Scones are a quick and easy recipe, that anyone can do, but they don’t have to be boring. There are so many flavour combinations that you can create that make a nice alternative to the traditional Sultana scone! Warm with butter or pop on some clotted cream, jam and grab a friend, because these mouth-watering treats will hit the spot with a nice mid-morning or afternoon cuppa!
Ingredients:
- 350g self-raising flour, plus more for dusting
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 85g butter (cut into chunks)
- 3 tbsp. caster sugar
- 175ml semi-skimmed milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. almond essence
- 100g of Lily O’Brien’s Milk Chocolate Drops
- 150g Glace cherries (chopped)
- 1 free range egg (beaten for glazing)
Method:
- Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas mark 7.
- Pop the self-raising flour into a large bowl, add the ¼ tsp. salt and 1 tsp. baking powder, and then mix together.
- Next add the chopped chunks of butter, rub in with your hands until it turns to fine crumbs, then stir in the caster sugar. (It’s a bit like a crumple topping at this point)
- Rough chop the cherries and Milk Chocolate Drops then add to the dry mix, give it a quick stir.
- Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 secs until lukewarm.
- Add the vanilla extract and the almond essence to the milk then set aside. Don’t worry the essence doesn’t mix well, so give the liquid a quick stir before adding later.
- Put a baking tray in the oven covered with greaseproof paper.
- Now make a well in the dry mix, then add the milk mixture and combine it quickly with a knife – it will be quite a wet mixture at first.
- Spread a little flour onto the worktop and tip the dough out.
- Sprinkle the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it’s a little smoother. Don’t overwork the dough!
- Pat the dough down until about 4cm deep.
- Take a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged can get a better rise) and push down and repeat to create your little scone rounds. There will be some edges of dough left, so scrunch together, again don’t overwork.
- Cut some more scones to get as many as you can from the dough.
- Leave on the side for 10 minutes to prove a little.
- Pop a clean tea towel over the top whilst you go make yourself a cuppa.
- Now brush the tops with a beaten egg, then carefully place onto the hot baking tray. If you like you can also sprinkle some extra caster sugar on top to give a nice glazed sweet crunchy top!
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden on the top.
- These taste great just warm out of the oven with a nice spread of butter or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and clotted cream.
- These keep well if you freeze once they have cooled.
- To reheat, defrost, then put in a low oven (160C/fan140C/gas mark 3) for a few minutes to refresh as and when you have friends or family pop round! Instant freshly baked scones. Yum!
