Berry Scones (Reduced Fat and Calories)

To be honest, I was never a huge fan of scones.  The problem was not that I disliked them--if one was put in front of me, I would eat it happily.  Rather, the issue was that I wouldn't ever pick a scone over a muffin, croissant, danish, or most other pastries.  That all changed one day two summers ago.

In the summer of 2010, my husband and I were subletting a room in a friend's apartment in Oakland, CA.  Right around the corner was Bake Sale Betty's.  We had been told by numerous people that the scones were amazing, so, somewhat unenthusiastically, I ordered one on one of those typically foggy Bay Area mornings.  Biting into that pear ginger scone changed my stance on scones from then on.  Once I got back home (which, at that time, was in Texas), I went on a hunt for a scone recipe that would deliver.  I started by looking in the first place I always look, when I am in search of a reliable recipe and there it was:  the perfect scone recipe.  I made the recipe as directed the first few times and the scones were to die for.  They were perfectly flaky, not overly sweet, and just plain delicious.  If I were serving scones to others, I would likely leave the recipe in tact with the full amount of fat because perfection requires it.  However, for my husband and I, I like to keep things a little more health conscious so I have replaced 3/4 of the heavy cream with milk.  The final result might fall short of perfection, but it is still fantastic.

Berry Scones
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 12

2 cups of flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
5 tbsp chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" cubes
1/4 cup heavy cream *
3/4 cup milk
1 cup berries (I used 1/3 cup chopped strawberries and 2/3 cup of blueberries)

1. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Using a pastry blender, cut in the chilled cubes of butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Stir in the cream and milk just until everything is combined.
5. Fold in blueberries.
6. Drop 1/4 cup of batter onto the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10-11 minutes until done. (While the first baking sheet is in the oven, I put the batter on the other one and then place it in the fridge to keep the batter cold).
8. Remove from oven.  Let stand on baking sheet for 10 minutes.  Then place scones on a wire rack to cool.

Calories: 160 per scone