Breakfast Muffins + Scones

cream scones + grapefruit curd

I have found it is never a good idea to make New Year resolutions. Because while I have such good intentions of so many things, a mere three weeks later they are forgotten, or I have moved on in guilt. Still, this January, I made one anyway. It came about after another night of pinning and tweeting and emailing on my little rectangular device. In between checking apps I would pick up a book, read three sentences, and set it down – I had absolutely no attention span. I realized, staring at my greasy little screen, my forefingers burning from scrolling and my elbow slowly going numb, that the longer I had owned my itouch, the less I had been reading [and writing! and knitting! and sewing!] and the harder it was for me to keep focused on something I had always deemed so important.
So my one resolution is to read – to spend most these winter nights curled up with a book: old or new, long or short, and waste my time in words. For don’t you remember? All the secrets of the world are contained in books. Read at your own risk.*
*Lemony Snicket
 
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. – Anne Lamott

Cream Scones + Grapefruit Curd
These scones are definitely more ‘American’: a little extra butter and egg make these more on the cake-y side. But, well, that’s the way I like them. This recipe is tweaked from the Barefoot Contessa. There is a lot of room for variation here – crème fraîche would be nice in place of the heavy cream, and 1/2 cup of nuts, chocolate, or fruit can be added in. I highly recommend using very good butter and cream, and locally I use Hope Creamery Butter and Cedar Summit Farm cream. These scones are best eaten the day they are made. You can cut the butter down to 10 tablespoons and only use 1 egg if you’d like to cut out a little fat.

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream [or 1/4 heavy cream, 1/4 cup sour cream]
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
heavy cream for brushing
1-2 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling

Position a rack at the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl [or food processor]. Cut butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, until butter is pea-sized [or pulse in the food processor]. Whisk together the heavy cream, eggs and vanilla. Pour over the flour mixture and mix until combined [you might have to use your hands and ‘knead’ the last bit of crumbs into the wet mixture]. Turn the mixture out onto the parchment lined baking sheet, and form into an 8-inch circle that is 1 inch thick. Cut circle into 8 even pieces, and brush tops with a little heavy cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the bottom of the scones are golden brown.When scones have cooled a bit, recut with a knife and serve with the grapefruit curd.

Grapefruit curd

I used this recipe from 101 Cookbooks for the curd, but omitted the ginger [although, I think that would be just as tasty].

  • Reply
    Sandi
    Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 9:52 am

    Lovely blog! But I think there is something wrong with your “subscribe”. I got subscribed to acouplecooks instead. I know I can use bloglovin’; I prefer to go direct.

    • Reply
      Sarah
      Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 4:50 pm

      Thanks for letting me know! I’ll get that fixed.

  • Reply
    Sam
    Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 8:22 am

    These were delicious – I subbed the oil for 1/2 apple sauce and 1/2 coconut oil. Baking time, about 21 minutes. So yum! For dessert we topped them with some whipped cream and raspberry syrup… highly recommend the flavor combo. The texture was just perfect.

  • Reply
    Cynthia
    Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    These scones are perfect!!! I’m going to make the grapefruit curd next. Thank you!!!

  • Reply
    Izy
    Friday, January 11, 2013 at 3:34 am

    I definitely prefer cakey scones too; and that grapefruit curd looks to-die-for!

  • Reply
    Sacha
    Friday, January 11, 2013 at 12:56 am

    I don’t make resolutions either, but I see yours as less of a resolution (you know, doing something that’s good for you that you don’t want to do) ad more of a reward (you know, taking time to do something you love more often). Good for you! I only like richer American scones and, yay, it is now curd season. I remember your curd posts from last year well.

  • Reply
    Eileen
    Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 11:48 pm

    Ooh, grapefruit curd sounds just about perfect for the chilly mornings we’ve been having! I bet it would be amazing stirred into oatmeal…

  • Reply
    Elizabeth
    Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 8:24 pm

    Oh, reading. I remember when I did that. Definitely on my resolution list too (and such inspiring quotes!). Lucky for me, I haven’t resolved not to eat sweets, so I’m free to dash off and make these lovely scones right now.

  • Reply
    jamie @ green beans and grapefruit
    Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 6:14 pm

    The older I’ve gotten, the more I crave the written word. Keeps the mind sharp. These scones look like the perfect accompaniment to a good book as well!

  • Reply
    Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
    Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 4:24 pm

    That curd! What a fabulous recipe!

  • Reply
    Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
    Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    These look faaaaaantastic. And I’m totally with you on your resolution — I need to stare at this screen o’ mind less often and crack open a book every once in a dang while. Maybe with one of these scones on the side. 🙂

  • Reply
    mividaenundulce
    Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 1:27 pm

    We always need New Year resolutions, I mean, each year we do the same…resolutions, resolutions, but at the end of the year we always realize that not all were accomplish, anyway, we have more resolutions for next year. Mine, as usual, is start to exercise, but please, here in Peru January is summer, so, who wants to make exercise when it’s too hot…but it’s always the same…
    I love to read, I found it’s good for our mind and our soul…reading is having some quiet time just for us, ok, unless we are reading Grey…

  • Reply
    Milynn {Love + Whimsy}
    Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 12:27 pm

    Yum this looks delicious! I have been wanting to bake scones for a while!

  • Reply
    Jenny @ BAKE
    Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 11:19 am

    These photos are stunning! and your recipe sonds delicious. What a brilliant resolution, I barely have an attention span anymore, ad scarily I never try to remember anything anymore – who’s that actor in that film? I could think or I could just pick up my phone and google it. I might have to join you on that resolution

  • Reply
    Cristina Rose
    Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 6:31 am

    i agree so much. thank you for sharing beautiful words and recipes

Leave a Reply