These Blueberry Scones are always a lovely treat when the local highbush blueberries are in season. They may be made with either orange or lemon zest for additional flavor and are divine served still slightly warm from the oven with a favorite jam and/or fruit curd with, of course, some clotted cream or English double cream.
I won’t go into a lot of detail in this posting about how to make scones. If you are unfamiliar with the procedure or need some hints and tips for making scones, please visit my tutorial posting on the subject by clicking here.
This recipe calls for highbush blueberries and I do recommend they be used in these scones versus the small wild blueberries and there are several reasons to back this recommendation.
The highbush blueberries are a firmer berry and hold their shape quite well. Wild blueberries, on the other hand are very small and have a thinner skin which means they break down very easily, especially if mixing them into dough or batter. Using them in a batter or dough you want to keep white or light colored is problematic as they have a tendency to break down when worked with causing them to “bleed” and turn the batter an ugly blue-gray color which is not very appetizing.
Additionally, the blueberries are not mixed or folded into the dough in these scones; rather, portions of them are pressed into the dough each time it is folded over onto itself as part of the process of preparing it for cutting out the scones. This gives good distribution of the blueberries in the dough. Highbush blueberries are sturdy enough to allow for this method. It would be very difficult (and time-consuming) to do this with teeny, tiny wild blueberries.
Highbush blueberries come in various sizes, depending on the variety. For this recipe, you want to use the smaller ones because you still want to see some of the light texture of the scones and not all a mass of blueberries which could make the scones very wet textured. The recipe calls for 4 oz/114g (apx. ¾ cup) highbush blueberries but, depending on their size, you may need to go with a slightly smaller amount such as 2/3 cup (apx. 3.6oz/103g) if the berries are somewhat larger. These blueberries give a delightful burst of blueberry flavor when encountered in a bite of a scone!
While I recommend fresh blueberries, as opposed to frozen berries, be used in this recipe, frozen highbush blueberries could be used provided they do not have a lot of excess moisture frozen in and around them. Note, however, that blueberries thaw quickly and, even working fast, some may break down and bleed color into the dough when being pressed into the dough and with working and folding it 3-4 times to prepare it for scone cutting.
These scones freeze well and reheat fine in the microwave. They are, however, at their best when they are freshly made and still a wee bit warm from the oven when serving. Serve with a favorite jam and/or fruit curd such as my Lemon Curd or Clementine Curd. They are divine if you have clotted cream or English double cream but they are also tasty served with nothing more than a good slather of fine butter. Scones are a great accompaniment to a lovely pot of favorite tea.
Blueberry Scones
Ingredients:
4 oz/114g (apx. ¾ cup) small highbush blueberries
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup fine almond flour
5 tbsp granulated sugar
2¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/16 tsp cardamom
1/3 cup cold unsalted* butter, cut into ½“ cubes
2½ tsp finely grated lemon or orange zest
1 large egg (cold), lightly beaten with fork
½ cup whipping cream (cold) (with ¾ tbsp removed and reserved for brushing tops of scones)
¼ cup of 2% milk (cold)
1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 – 2 tsp turbinado or cane sugar for sprinkling tops of scones (optional)
Method:
Select small-sized highbush blueberries for this recipe. The recipe calls for 4 oz/114g (apx. ¾ cup) highbush blueberries but, depending on their size, you may need to go with a slightly smaller amount such as 2/3 cup (apx. 3.6oz/103g) if the berries are larger.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In large bowl, sieve or sift the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom together. Drop the cubes of butter into the dry ingredients and toss to coat the butter. Cut in the butter with a wire pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs or pea-sized pieces. Quickly run fingers through the mixture several times, scooping up bits of the butter here and there and rubbing them into long paper-thin slivers between the thumb and forefinger. It is not necessary to do this with every piece of butter – just quickly pick several at random.
Stir in the lemon or orange zest. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
In a small bowl or large measuring cup, lightly whisk the egg, whipping cream, milk, and vanilla together, just until blended. Pour liquid ingredients all at once into well in center of dry ingredients. Using a fork, stir dough just enough that the liquid is absorbed into the dry ingredients and the dough can be roughly brought together. Dough will be soft and sticky and some floury spots may remain. Transfer dough onto lightly floured work surface, gently working it just until the dry ingredients are barely incorporated and a shaggy dough mass forms.
Fold the dough in half over onto itself. Lightly press the dough down. Turn the dough a half turn and repeat the folding exercise. Gently press about one-quarter of the blueberries into the dough, just enough that they stay in place. Continue with the foldover process and pressing more of the blueberries into the dough for each foldover. Do this 3-4 times, taking care not to overhandle or overwork the dough. Shape dough loosely into a ball shape.
To make wedge-shaped scones:
With a bench/pastry scraper or sharp knife, divide the dough into two equal parts. Lightly press and form each part into a small circle about ¾” thick. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cut each circle into six equal wedges and separate the scones by about ¾”, still keeping each group of six wedges in a circular shape for baking. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or place in freezer for about 20 minutes) to firm up butter and other ingredients.
Remove scones from refrigerator/freezer and, using a pastry brush, lightly brush the reserved whipping cream on tops of scones and sprinkle with turbinado or cane sugar, if desired.
To make round-shaped scones:
Lightly press dough into circle about ¾“ thick. Use a lightly floured 1¾” – 2” round cutter to cut scones from dough. Push the cutter straight down and out of the dough without twisting it in the process. Re-flour the cutter before cutting out each scone. Gather dough scraps and form into a circle from which to cut remaining scones, being careful to work the dough no more than absolutely necessary to bring it together. Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, placing scones about 1” apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or place in freezer for about 20 minutes) to firm up butter and other ingredients.
To make square-shaped scones:
Lightly press dough into rectangle about ¾“ thick. Use a lightly floured 1¾” – 2” square cutter (or a sharp knife) to cut square-shaped scones from dough. If using a cutter, push the cutter straight down and out of the dough without twisting it in the process. Re-flour the cutter before cutting out each scone. Gather dough scraps and form into a rectangle from which to cut remaining scones, being careful to work the dough no more than absolutely necessary to bring it together. Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, placing scones about 1” apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or place in freezer for about 20 minutes) to firm up butter and other ingredients.
For either round- or square-shaped scones, remove scones from refrigerator/freezer and, using a pastry brush, lightly brush the reserved whipping cream on tops of scones and sprinkle with turbinado or cane sugar, if desired.
To bake scones (wedge-shaped or round/square shaped):
While scones are chilling, position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Bake scones (either wedge-shaped or round or square shapes) 15-17 minutes, or until they are just light golden brown on the edges and tops are golden tanned. Rotate the baking sheet partway through the baking. Remove scones from oven and leave them on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
*salted butter may be substituted for the unsalted butter in which case, reduce the 1/2 teaspoon of salt called for in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
To serve: Serve warm scones along with clotted cream or English double cream and a favorite jam or fruit curd. Or, simply enjoy with a good slather of butter on the scones.
Yield: 1 dozen wedge-shaped scones or apx. 10 – 2” round or square scones (exact number will depend on size of cutter used)
If you have made this recipe and enjoyed it and/or wish to share it with your friends and family, please do so on social media but be sure to share the direct link to this posting from my website.
Connect with My Island Bistro Kitchen on Social Media
Join the Facebook page for My Island Bistro Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/MyIslandBistroKitchen/
Follow “the Bistro” on “X” (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/PEIBistro/
See the drool-worthy gallery of mouth-watering food photos from My Island Bistro Kitchen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peibistro/
Follow “the Bistro” on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.ca/peibistro/ and pin the Pinterest-ready photo at the end of this posting to your favorite Pinterest boards!
You may also enjoy these other tasty Scone recipes from My Island Bistro Kitchen:
Currant and Orange Scones
Panettone Scones
Cranberry and Lemon Scones
Pumpkin and Eggnog Scones
Gluten-free Scones
Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
- 4 oz/114g (apx. ¾ cup) small highbush blueberries
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup fine almond flour
- 5 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1/16 tsp cardamom
- 1/3 cup cold unsalted* butter, cut into ½“ cubes
- 2½ tsp finely grated lemon or orange zest
- 1 large egg (cold), lightly beaten with fork
- ½ cup whipping cream (cold) (with ¾ tbsp removed and reserved for brushing tops of scones)
- ¼ cup of 2% milk (cold)
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 tsp turbinado or cane sugar for sprinkling tops of scones (optional)
Instructions
- Select small-sized highbush blueberries for this recipe. The recipe calls for 4 oz/114g (apx. ¾ cup) highbush blueberries but, depending on their size, you may need to go with a slightly smaller amount such as 2/3 cup (apx. 3.6oz/103g) if the berries are larger.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, sieve or sift the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom together. Drop the cubes of butter into the dry ingredients and toss to coat the butter. Cut in the butter with a wire pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs or pea-sized pieces. Quickly run fingers through the mixture several times, scooping up bits of the butter here and there and rubbing them into long paper-thin slivers between the thumb and forefinger. It is not necessary to do this with every piece of butter – just quickly pick several at random.
- Stir in the lemon or orange zest. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, lightly whisk the egg, whipping cream, milk, and vanilla together, just until blended. Pour liquid ingredients all at once into well in center of dry ingredients. Using a fork, stir dough just enough that the liquid is absorbed into the dry ingredients and the dough can be roughly brought together. Dough will be soft and sticky and some floury spots may remain. Transfer dough onto lightly floured work surface, gently working it just until the dry ingredients are barely incorporated and a shaggy dough mass forms.
Fold the dough in half over onto itself. Lightly press the dough down. Turn the dough a half turn and repeat the folding exercise. Gently press about one-quarter of the blueberries into the dough, just enough that they stay in place. Continue with the foldover process and pressing more of the blueberries into the dough for each foldover. Do this 3-4 times, taking care not to overhandle or overwork the dough. Shape dough loosely into a circular ball shape.
To make wedge-shaped scones:
- With a bench/pastry scraper or sharp knife, divide the dough into two equal parts. Lightly press and form each part into a small circle about ¾” thick. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cut each circle into six equal wedges and separate the scones by about ¾”, still keeping each group of six wedges in a circular shape for baking. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or place in freezer for about 20 minutes) to firm up butter and other ingredients.
- Remove scones from refrigerator/freezer and, using a pastry brush, lightly brush the reserved whipping cream on tops of scones and sprinkle with turbinado or cane sugar, if desired.
To make round-shaped scones:
- Lightly press dough into circle about ¾“ thick. Use a lightly floured 1¾” – 2” round cutter to cut scones from dough. Push the cutter straight down and out of the dough without twisting it in the process. Re-flour the cutter before cutting out each scone. Gather dough scraps and form into a circle from which to cut remaining scones, being careful to work the dough no more than absolutely necessary to bring it together. Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, placing scones about 1” apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or place in freezer for about 20 minutes) to firm up butter and other ingredients.
To make square-shaped scones:
- Lightly press dough into rectangle about ¾“ thick. Use a lightly floured 1¾” – 2” square cutter (or a sharp knife) to cut square-shaped scones from dough. If using a cutter, push the cutter straight down and out of the dough without twisting it in the process. Re-flour the cutter before cutting out each scone. Gather dough scraps and form into a rectangle from which to cut remaining scones, being careful to work the dough no more than absolutely necessary to bring it together. Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, placing scones about 1” apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or place in freezer for about 20 minutes) to firm up butter and other ingredients.
- For either round- or square-shaped scones, remove scones from refrigerator/freezer and, using a pastry brush, lightly brush the reserved whipping cream on tops of scones and sprinkle with turbinado or cane sugar, if desired.
To bake scones (wedge-shaped or round/square shaped):
- While scones are chilling, position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Bake scones (either wedge-shaped or round or square shapes) 15-17 minutes, or until they are just light golden brown on the edges and tops are golden tanned. Rotate the baking sheet partway through the baking. Remove scones from oven and leave them on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Recipe Notes
*salted butter may be substituted for the unsalted butter in which case, reduce the 1/2 teaspoon of salt called for in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
To serve: Serve warm scones along with clotted cream or English double cream and a favorite jam or fruit curd. Or, simply enjoy with a good slather of butter on the scones.
Yield: 1 dozen wedge-shaped scones or apx. 10 – 2” round or square scones (exact number will depend on size of cutter used)
[Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]
PIN ME TO PINTEREST!
