Best. Scones. Ever.

I can't say that I'm a huge fan of scones.  I find that they always tend to be dry, dense, and flavorless.  I've tried the scones from the big donut chain and didn't care for them because along with those last three offenses, they were also overly sweet.  I've tried scones from a local bakery and they were raw in the middle and tough on the outside.  I had pretty much given up on scones, believing that they just weren't meant for me.

But then I saw an episode of America's Test Kitchen where they made blueberry scones, and they looked so easy to make that I thought I should give it a shot.  ATK rarely steers me wrong. 

Let's bake!  (Click here for the full Cook's Illustrated recipe.)

One of the keys to this recipe seems to be keeping the ingredients as cold as possible.  So of course, I decided to make these on a really hot and humid day. 

The first step in this recipe was one that I've never seen or heard of before.  You have to grate 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter and then put it in the freezer.  The best way to do this is to take two (frozen) sticks of butter, unwrap a little more than half of each stick and then, using the big holes on a box grater, grate half of each stick.

Once that's done and waiting in the freezer, cut two more tablespoons of the butter into a little bowl, melt it, and save it for later.

Next, measure out 1 1/2 cups of fresh, clean blueberries.  Once they are clean and dry, put those in the freezer as well.

In a small bowl (I just used a measuring cup), whisk together 1/2 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup sour cream.  Then, in a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups (or 10 ounces) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon table salt.

I stray from ATK's recipe here a little bit, because they ask for 1 teaspoon of lemon to be mixed in with the dry ingredients.  I like lemon.  I like blueberries.  For some strange reason, I do not like lemon mixed with blueberries.  On paper the combination makes sense, but I just don't care for it.  So no lemon for my scones.  If you like lemon...go to town.

Next step in the recipe is to add the frozen grated butter to the dry ingredient mixture.  Quickly toss the butter in with your fingers.  Speed is important in this recipe in order to keep everything nice and chilly.

Next, using a rubber spatula, mix the milk mixture into the flour mixture.  Don't over mix though - just until it's combined.  It may look like a big scraggly mess - but it works out in the end.

Next, you want to turn this mixture out on to a liberally floured work surface.  I usually will do this on my counter top, but remember how I said that I made these on a hot and humid day?  Well, I decided that I'd try a little trick.  I put my biggest sheet pan into the freezer when I started making the recipe, and used that as my work surface in hopes that it would help to keep everything cool.

Now you'll knead the dough 6 to 8 times, until it holds together in a ragged ball.  If you need to, add flour to keep it from sticking.  Next, roll the dough into a 12-inch (approximate) square.  (You can really see the little butter pieces in the dough here - this is a good thing.)

Using a bench scraper, you want to tri-fold the dough.  Start with one side and fold it in towards the center.

Then fold the other side in, on top of that first fold.

Next, do the same with the top and the bottom, until you have a plump little square of dough.

Move the dough to a floured plate and put it in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Once the time is up, move the dough back onto a floured working surface and roll it into another 12-inch square.  (You can see that I am no longer working on the sheet pan, but on a flexible cutting board.  That's because we're going to be cutting the dough soon with a sharp knife and I want to keep my sheet pan and countertops in good condition.)

Next, add the blueberries evenly over the top of the dough and press them down slightly into the dough.

Next, you want to roll the dough (sort of like you would if you were making cinnamon buns).

Once it's rolled into a nice tight log shape, put it seam-side down and press it into a 12 x 4-inch rectangle.

Then, using a sharp, floured knife, cut the rectangle in half...















...then cut each of those rectangles in half...

...and then cut each of these four pieces into two triangles.

Transfer the triangles onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.














Next, using the melted butter from earlier, brush the tops of each triangle.



Next, sprinkle sugar over the tops.  (1 tablespoon combined)



Bake them in the (preheated to 425) oven until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes.  When they come out, transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving them.

These scones have changed my mind completely.  I realized that it's not that I don't like scones, but that I don't like BAD scones!  These were delicious.  They are light and flaky, with a crisp exterior and a soft, fluffy interior. 

One thing that shocked me about them is that they don't need butter on the side.  I am someone who thinks that a muffin is incomplete without a nice slathering of butter on it.  And since I've always found scones to be drier and more dense than muffins, I was certain that I would need butter to make these taste really good.  Not the case!  These were so tasty and buttery on their own!

This recipe is a definite keeper.  It's quick, easy, and delicious. 

The week after I made these, I tried making them with a mixture of blueberries and raspberries.  This combination was good, but I definitely prefer the straight blueberry ones.  I may try a strawberry version at some point in the future too, but that will have to wait...

I'm heading to the hospital tomorrow morning to have my baby boy!  So my baking/blogging will be on hold for a little bit while we settle in to life with a newborn again!  Although, if anyone wants to bake for me...feel free to make me some of these scones!