Fresh Blueberry Sandwich Scones

   
     The weather has been beautiful lately, and the blue skies always make me think of blueberries.  It's like spring is coming soon.  You can see it in grocery stores, too.  While the berries aren't great yet, they are certainly plentiful on the supermarkets' shelves.
     The sun is starting to rise earlier, too, which I love.  When I woke up, I automatically decided that it was the perfect time to make some scones.  (I'm always in the mood for scones.)  And so I made these blueberry "sandwich" scones.
     I based this recipe off of a basic cream scone recipe from Fine Cooking magazine.  To brighten it up, I added lemon zest to the dough and I made the scones double layered, with blueberries and jam sandwiched in the middle.  It's like a blueberry scone, only so much funner.
     I learned a lot from reading Fine Cooking.  They said some pretty useful things when it comes to making the perfect scones. They included tips like these:

• beat the cream in a chilled bowl and with chilled beaters, so that more air is trapped and the scones will be lighter
• Press the cold butter into flakes when mixing with the flour to make the scones flakier
• Don't over-work the dough
• Shape the dough in a cake pan for more uniform shapes
• Wrap the scones in an unscented towel to cool to trap moisture

    The results were fantastic.  The scones were everything a scone should be: soft, moist, and flaky.  A perfect treat for breakfast or an afternoon snack. You can even make these ahead of time and refrigerate/ freeze the completed, baked scones.  Then, just bake at 350*F for 10 minutes if you refrigerated, or at 300* for 20 minutes if you freezed. (They also last at room temp. for a couple of days.) Then, you can enjoy a scone any time you want to!

     Conclusion: Try these.  They are easy to make, and absolutely scrumptious.  Enjoy!

First, chill a bowl and beaters in the freezer.  Metal bowls chill faster, and it also helps to put some ice in the bowl.

 Whip the cream just until soft peaks form.  Refrigerate it while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

 Whisk together the dry ingredients and add cold butter cubes.

 Using your hands, press the butter with the flour into dime-sized flakes.

 Make a well int the flour mixture to make mixing easier.

 Add the cream and honey. Honey makes the scones brown better.

 Fold until incorporated and a dough forms/

 Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface until it's evenly mixed.  I added lemon zest at this point.

 Divide the dough unequally so that one piece is a bit bigger. Place both portions onto plastic wrap.

 Cover with plastic wrap and roll/ press each piece into a square baking pan (I used 9x9).  One piece should be thinner than the other. Also, you should refrigerate the dough pieces for at least 10 minutes before continuing. Be patient.

 Take the thicker piece and spread a couple tablespoons of jam on top.  I used blackberry preserves, but any kind would work.  Scatter about 3/4 cup of blueberries on the surface, then place the other sheet of dough on top.

 Cut into even rectangles or squares using a sharp knife.

 Brush with some cream and then sprinkle on some sugar.

 Place about 1-1/2 inches apart and bake.

 If you aren't serving them immediately, you should cover them in a towel right after you take them off of the baking sheet so that moisture is retained.  Then, keep the scones in an airtight container at room temperature,   or you can refrigerate or freeze them.

Fresh Blueberry Sandwich Scones

makes 10-12 scones

adapted from Fine Cooking's cream scone recipe

Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tbs chilled heavy cream

10.6 oz (2-1/3 cups) all-purpose flour

3 tbs granulated sugar

1 tbs baking powder

a bit less than 1/4 tsp fine salt

10 tbs (5 oz) cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 tbs plus 1 tsp honey

1 tbs lemon zest

3/4 cup fresh blueberries

2 tbs blackberry or blueberry jam/preserves

coarse sugar or regular sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Chill a bowl and beaters for at least 15 minutes (see notes above).
2. Preheat the oven to 400*F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. Beat 1 cup of the heavy cream in the chilled bowl just until soft peaks form.  It'll only take a couple of minutes.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add the butter squares and toss with your fingers.  Press the butter into dime-sized flakes.
5. Make a well in the mixture and add the cream and honey.  Lightly fold with a spatula until incorporated.  Add lemon zest and lightly knead in the bowl until a loose dough forms.  
6. On a floured surface, lightly knead the dough a bit more and divide into two unequal portions (about a 2:3 ratio).  Place both pieces on different pieces of plastic wrap and then cover with more plastic wrap. 
7. Take each piece of dough and roll it or press it to fit a square (9x9") baking pan.  One piece will be thinner than the other.  Refrigerate both pieces for 10 minutes before continuing. 
8. Unwrap the thicker piece of dough. Spread the jam on top and then scatter the blueberries on top of that.  Place the other piece of dough on top so that the edges match up.  Using a sharp knife, cut into 10-12 even squares or rectangles.
9. Brush the tops with 2 tsp heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Place on baking sheet about 1-1/2 inches apart.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the tops are light brown.  Spread a clean, unscented towel on a cooling rack.  Lift the scones off the baking sheet and onto the towel.  Cover the scones with the towel and let cool, or serve warm.  
10. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days.  Alternatively, freeze or refrigerate.