Blueberry Sour Cream Scones

These scones are so rich and delicious, you don't need to serve them with anything else.  However, I can never keep it too simple, so I served mine with a scoop of my own homemade Spiced Apple Pumpkin Butter and a heaping spoonful of my friend's homemade Raspberry Jam.  Deelish!!

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• Ingredients
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• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 cups of flour
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup of cold butter, cubed
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cup of blueberries
• 3 T half and half
• Course Sparkly Sugar

Preheat oven to 350*.
In  small bowl add sour cream and baking soda. Mix together and set aside. Sour cream will become foamy.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives until the butter and flour form pea sized crumbs.
Beat the egg and mix in into the sour cream.
Add the sour cream mixture into the dry mixture, working it in with your hands.
Gently mix in the blueberries.  Do not over mix as the blueberries will pop and the juice will turn your dough gray.
Divide dough in half.  On a lightly floured cutting board pat each into 1/2" thick rounds. Cut each round into 6 triangles. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush each scone with half and half; sprinkle with course sugar.Bake for 24-26 minutes or until browned on the bottom and slightly browned on top.
Serve with jam, apple butter, lemon curd and/or sweetened whipped or clotted cream.

Candied Bacon & Pecan Buttermilk Scones

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In a previous post I shared a recipe on how to make Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Apple & Pear Butter.  It made me think about what I could make that would compliment it perfectly.  I came up with this recipe, and they were great together.  These scones are so moist and tender and tasty.  You have the sweet 'n salty taste of the candied bacon and the nuttiness of toasted pecans all rolled into a rich, buttermilk dough.  Serve with the Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Apple & Pear butter or a favorite curd or jam.  Not overly sweet, so perfect on a chilly autumn morning.

Ingredients:

3 1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 T granulated sugar
4 T cold unsalted butter, diced
4 T vegetable shortening
1 1/4 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
6 strips candied thick sliced bacon (recipe below)
1/2 c toasted pecans, chopped
1 egg, beaten with a tsp of water for an egg wash

Candied Bacon:
5 strips thick sliced bacon cut into thirds
1/2 c dark brown sugar
2 T pure maple syrup

Heat oven to 350*F.  Line a cookie sheet w foil and place a rack on top.  Place the cut bacon on the rack, set aside.
Mix brown sugar and maple syrup together.  Cover the bacon slices with the mixture.  I use my fingers and drop pieces on the bacon and smooth it out with the back of a spoon.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until crisp.  Cool completely, then dice with a sharp knife. Set aside. Try not to eat too much of it while you are preparing the scone batter! ;)

Place flour, baking soda & granulated sugar in a large bowl and whisk to get any lumps out.  Add butter and shortening and with your fingers, work the mixture until the butter and shortening and pea size.  Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk all at once along with the vanilla.  Combine just until blended.  Toss in the diced bacon and pecan pieces.

Prepare the scone batter:
Cover a large cookie sheet w parchment paper, set aside.
On a lightly floured surface pat the dough out to about 1 1/2" thickness.  Using a floured biscuit cutter; one with a fluted edge will look nicer, cut out the scones and place them on the prepared cookie sheet.  It is okay if they touch.  With a pastry brush, brush the egg was all over the scones.  This will give them a nice browned color as they bake.
Bake approximately 12 minutes or until golden brown, but still tender to the touch.

Brilliant!  Absolutely Brilliant!