Peach Scones

July 27th, 2021 -I LOVE scones! These ones are really delicious; particularly, in the summer when Ontario peaches are plentiful. I will say that I have also made these with frozen peaches and they turn out just as well. You can also swap out the peaches for nectarines, plums or other stone fruit.

I prefer to grate my butter using a cheese grater and then freezing it. This helps with incorporating it into the dough and helps keep the dough cold. You can also cut the butter into small pieces and then freeze it. The recipe yields 8 big scones or cut them to the size you prefer, just decrease the baking time if you make smaller ones.

Peach Scones

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, grated*

• 1/3 cup heavy cream (35% or higher) + extra to brush on the scones

• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 cup fresh peaches, diced (or frozen)

• Sanding sugar or turbinado sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

2. Grate your butter using a cheese grater or a box grater. Place in a small bowl and put in the freeze until ready to use.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. In a separate small bowl or a glass measuring cup, whisk together the heavy cream, yogurt, egg, and vanilla until well blended.

5. Add the frozen butter to the dry mixture and use your fingers or a fork to separate the clumps of frozen butter. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry using a silicone spatula. The dough should be clumpy and not fully-cohesive when you should add the peaches. Be careful to overmix!

6. Dust your counter with some flour and turn the dough onto it. Gently knead mixture with your hands until it just comes together. Try not to handle the dough too much.

7. Gently pat the dough into an 8 inch circle and cut into wedges. Place the wedges on the prepared cookie sheet. Pop the cookie sheet into the fridge and chill for about 30 minutes.

8. Just before baking, brush the tops of each scone with a little heavy cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar or turbinado sugar.

9. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, turning the cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.

   Note: These are best served slightly warm but they are great at room temperature too. I like to store these in the fridge after the first day and just heat them up a little before serving. These freeze super well too.