peaches & cream scones

ingredients:

scones:

2 cups of all-purpose flour, more for hands and work surface

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 tsp of salt

2-1/2 tsps of baking powder

1 stick of unsalted butter, frozen, cut into cubes

1/2 cup of heavy cream (plus 2 tbsps for brushing)

1 large egg

1 tsp of vanilla

1-1/2 to 2 cups of fresh peaches, skinned and chopped (2-3 large peaches)

cream cheese glaze

2oz of cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup of powdered sugar, sifted

1/3 cup of of heavy cream, more to thin as necessary

supplies:

3 mixing bowls and whisks

food processor or pastry cutter or 2 forks

large plate

large baking sheet lined with parchment paper

directions:

in a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together. using a food processor or pastry cutter or 2 forks, combine the butter and flour mixture until it comes together in small crumbs. place the flour/butter mix in the fridge while you mix the wet ingredients together.

in another bowl, mix 1/2 cup of heavy cream, an egg, and vanilla together. remove the flour/butter mix from the fridge and drizzle the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. add the peaches in, and mix together until everything appears moistened.

to make the scones, pour the dough on to the counter and work the dough into an round disc (about 8 inches in diameter) your hands (flour your hands as the dough will be sticky). if the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. if it seems too dry, add 1-2 more tbsps of heavy cream. make sure the dough is in an even circle. next, cut the disc into 8 wedges. place the scones on a large plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to overnight. the colder the dough, the less they will spread in the oven, be sure to make time for this!

when ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400 (do not remove the scones from the fridge until they are ready to go into the oven; they shouldn’t sit on the counter while the oven preheats). brush the scones lightly with about 2 tbsps of heavy cream. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange scones 2-3 inches apart baking sheet.

bake for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. 

while the scones are in the oven, make the cream cheese glaze by simply mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. if the icing is too thick, add more liquid. if it’s too thin, add a little more powered sugar until the mixture reaches your desired consistency. you want the icing to easily pour off of a spoon for drizzling. once the scones are finished baking, move to a wire rack to cool. let the scones cool completely before drizzling with the glaze. enjoy! 

note: scones can be very hard to make. the key is keeping the dough cold. while making them, if you ever feel the dough is getting warm, pop it in the fridge. after forming my dough into a circle, I popped the dough in the fridge before cutting them. then again in the fridge after I cut them. also, if you think your dough isn’t coming together, it might be too wet (add more flour) or too dry (add a little more heavy cream).