The Hungry Oryx: Strawberry Basil Scones

Strawberry Basil Scones...need I say more??

I used the recipe from this blog:
http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2009/08/strawberry-scones.html
And then added some chopped basil to the mix for that little extra something ;)

Strawberry Scones

from Confessions of a Tart (as seen on The Food Librarian)

1 cup strawberries (or other fruit)

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, in cubes, slightly softened

2/3 cup half-and-half or cream or cold buttermilk

Topping:

1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

If using larger fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle fruit with 1/2 tablespoon sugar; set aside. Be sure to make the pieces small, or they tend to fall out of the dough. They'll still be plenty prominent in your finished scones.

Combine remaining sugar with flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter to the mixture and cut in using a pastry cutter or 2 knives. Stir in fruit; then add cream/half-and-half/buttermilk all at once. Use rubber spatula to gently stir dough until it holds together.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to incorporate dry ingredients. Be gentle so you don't break up the berries and don't overwork the dough. Sprinkle dough with flour if it gets sticky.

Press (pat) the dough into a circle 3/4 inch thick. If any berries peek out, push them into dough. Cut circle into 6-8 wedges, then transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them. Bake 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with sugar and bake 5-10 more minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown and spring back when you push them. (The sprinkling of sugar over the top for the last few minutes of baking creates a simple, sparkly topping.)

Yields 6-8 scones.

Strawberries, Basil and Sugar