Lemon Currant Scones

These delicious golden scones are packed with currants and lemon zest, and made with butter and heavy cream.  So of course they’re delicious.  They’re very pretty too – brushing the tops with a little beaten egg and cream before baking creates a golden crust that’s lovely and tasty.

I have been excitedly awaiting the cooler weather of fall so that I could start baking without heating my house to the point of insanity.  These scones were perfect for a brunchy fall snack.

The dough is dry but really wasn’t hard to work with.  The trick is to shape it into rounds, then cut those rounds into wedges - on the parchment paper you’ll be baking the scones on.  Not having to transfer them from a working surface to a baking surface makes things much easier.

Lemon Currant Scones

• 2 c flour
• 1/4 c sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 c cold butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1/2 c currants
• zest of one lemon

Preheat oven to 375

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the cubed butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together cream and egg, then add the liquids to the drys.  Reserve 1 Tbsp of the cream/egg liquid.  Stir until just combined, then dump onto a piece of parchment paper.  Knead 3-4 times until the dough just holds together, then shape into two rounds.  Cut each round into quarters and pull the pieces a few inches apart.

Brush tops of scones with the remaining cream/egg liquid. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.