Scones are a treat I’ve been making more and more often over the last few years. I’ve even written about a bunch of them here before:
Today’s recipe is a variation on that third one, using freeze-dried strawberries to add color and flavor to the finished product. They’re pink, subtly flavored, and perfect for topping with jam, whipped cream, or even a dollop of ice cream if you want. I’m not here to judge!
I have a couple of notes for this recipe that might make it a bit easier on you, even though it’s pretty simple already.
The first is that, while I use the cookie cutter method to make small, round scones, you can shape and cut them however you like. The one-large-circle method, where you basically just cut it like a pie, is by far the easiest. It’s entirely up to you, you just might need to adjust the bake time a little if you make larger scones.
The second is about the color and flavor. I used entirely freeze-dried strawberries for mine, and just a tiny drop of red food coloring to augment the color. It will be a little more pale if you leave out the coloring, which is fine. Or, you can make it a deeper red!
I considered using larger chunks of strawberry, or mixing in fresh berries, but the dough is already crumbly enough that I didn’t want to have them fall apart completely. They would definitely have a stronger flavor with fresh berries, but you can just put those on top later, right?
Strawberry Scones
Equipment
- Pastry Cutter
- Round Cookie Cutter
- Mixing Bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- Baking Sheet
- Silicone Baking Mat
- Cooling Rack
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 2½ Cups Flour
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Freeze-Dried Strawberries
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 6 Tbsp Butter Cold; cubed or grated
- 1 Egg
- ¾ Cup Heavy Cream Cold; plus extra for a brushing
- Food Coloring Optional
- Finishing Sugar Optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉. Put your silicone mat on your baking sheet. Use the food processor (or a mortar and pestle) to powderize your strawberries.½ Cup Freeze-Dried Strawberries
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and powdered strawberry.2½ Cups Flour, ⅓ Cup Sugar, 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- Using your pastry cutter, cut in the butter. You're aiming to incorporate it until it looks like coarse crumbs.6 Tbsp Butter
- In another bowl, beat together the cream and egg. Add food coloring if you want.1 Egg, ¾ Cup Heavy Cream, Food Coloring
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet into it. Mix it with a rubber spatula until it starts to come together and there's no more dry flour visible.
- Drop the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and knead it until it fully comes together. It will be somewhat crumbly, but if it refuses to hold together at all, add a tsp of cream or water to help it stick together.
- Flatten the dough into about an inch-thick round. Use your cookie cutter to cut circles out of it, pressing and removing without twisting (so it doesn't seal the edges of the scones and allows for free rising.) Excess can be re-packed and re-cut until you've used it all.
- Lightly brush heavy cream over the top of the scones, sprinkle with finishing sugar if you want, and bake for 13-14 minutes. Move them to a cooling rack to cool, slice, and enjoy with your favorite toppings!Finishing Sugar