Photography by John O’Hagan | Styling by Courtni Bodiford
Food Styling by Kathleen Kanen
Recipe Development by Ola Agbodza and Amanda Stabile
Invite your “best-teas” to a lovely afternoon tea for Valentine’s Day, with charming treats, fun crafts, and pink-and-red décor galore. Our January/February 2024 issue of TeaTime magazine features this delightful menu for a children’s afternoon tea party, complete with scones, savories, and sweets.
Roasted strawberries and cream cheese impart delicate sweetness and rich flavor to these toothsome Strawberries & Cream Scones. A gentle touch for kneading the dough is necessary to ensure that the roasted strawberries do not discolor your scones. Pair these delicious scones with the caffeine-free (and kid-friendly) Berry Nice Herbal Tisane from Simpson & Vail.
- ⅓ cup finely chopped strawberries
- 2½ tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 tablespoons cold cream cheese, cubed
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold heavy whipping cream, divided
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- Preheat oven to 375°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, gently toss together strawberries and ½ tablespoon granulated sugar. Spread in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until strawberries are fragrant and have released most of their juices, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring on baking sheet every 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut butter and cream cheese into flour mixture until they resemble coarse crumbs.
- In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture, stirring until a shaggy dough begins to form. Add roasted strawberries, leaving any excess juices on the baking sheet. Working gently, bring mixture together with hands and knead lightly in the bowl until strawberries are evenly distributed and dough is smooth.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a ¾-inch thickness. Using a fluted 2¼-inch heart-shaped cutter dipped in flour, cut as many scones as possible from dough without twisting cutter, rerolling scraps once. Place scones 2 inches apart on remaining prepared baking sheet. Freeze until firm, approximately 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Lightly brush tops of cold scones with egg wash.
- Bake until edges of scones are golden brown, 16 to 20 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before tranferring scones to a wire rack.
- In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, and remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. If needed, whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream to achieve desired consistency for drizzling. Using a spoon, spread glaze on tops of scones. Serve immediately.
Get this full Valentine’s Day tea menu roundup in our January/February 2024 issue. In addition to the scones, recipes are included for heart-shaped pretzels and pizzas, “heart-tea” grilled cheese and prosciutto sandwiches, s’more heart tarts, raspberry palmiers, cherry-almond cupcakes, and more.
Want more whimsical tea ideas for children? Come to My Tea Party features eight menus with expert tea pairings thoughtfully designed for young tastes in a variety of themes. From teatimes filled with butterflies, mermaids, woodland creatures, and unicorns to a colorful fiesta and a beautiful tea for ballerinas, the pages of this book are brimming with inspiration galore for memorable tea parties.
