Blueberry + Earl Grey Scones
I legit don't know what took us so long to share this recipe, because it's been one of our favorites for a solid three years now. OK actually real talk what took so long is that we had always planned to include this recipe in a book that we never got around to writing, so we didn't want to post it online. And then we eventually were like screw it, between this blog and figuring out how to buy a house and freelance design work and now apparently planning quarterly drag brunches—a book is gonna have to hold the hell up. Maybe we'll get around to it in 2020 when our presi isn't Satan and our to do list is a bit shorter.
So a lot of people have a weird reaction to these scones. Typically it's "I don't like scones" *takes bite of this scone* "what the hell that's not a scone why is it so good???" So a quick few words on scones and what makes these scones actually delicious. If you think scones are always dry and crumbly and not remotely enjoyable, please please please believe me it's just because you haven't had the *right* scone. Kind of like how I thought all men willing to date and/or touch me were horrible creeps double my age until I met Matt. That's maybe a story for another time. But anyway the point is you have to meet your Matt of scones, and there's one for everyone.
This recipe yields scones that are slightly cakey and not nearly as crumbly as most scones. They're sweet but not cloyingly sweet, and the hints of blueberry, earl grey, and orange bring in a bright fresh flavor that makes them outta this damn world. Also, from start to finish these can be done in about 40 minutes, so make them in the morning and enjoy them slightly warm for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea. It's a game changer.
Blueberry Earl Grey Scones
takes: 45 minutes // makes 6 - 8 scones
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (see notes for proper measuring technique)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon finely ground earl grey tea (see notes for more info)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) very cold unsalted butter (you can pop in freezer for 30 minutes before using)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange (optional)
1 cup frozen blueberries
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons finely ground earl grey tea (See notes for more info)
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/8 teaspoon orange extract
With a rack in the center position, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
To make the scones, use a wire whisk to whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground tea and salt in a large bowl. Use the large-hole side of a box grater to grate the butter over the flour mixture, folding in the butter as you go. Then, use your whisk like a potato masher (pounding it up and down into the flour) to cut in the butter until there are no butter lumps larger than a pea. If you’re not using a wire whisk, you can use a pastry blender to cut in the butter. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, vanilla extract, and orange zest (if using) and pour it evenly over the flour mixture, using a rubber spatula or spoon to mix in evenly without overworking the batter. Fold in the blueberries, being careful not to break the blueberries apart (though, if they're totally frozen this shouldn't be a problem).
For circular scones (like in these photos): pour a small handful of white sugar on a clean work surface and spread it around evenly. Place the dough onto the sugar and shape into a disk the size of a dinner plate, about 3/4” thick (see photos above for reference). It may be slightly wet and hard to work with, but just trust it’s gonna be OK (if it begins to get sloppy and impossible to mold, sprinkle flour on your work surface and on top the dough). Use a biscuit cutter to cut out small circles of dough, placing each one onto the prepared baking sheet about 3" apart from each other. For triangle scones (or if you don’t have a biscuit cutter): transfer the scone dough from the mixing bowl directly onto the prepared baking sheet and form the whole thing into a big disk. Cut it into 8 slices like a pizza, gently pull the slices about 2” apart from each other to give the scones room to rise.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before glazing. See notes on glazing the scones below.
Make the glaze by combining all glaze ingredients in a bowl until the powdered sugar is dissolved. Feel free to add a small amount of powdered sugar for a thicker glaze, or more milk for a thinner glaze. Drizzle or spoon the glaze onto your sconces, and enjoy.
Notes
Proper flour scooping technique—all recipes on this site where flour is measured by cups is following this technique. Basically, you want to fluff the flour with a spoon while it’s still in the package. Then, gently scoop out flour with the spoon and into your measuring cup to ensure it’s not getting packed down. Level the flour with a knife before adding your measured flour to the mixing bowl. Scooping flour out of the package with your measuring cup will result in compacted flour and likely will result in a denser baked good.
Early Grey—most conventional earl grey tea packets are ground into a fine powder and work perfectly for this recipe, and each bag is usually 1 teaspoon. If you only have super coarse or whole leaf earl grey, most coffee grinder or small processors should be able to turn it into a powder with a few pulses.
Glaze—If you want to enjoy these warm, go ahead and spread the glaze on while these are still hot out the oven (just be aware you the glaze is gonna be melty and sloppy). Otherwise, if you want the glaze to be a pretty design or drizzle, let the scones cool to room temperature before adding the glaze.
