Strawberry Heart Scones
Serves: approximately 16
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped freeze-dried strawberries
  • 1⁄2 cup crème fraîche
  • 1⁄4 cup cold heavy whipping cream
  • 1 1⁄4 teaspoons strawberry extract
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pink food coloring (optional)
Instructions
  1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in strawberries.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together crème fraîche, heavy cream, strawberry extract, vanilla extract, and desired amount of pink food coloring. Add to flour mixture, stirring until a dry, shaggy dough begins to form. Working gently, bring mixture together in bowl with hands until a dough forms. (If dough won’t come together, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does. Dough should be firm. If dough is too soft, scones won’t hold their heart shapes when baked.)
  4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently until smooth by patting dough and folding it in half 4 to 5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a little less than 1⁄2-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch heart-shaped cutter dipped in flour, cut as many scones as possible from dough, rerolling scraps once. Place scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour*.
  5. Preheat oven to 400°.
  6. Bake frozen scones until edges are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 9 to 12 minutes.
Notes
*At this point, scones can be baked per the recipe or can be transferred to an airtight freezer bag and kept frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place desired number of frozen scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake as directed, allowing a few extra minutes for proper browning and doneness.

Kitchen Tip: Measure flour by spooning it into a dry-measure cup and scraping off excess with a knife to level.
Recipe by TeaTime Magazine at https://teatimemagazine.com/strawberry-heart-scones/