WHOLE WHEAT BLACKBERRY CREAM SCONES

For awhile there, I was feeling pretty uninspired in the baking arena. I got to where I was rarely making anything at all, except waffles on weekends, and would quickly opt for store bought sweets instead. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – it just hadn’t been the norm for me in the past. Over the last couple of months though, my desire to bake has slowly but assuredly returned. I’ve sort of been on a pie and cake rage. And, as you well know, I love breakfast, so I’ve been making lots of that too.

I made these chubby scone babes back when berries were bountiful, so this post isn’t particularly timely but I figured better late then never. I made these scones three different times in one month (once with strawberries, twice with blackberries). Dale was such a huge fan of them that he/we just about finished the whole batch in a single sitting every time. And probably definitely ate them straight off the baking sheet. No joke.

These are everything a cream scone should be – light, soft, moist. The turbinado sugar adds a sweet crunch, the blackberries a burst of freshness, and the cream a desired richness. And the whole wheat flour makes them especially satisfying.

I know blackberries aren’t exactly in season at the moment, but perhaps you have some stashed in your freezer from a fruitful summer pick-your-own adventure (like I do)? Any kind of berry will work here actually. If you go with strawberries, they should be quartered. If you don’t have berries, I imagine some diced apples would be equally as good.

Whole Wheat Blackberry Cream Scones

Adapted from King Arthur Flour via Joy the Baker

• 200 g (1 1/2 cups) white flour
• 200 g (1 1/2 cups) stone ground whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 67 g (1/3 cup) pure cane sugar
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 tsp vanilla
• approx 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops
• raw sugar for sprinkling
• Preheat oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Lightly toss the blackberries into the flour mixture with your hands.

In a separate bowl with a lip, stir together vanilla and cream. Drizzle all but two tablespoons of the cream mixture over the dry ingredients, gently stirring as you go. (I usually end up tossing everything together with my hands.) Some of the blackberries will burst as you stir; that’s ok, but try to be gentle – you don’t want to totally decimate all of the berries. Add the remainder of the cream if the dough seems too dry. The dough should be moist but not sticky.

Dump the dough onto a clean, lightly floured work surface, gently gather into a cohesive mass, and press out to about 3/4-inch thick. Cut out scones using a two-inch biscuit cutter. Gather the scraps and repeat.

Place each scone one inch apart on the prepared baking sheet, brush with cream, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden. They should feel soft yet firm when lightly pressed on top. Serve warm.

Scones will keep in an airtight container for a day or two.