Warning: The following post is incredibly mushy and sentimental about my mom. My blog, I get to do what I want. If that bothers you or you just want the food, skip to the end for the scone recipe.
Scones really are great, and full of potential. They come in a wide range of flavors from rich chocolate espresso to savory cheddar and chive. They instantly bring to mind overpriced coffee shops and afternoon tea with the queen. It just feels fancier to order a scone than a muffin or a doughnut.
I don't really remember scones being popular when I was a kid. I had to ask what the heck a scone was when I read the word in a book set in England. Oh how things have changed. Now every bakery and cafe has an ample supply of these crumbly, buttery baked goods.
My first attempt at making scones was for the county fair. I practically grew up on my kitchen counter watching my mom cook, and she taught me all of her baking tricks. She helped me choose my recipes for the fair and was patient with my child-learning-to-cook mistakes. My mom always made an effort to let me do what I loved. If I wanted to cook, she would help me find recipes. When I did plays, she never begrudged the many rehearsals she had to drive me to and from. Even to this day, when some of my hobbies (like cosplay and anime) are a little bit on the strange side, she asks me about them and appreciates what she can, and for that I'm truly grateful. I know not everyone has a good relationship with their mom, and I am blessed to have a mom who was exactly the mother I needed, and I place a high value on my relationship with her.
After making the scones for the fair, my mom started looking up other scone recipes and making them. They became a go-to for a breakfast treat, enjoyed on a quiet Sunday morning. I served as taste-tester for these new recipes from toasted oat or lemon to my favorite Christmas Morning scones with rosemary and vanilla and cranberry (wipe the drool off your face, I'll post that one around Christmas). A tasty scone for breakfast can still be found in my mother's house when I come for a visit. Scones are already delicious, and the fact that they remind me of my mother makes me like them even more.
Now, this year, since I live in Texas, I won't be with my mom on Mother's Day. She's coming for a visit next week, so I'll give her the proper Mother's Day treatment then. In the meantime, I have a different excuse to bake. My car broke down last week on my way to visit Rachael, my college roommate and best friend. Rachael came and kept me company while I waited for a tow truck and let me stay the night at her house, which was nearby. A couple days later, when the car was fixed, Katherine, a college friend who is now my roommate, drove me 35 minutes each way to pick it up. I do believe these ladies have earned some scones. So the purpose of this recipe is twofold, both to celebrate my mother, and to thank my friends. I chose strawberry shortcake scones because strawberries are in season, and the bright red with that delicate white glaze just looked nice and summery.
My method for making these scones differs slightly from my mother's in that I made these at 9:00 Wednesday night while in my pajamas. I get off work at 8, and there's no point in changing from scrubs to normal clothes at that point, sue me.
Netflix and my recipe on my computer screen? Check.
Side snacks to keep me from eating the scones because I hadn't had dinner yet? Check.
Roommate gone so I have no one to disturb by being loud at night? Check.
Let's do this.
I used an interesting method to cut the butter into these scones. I froze the sticks of butter the night before and grated the butter into my flour mixture. If you don't like cutting in butter with a pastry blender, I'd suggest giving this method a try, because it works! It does require a little forethought to freeze the butter, but I prefer this to the pastry blender. These scones came together really quickly and in no time my kitchen smelled incredible. I mixed up the glaze while they were cooling and gave it a nice drizzle over my little creations.
They aren't the prettiest scones ever, but look at that fabulous glaze work.
Perfect for sharing with mom over coffee
Okay, now that I've gushed about my mom and tortured my readers with pictures, here's the recipe:
https://bellyfull.net/2013/02/06/strawberry-shortcake-scones/
Sprinkles of Kim:
- I added a splash of rum flavoring to the dough, and it really added a richness to the smell and taste. Rum and strawberry are a combination that just works, I love it
- Ignore the frosting recipe batch size, it's way too much. I love frosting, but I want to taste my scones, thank you very much. I just stirred together powdered sugar and half-and-half with the vanilla until I had the consistency and amount I wanted
- I added a few drops of almond flavoring to the frosting, just to give it a little something extra. I always like to give a little something extra
Happy Mother's Day, everyone!
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