These scones make for a remarkable strawberry shortcake, though they are delicious on their own with coffee as well.
Recipe makes 12 servings
Calories 187
* 2 1/4 cups all purpose cake flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 4 tsp baking powder
* 4 Tbsp sugar
* 5 Tbsp cold butter
* 3 eggs
* 3/4 cup milk (even richer with heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2)
* 1 Tbsp water
* 1 lb strawberries thinly sliced (1/6-1/4 pound per dessert depending on
how "heaping" you want it.
* 1 tsp sugar (powdered or granulated)
Whipped Cream - optional
1. Preheat oven to 450 F
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl or food processor, reserving 1 Tbsp sugar. Cut the butter into bits and pulse it into the mixture in the food processor or blend it carefully by hand.
3. Beat 2 eggs with the milk and combine with the dry ingredients with a few swift strokes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it about 10 times. If it is very sticky, add a little flour.
4. Press the dough into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle and cut into 2 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or glass. Place the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet. Reshape the leftover dough and cut again. You should end up with 10-14 scones. Beat the last egg with 1 Tbsp of water and brush the top of each scone. Sprinkle each with a little of the remaining Tbsp of sugar.
5. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until scones are golden brown. Let the scones cool for 5-10 minutes and then cut them in the middle.
6. While the scones are baking, rinse and slice the strawberries, removing the stems. Put the sliced strawberries in a bowl, sprinkle them with the tsp of sugar, and mix gently to distribute the sugar.
7. On the bottom half of each scone, put a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Heap the strawberries on top of and around the ice cream, and place the top gently back on top of the strawberries. Top with whipped cream if desired.
