Fresh raspberry scones

I love scones. If I'm out and about and happen across a tea shop at the right time for a little nibble then the chances are that a scone will be my bake of choice, above all of the chocolate or other fancy cakes out there (I think it's partly that the other cakes are more likely to disappoint, and I hate being disappointed!) and spreading with good butter and dolloping with jam both increase the enjoyment immensely. I don't make them nearly often enough, but was recently reminded of how good they are by Foodycat who had made some delicious looking cultured butter and some rather divine looking fresh buttermilk cherry scones to go with it. The gorgeous picture of the scone, all crusted with crunchy demerara sugar and smeared generously with butter was enough to send me to the kitchen to make my version. I loved the idea of fresh fruit in the scone, almost like a self jamming scone!


I didn't have cherries, but since my favourite fruit at this time of the year is raspberries and I had those ready to go, I wasn't too upset! I used my usual scone recipe with a couple of tweaks, outlined below. If I had previously wondered why fresh fruit scones aren't more popular it could be that it was really, really difficult to work the fruit quickly (time is of the essence) into the dough without them mashing it a pulp, which wasn't really the intention. On this note, cherries might have been easier, or I might use frozen fruit next time to stop it breaking up so much.

Fresh raspberry scones

Ingredients

225g self raising flour

55g butter

25g caster sugar

150ml fat free greek yogurt (needed to be used up!)

about 2-3 tbsp milk to loosen the yogurt (mix this in before you start rubbing in)

125g fresh raspberries

demerara sugar, to sprinkle

Method

- Preheat the oven to 210C/Gas 6 1/2 and line a tray with baking parchment.

- Rub the butter into the flour and then stir in the sugar.

- Working quickly, add the yogurt and milk mixture to the dry ingredients and bring the dough together.

- When nearly together, add the raspberries and try to gently mix them through.

- Tip onto a floured surface, flour your hands and pat down, you don't want it too thin.

- Cut rounds from the dough, squashing together the remnants to form the remaining scones.

- Place on the baking tray and brush with milk, then sprinkle generously with sugar.

- Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.

- Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, or split open, slather with butter and devour!!!

Freeze any scones not eaten the same day and either defrost in the microwave, or heat through in the oven (sorry, no directions as I don't often do this to them!)

I made quite a lot out of this (14 I think) but they really are diddly. I usually make much bigger scones, but I'm happy to eat three of these little ones instead ;-) I think on balance that I prefer dried fruit but it's not going to stop me experimenting further with fresh fruit and other scone flavours!

Thanks, Foodycat, for the inspiration!