for. Also, for the lemon zest, I "zested" more than I needed, so I used heaping teaspoons when measuring. And then I put a pinch in for extra zestiness. Zester. Zestina. Zest-a-roonie. Zestapotomus. Zest.
There, it's out of my system.
One last note on the dry ingredients: if you can, buy some fresh nutmeg and grind it yourself, do it! It makes a world of difference when you're cooking/baking and the flavor really pops.
Take your cold butter and cut it into little pieces. Toss into the mixture and mix it, crushing the butter until its evenly distributed and looks like pea-sized pieces in your dough. (See the notes from the recipe if you need more guidance)
Next, gently mix the diced strawberries into the dry mixture. With your finger, make a hole in the middle of your dry mix and pour the cream/vanilla mixture in.
Stir immediately until the mixture is fully combined. Don't get too exited and mix it like crazy though! Let the mixture sit for 2 minutes.
CAUTION: Try to resist eating the mixture raw! It looks like REALLY good oatmeal that your Grandma or The Filing Station would make. Super yum.
The recipe calls for you to knead the dough. I tried it and it was a hot mess. Save yourself the sticky hands and don't even try it. Just scoop the mixture onto your parchment paper and leave it to bake.
If you really want to, you can use your spatula to make triangle shapes "just like starbucks" as my husband said.
Bake for 16-18 minutes. I baked them for 18 minutes and made sure to peek at them at the 16 minute mark. You want them to be a golden brown, not like a chocolate brown : )
Mine could have baked for a little longer since I added extra strawberries and there is a lot of butter, but I like scones on the moist/soft side, so I took them out at 18 minutes.
Parting thought(s):
If I had to serve these at my breakfast table, I would invite the following people:
Shauna Niequist (I'm obsessed with her writing and love her outlook on life, as well as her widsom), Kristen Punt, Teagan Greenwood, The Hubs, Kelsey Erickson (because we're opening a bakery up together someday), Missy Elliot (for live performances, and to thank her for my inspiration and motivation), Pioneer Woman (to try to impress her with my baking skills, plus I have a cooking/baking crush on her), Kate-The Dutchess herself (because British people love "tea and scrumpets" as snoop dog would say...but we're getting way off track here.)
Ok, just one more table assignment. Dinner:
Kristen Wiig & Tina Fey, Erika Abdelatif (we're going on tour to host comedic Bingo games), Traci Carpenter, Caroline Rutenbar (funny to the MAXX), Delia Baltierra (no one has a bigger funny bone in as small of a body as she does), Kira Williams (because her laugh is hysterical and she laughs at almost the same stuff as me...and laughs as hard as me) and Donna Wells. Basically, all the funniest women I currently know. With the exception of Tina Fey and Kristen Wiig. Oh, what I would give to be BFFFAD (best friends forever and a day) with them!
Enjoy your scones, and enjoy Missy Elliot's weirdly wonderful music videos as much as I do!
