Blueberry Coffeecake Scones

I am a big scone lover. They were the first thing I baked from scratch after moving out of my parents house. (Isn't it funny how you remember things like that?)

I'm having some girlfriends coming to visit from home in a couple weeks, so I knew I wanted to make a batch of scones while they're here. Since I haven't made this version before, I wanted to do a test run - and they turned out great!

The 'dough' mixture is really a thick batter (very wet & sticky). The best way to describe it is a free form coffeecake cut into wedges. So it's probably not technically a 'scone' but still good.

Makes: 8 wedges
Source: Simply Scones

Ingredients
For the Scones:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed, drained frozen blueberries (I used fresh)

For the crumb topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Light butter an 11-inch diameter circle in the center of a baking sheet. (I used a baking stone)

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I was lazy and just put it in the kitchen aid mixer.)

2. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and lemon peel. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The dough will be sticky. Gently stir in the blueberries.

3. With lightly floured hands and board, knead a couple times (I used almost 1/2 cup of flour when kneading) and pat the dough into a 9-inch diameter circle in the center of the prepared baking sheet.

4. To prepare the topping: in a small bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture. With a pastry blender, cut the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the dough to cover. Press crumb topping lightly into the dough.

5. Cut the circle into 8 wedges (but do not separate them). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the scone comes out clean.

6. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool. Re-cut into wedges, if necessary. Serve warm, or cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler Delight

This recipe is from Simply in Season originally, although I tweaked it a bit because I realized halfway through that I was out of milk. I've loved everything I've tried out of this cookbook so far, but I'm still getting used to how it's written! It makes sense the way the ingredients/directions are arranged, but I keep skipping steps for some reason - I guess because my eyes automatically fall on the ingredients first, and the directions later, like a traditional recipe, and I miss some of the directions. But I still love the book. Anyway, enough babbling. Here's the recipe! (traditionally formatted)

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler Delight (adapted from Simply in Season)

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

3 cups peaches (I used 3 very ripe peaches - I think next time I'd use 4)
1 1/2 cups blueberries (I put in about 2 handfuls)
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold, unsalted butter
1/2 cup boiling water
cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top

Mix first three ingredients in a bowl. Add the fruit and stir to coat. Stick bowl in the microwave for about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes to warm it up and thicken it, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice. Place in a 2-quart casserole dish.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt in a bowl. Cut in butter like you're making a pie crust. When it's all crumbly, pour in the boiling water and stir until you've got a dough. Drop in spoonfuls over the fruit, then sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until bubbly and the crust is baked through (the recipe says 30 minutes, but my crust was still raw at this point...but you can adjust it according to your oven).

You can also use other fruit, like blackberries or raspberries. Served warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, this is a really great summertime treat!