Strawberry White Chocolate Scones
Last week I came home from the farmers’ market faced with a dilemma I find myself in each week: should I make something spectacular with the luscious strawberries I purchased, or should I just plop myself down in the grass and eat them straight from the basket? I took the question to Instagram, and the response was heavily in favour of enjoying them as they were. I heeded the advice, but set aside a few cups for some weekend baking.
By Sunday morning I knew I needed to act quickly if I wanted to use the fruit before it spoiled, so I set out to make some scones for our drive to the antique market. Last year I made a mental note of baking technique created by Cook’s Illustrated where you roll and fold the dough like you would if you were making puff pastry to create tall flaky layers, and I couldn’t wait to put it into practice using my version of the Barefoot Contessa’s popular strawberry scones.
The result did not disappoint and is a wonderful way to highlight this season’s best berries. For fun I added a handful of white chocolate chips to recipe and we all marvelled in what a delicious idea that was. We have a long weekend coming up and I think these make a perfect summer breakfast. Share them with friends or family, or pack them up for a picnic in the park. Enjoy!
You’ll Need
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 large eggs, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp granulated or cane sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups strawberries, hulled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- heavy cream for brushing
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Prep and Cook
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and the preheat oven to 400°F. Line both a rimmed baking sheet and standard dinner plate with parchment paper.
- Grate the butter on the large holes of a box grater and place it on the prepared dinner plate. Transfer to the freezer to chill while you prep the remaining ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, 2 eggs, and vanilla; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the frozen butter to the flour mixture and toss with your fingers until combined. Add the egg mixture to the bowl and lightly fold to bring the dough together. It will be shaggy and loose, which is fine.
- Generously dust a work surface with flour and empty the dough onto the counter. Gather the dough in your hands, working it a bit (but not too much) until it comes together. Add more flour if I’s sticking too much.
- Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Fold the dough in thirds, and then in thirds again, to make a 4-inch square. Return to the bowl and place in the freezer to chill for 5 minutes.
- Roll the dough into a 12-inch square again. Sprinkle the berries over the dough, pressing them down gently. Scatter the white chocolate chips over top, covering the surface evenly.
- Roll the dough into a cylinder (like a jelly-roll) and press down gently to flatten it. Using a sharp knife cut the dough into 8 wedges.
- Transfer the scones to the baking sheet. Whisk the remaining egg with a tablespoon of water and brush the tops and sides of the scones. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until scones are golden brown. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
