Dear lord these are delicious.

If I ever happen to be in a bakery (I try to avoid them due to my occassional lack of self control) I rarely ever choose scones.  I think the few times in my life that I’ve ever even eaten a scone I remember it to be very crumbly and dry.  Sort of like a brick.  Who would pay money for these things??  As far as I was concerned, I would rather have a muffin or croissant any day.

Then along comes Martha Stewart and her blueberry buttermilk scones.  I can’t say enough about these things.  They are spectacular!   So this is what a scone is supposed to taste like!   Ah ha!

The aroma while baking these is intoxicating.  The end product was slightly crumbly on the outside, soft and tender on the inside.  And that burst of blueberries adds a wonderful natural sweetness.  I love blueberries, they are sweet and delicious and are perfect to snack on.  Perfect size to just pop into your mouth.  It’s just an added bonus that they are very healthy and full of antioxidants.

After preparing the dough, I cut the scones a bit smaller (more narrow) than normal,  figuring it would be better on my waistline to eat smaller portions.  What a joke.  These were so good I ate TWO of the smaller scones.  See what I mean about the self control?  I baked off a few the first day reserving part of the dough in the fridge until the next day.  They came out just as yummy.  Also, leftover scones are delicious reheated in a toaster oven for a few minutes until warmed through.

I did make a few slight changes to the recipe.  I used whole wheat flour in place of cake flour and I used less sugar (as I usually do).  I used regular buttermilk, not low-fat.  Not sure they sell a low fat version where I shop.  Lastly, I added the lemon zest.

Here’s what you will need to make 10-12 scones….

Recipe

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 heaping cup fresh blueberries

zest of one small lemon

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg lightly beaten for egg wash

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

fine sugar for sprinkling

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together flours, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Add butter and rub with your fingers until mixture has the texture of course meal.  Gently stir in blueberries.

In another bowl whisk together buttermilk, 1 egg , lemon zest and vanilla.  Drizzle over flour mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the dough comes together but a small amount of flour remains in bowl.  It’s important to not overwork the dough.

Turn out dough onto work surface and gently knead dough once or twice just to incorporate the flour.  Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick round.  Cut the round into approximately 10-12 wedges.  Transfer to baking sheet.

Brush the top of each scone with egg wash and sprinkle generously with sugar.  Bake until golden brown and cooked through, roughly 25 minutes.  Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool.

Just try to control yourself – you will be tempted to eat these piping hot out of the oven!  Use restraint until they are cool enough so you don’t burn your mouth.