A Southern Grace: scone zone*

July 29, 2013

scone zone*

Yum

Near the tippy-top of my list of people I'd love to meet and hang out with for any amount of time is Conan O'Brien. That man is a laugh riot.


He's as sharp as a tack and witty and always so quick with a joke; I appreciate his self-deprecating sense of humor and terrific physical comedy too. Plus, he handled all that crap with NBC with absolute aplomb. Is it wrong that I kind of just want to ruffle his red, red, floppy, funny hair?

*In case you missed it, the Cone Zone is a phrase often used in reference to Conan's empire.


So, scones. We make a different type every day at the bakery, and the one that sells out the quickest is, without a doubt, the blueberry. I'm not sure if it's the grandeur of the big blobs of purple fruit that reels people in or if they think they're actually ordering something healthful. I will say, though, that the fruit scones are probably the least sinful option in our bake case.

In addition to juicy blueberries**, this batch contains ground oats and almonds, which not only provide some nutritional benefits, but texture and substance as well. As flavorings go, there's a bit of lemon zest and juice and a sprinkle of ginger, which is my homage to my favorite Irish redhead (fondly known to some as the Ginja Ninja).

**Keep the juiciness of the berries in mind when adding your liquids--flat scones are pretty unappealing and that's what you'll get if the dough is too wet.

Ginja Ninja Blueberry Scones
Makes 8
Ingredients:
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup oats
  • 3/4 cup almonds, finely ground
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) butter, cold and cubed
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the dry ingredients (including lemon zest) and cut in the butter until a coarse, crumbly mixture is formed.
Mix in the buttermilk, lemon juice, and blueberries using a fork until everything is moistened and then turn the batter out onto a floured surface.
Form the dough into a 6-inch wide disk about an inch in height.
Apply an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, then cut the disk into 8 wedges.
Transfer the wedges to a baking sheet with about 2 inches between them and bake for 20-25 minutes.

28 comments:

Beth said...

I love your blog title, and I love the ginger you added as a tribute to Conan! So cute. I think I'd order the blueberry scones too - not because I think they're healthier, but because they look so good.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Wonderful flavors and texture!

Cheers,

Rosa

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

I think blueberry is my favorite scone flavor :) I'd like one right about now!

Angie's Recipes said...

Me too would get the blueberry one too! Yours looks fantastic!

Rosita Vargas said...

Se ve exquisito y tentador me encanta los berrie,saludos y abrazos.

Pam said...

I would totally love to hangout with Conan too... I bet he would be such a fun guy!

I would also like to eat these scones for breakfast tomorrow!

Erica said...

What a delicious breakfast,Grace!I love scones and yours look perfect!

Unknown said...

Yummmm! Thin I'll make those tomorrow.... except... can' eat almonds. If I leave it our and reduce the liquid ( s/b "biscuit"consistency,right or wrong?)
Love your recipes!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Hehe he does seem to have a great sense of humour! I love how he looks like the former female Finnish prime minister and how he embraced it! :P

grace said...

@Patricia Bacon: that should be fine. you can even bump up the amount of oats to replace the ground almonds if you want. thanks for your kind words. :)

Joanne said...

I'm totally down with a little bit of homage to Conan. He is hysterical and pretty awesome.

Bites of gingery blueberry - totally my kind of thing.

Lori said...

Hmmmmm, I remember when you didnt like scones... Great to see this recipe and I will certainly give it a try.

~~louise~~ said...

Blueberry Scones are my very best favorite which I find rather odd considering I'm not a huge fan of blueberries:)

The addition of almonds, lemon and a hint of ginger make these next on my Scone retry. (mine never come out quite right but now that you mention it, it may just be my batter)

Thanks for sharing, Grace...

My Kitchen Stories. said...

Love your scones and the ginger in them.

Caroline Taylor said...

These look so good!

Unknown said...

This scone would be a perfect way to start my day.

Blond Duck said...

I want a scone.

Anonymous said...

such scrumptious scones...perfectly done..we want some now :-)

Barbara said...

Yummy scone, Grace. I'd love to eat one every morning...my favorite breakfast.
Not a big fan of Conan though.

pam said...

Would you believe, I've never made scones!

Dianne @ Sweet Journey Home said...

I love scones and these look delicious! Somewhere along the way, I missed that you have a bakery! I also agree about Conan!

Carolyn Jung said...

I can see why the blueberry is such a best-seller. It's a classic. Plus, who can resist those juicy berries strewn throughout?

lisa is cooking said...

I think I could eat scones every day! Love the oats and almonds in these, and now I really need a scone for breakfast.

vanillasugarblog said...

blueberry and pumpkin are my top scone fav's.
now this could change of course should I ever hit up England!

Bethany said...

Ethan and I picked 15 pounds of blueberries this week, so you posted this recipe at the perfect time! Will definitely try them

grace said...

@Bethany: i'm so jealous of your glut of blueberries. let me know how your scones turn out!

Jeff @ Cheeseburger said...

Blueberry scones are my favorite. The touch of lemon zest is perfect.

Nutmeg Nanny said...

YUM!! Scones are my favorite breakfast treat, especially blueberry :)