Lavender-Orange Scones
- 4¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon culinary-grade dried lavender
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- Garnish: sparkling sugar and dried lavender
- Preheat oven to 375°. Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, lavender, and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a small bowl, stir together cream and vanilla extract. Using a fork, stir cream mixture into flour mixture just until a shaggy dough begins to form. Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms. (If dough won’t come together, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.)
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a ¾-inch thickness, cut dough into fourths, stack on top of each other, and pat down. Repeat rolling, cutting, stacking, and patting process. Roll out dough to a ¾-inch thickness again. Using a 2¼-inch fluted 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 prepared baking sheets. 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.
- Garnish tops of scones with a light sprinkle of sparkling sugar and lavender, if desired.
- Bake, one baking sheet at a time, until scones are golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
RECOMMENDED CONDIMENTS:
Whipped Cream Cheese (recipe follows)
Orange marmalade
Recipe by TeaTime Magazine at https://teatimemagazine.com/lavender-orange-scones/
3.5.3251