Info
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Total time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- A dash of vanilla extract
- 1 cup blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
- For serving: Honey Butter and Blackberry Jam (recipes below)
Honey Butter
- 8 ounces whipped unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons honey (wildflower or mesquite preferred)
Blackberry Jam
- 2 cups (about 12 ounces) blackberries
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add to the dry mixture.
- Mix on low speed to start, then increase to medium and beat until the butter is broken into small pieces. Add the milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla, and stir just until the dough is moistened.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently fold in the blueberries, taking care not to crush them. Pat the dough into a long rectangle about 1 inch thick. Cut it into 2 squares. Cut each square diagonally in half, then cut each of those pieces in half again to yield 8 triangles.
- Arrange the scones on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between them. Bake until golden brown, 17 to 21 minutes. Allow to cool. Serve with Honey Butter and Blackberry Jam.
- Make the honey butter: In a medium bowl, stir the butter and honey together until fully blended.
- Transfer to a butter crock for serving.
- Alternatively, shape the butter into a log: place the blended butter on a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a rectangle. Wrap tightly, folding in the sides first and then the top and bottom. Roll into a log and refrigerate until firm. To serve, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices and arrange on a butter dish.
- Make the blackberry jam: Put the berries in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, mashing the berries with a potato masher as they cook. Stir in the lemon juice and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring and mashing constantly.
- Add the sugar and return to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture looks syrupy and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and test for doneness: a candy thermometer should read 220°F and the jam should coat the back of a spoon. Draw a finger—or a clean object about the width of a finger—through the coating. If the jam does not run back to fill the gap, it is ready. If it does, return the pan to the heat for another 1 to 2 minutes and test again. Be careful not to let the mixture become too thick—it will set further as it cools. (See Cook's Note.)
- When the jam is done, transfer it to a heatproof jar and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Seal with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. The jam will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
The key is to avoid overcooking the jam. It cooks very quickly, and if you think it is thick enough, it probably is. Always remove it from the heat to test for doneness, since the time you take to test it could cause overcooking. Better to err on the side of undercooking, as once it is overcooked—dark, thick, and smelling like caramelized sugar—it cannot be saved.
