blackberry scones

(by katie steele)

there’s a rye grass prairie growing in my front yard

and it rained all night and all morning, without end,

so I made blackberry scones.

the lightening cheered,

and the thunder said amen,

to a swelling chorus of car alarms.

--

blackberry scones with lemon glaze

(adapted from orangette)

if you use frozen berries, do not thaw them before using.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed golden brown sugar

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. kosher salt

11 Tbsp. (5 ½ ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 ¾ cups cold whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup oats

1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries

lemon glaze:

½  cup powdered sugar

1 ½  tablespoon lemon juice

zest of one lemon

preheat the oven to 350°F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. pulse to mix well. add the butter and pulse again briefly, until the mixture looks coarse and the largest lumps of butter are no bigger than a pea. (i don’t have a food processor large enough to accommodate, so i just did this part with my hands.)

in a large bowl, stir together the whole milk and vanilla. add the flour mixture and the rolled oats, and stir until just combined; the dough will be thick and sticky. add the berries, and stir briefly to mix. it’s impossible to stir blackberries into the dough without crushing them – just stir a little, and then move on to the next step. as you scoop the dough onto the baking sheets, you can use your fingers to press berries into the mounds of dough.

use a 1/3-cup measuring cup to scoop the dough into mounds, about 3 inches apart.

bake for 24 to 27 minutes, or until the center of the scones feels firm to the touch. (it took me four rounds to finish the dough – I can’t fit two baking sheets at a time in my oven)

while the scones are baking, make the glaze by combining ingredients and stirring well to mix. after removing from oven, transfer scones to a cooling rack and drizzle or brush with lemon glaze – then let cool.