scones

I’m so lucky to live in Washington. We get the best berries in the summertime. The most crisp, juicy apples in the fall. But citrus isn’t really our thing. Consequently, we import most of it and get pretty decent varieties year-round. Our local strawberries are still a few weeks shy from being ready (we had a very cold, wet winter and spring), but I was dying for shortcake. So I turned to the one thing I can always count on: oranges. From constantly sunny California.

What resulted was a dreamy shortcake with sweet tangelos and vanilla bean whipped cream. Layer the two on a sweet, flaky scone and you’ve got a dessert that tastes remarkably like those frozen creamsicle treats of your childhood.

Begin with your favorite oranges. I’m digging tangelos right now, but use whatever is juicy and sweet at the moment. Grab some whipping cream, a little sugar, vanilla extract, one vanilla bean, and your favorite scone mix or recipe.

I like Fisher’s. If you grew up in Washington this probably tastes like the Puyallup Fair to you. It’s a snap to make (just add water) and I have yet to find a scratch recipe that is as good.

Begin by peeling the oranges. Take all the white stringy bits off if you have the patience. I never do.

Slice into rounds.

Place in a bowl and drizzle with vanilla extract. Stir and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Next, slice that vanilla bean down the middle. See all those little bits that look like dirt? Those are the vanilla beans that will make our whipped cream extra vanilla-ey.

Use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the beans out of the pod…

…and scrape them straight into the whipped cream container. Shake and refrigerate along with the oranges.

Meanwhile, whip up your scones.

Bake. By now your whole house should smell like vanilla and warm scones. Heaven.

When you’re ready to serve, pour the whipped cream into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the sugar and whip at high speed until stiff peaks form.

Slice a scone in half and layer on the oranges and whipped cream.

Sweet, warm scone, juicy vanilla-scented oranges, and fluffy whipped cream. It’s such a nice alternative to the traditional berry shortcakes. And best of all, you can enjoy it any time of year. Long live the creamsicle!

-RDG

Creamsicle Shortcakes printable pdf

I like Fisher’s Fair Scone Mix (available in Washington), but feel free to use your favorite mix or recipe. Makes 8 shortcakes. Eat the leftover scones for breakfast with a little butter and jam!

Active Prep Time: 15 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour Bake Time: 12 minutes (may vary according to your scone recipe)

4-5 oranges, peeled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean
1 pint whipping cream
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 box Fischer’s Fair Scone Mix

1. Slice oranges into 1/2 inch rounds. Place in a bowl, pour in vanilla extract and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2. Slice the vanilla bean down the middle. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the vanilla beans from the pod and place beans in whipping cream container. Shake and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Prepare scones according to package directions. Shake whipping cream well and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.

4. Slice scones in half. Layer with orange slices and dollops of whipped cream. Serve.

RDG Note: This is a guest post from my friend Carli of Velveeta Ain’t Food. I love her wit, her lighthearted approach to cooking, and above all, her yummy, yummy recipe. Enjoy!

I hate baking. And I don’t like scones. So it came as a surpise to me when I suddenly and inexplicably proclaimed, “Rosemary scones! I’m going to make some rosemary scones.” I truly have no idea what made me think of scones or rosemary or strawberry butter, but it hit me like some kind of supernatural revelation and when divinely inspired baked goods occur to this sleep-deprived brain of mine, I take action.

This was a leap of faith, indeed. After a series of baking failures over the past month (seriously, I actually made FOUR cakes for my daughter’s birthday and had numerous other muffin disasters), I was ready to jump off a cliff. Well, almost. I at least considered starting a new blog in which I bad-mouthed baking. It was as if it were a person; an actual being that had somehow wronged me, and like a 12 year old girl, I wanted to spread the word that BAKING was a tramp. A back-stabbing, unreliable tramp.

But when the spirit moves you, it moves you. So here I was, baking scones; something I don’t like and have never made before in my life. I looked through a few recipes just to get an idea of what I was dealing with. Some had eggs, others had none. Some had very little sugar, others had more. Some had buttermilk, others heavy cream. So in rebellious, 12 year old fashion, I decided to venture out on my own. And why wouldn’t I? I have such a high success rate with baking. I could handle this.

I threw some stuff in the Kitchenaid, gave it a whirl, popped them in the oven and watched. The smell that started filling the house was nothing short of life-changing. I started thinking these things might actually be edible; maybe even more than that. Hope. Anticipation. The stakes were high. After realizing that old baking powder may have been the cause of alot of my recent troubles, I’d replaced it and was holding my breath for redemption. I had some strawberries in the freezer that we’d picked at Sequatchie Cove last Spring. I had just seen a recipe for Strawberry Butter at Joylicious and figured this might be perfect with the scones. This was serious business now. There was spread involved. Spread containing precious strawberries from a dwindling supply and expensive organic butter. I was fully expecting these scones to be worthy.

And were they ever! Mamma Mia! (Please note: I am not Italian, nor do I have any type of connection which would explain my use of the phrase “Mamma mia”. It simply was what came out and I am choosing to let it be because this poured out of me in such a way that it must express something so pure, so righteous, that not saying it would be deceptive). Back to the point…these scones were awesome! Not dry and crumbly like so many are. A little bit sweet (maybe too much so for a scone connoisseur, but just right to me); crispy on the outside and soft on the inside (but not doughy like some biscuits that stick to the roof of your mouth), and just lightly scented with rosemary.

And…they are incredibly easy! I didn’t mess around with rolling them out and cutting; just mix ‘em up and drop ‘em on a baking sheet. If you make these, you MUST abide by the rules; it would be a crime not to eat one of these hot out of the oven with a big ol’ spread of strawberry butter. Let it melt all into the soft, hot scone, take a mid-afternoon break, and prepare to die from deliciousness.

As it turns out, I don’t hate baking. I just hate sucking at something. Yes, that’s what I learned. When you try something over and over and fail miserably time and time again, it will cause you to think that you hate that thing. But you don’t really. In actuality, you really just hate being a pathetic, inadequate disappointment. Who knew?

I am happy to report on this 1st day of June in the two thousand and tenth year of our Lord, that I have experienced deliverance from the imprisonment that has plagued me for so long. No longer will I be a slave to boxed cake mixes and futile muffin-making attempts. Freedom tastes so sweet.

Rosemary Scones with Strawberry Butter

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
scant 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup light sour cream (50% less fat)
1/2 cup fat-free milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of an stand mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and rosemary. Add cold butter, cover mixer with a towel (so it won’t explode everywhere) and mix on low/medium speed until it is crumbly. Then add sour cream and milk, and mix just until dough comes together. Spoon onto two sprayed baking sheets (6 scones per sheet, each a little bit larger than a golf ball). Bake for 27-28 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Strawberry Butter

6 tbsp. room temperature salted butter
1/2 cup strawberries (can be fresh or frozen, but make sure they’re also room temp)
2-3 tsp. agave nectar (depending on sweetness of berries)- can sub honey if needed

Make sure everything is at room temperature! Mix together and serve. (If you use unsalted butter, you may need to add a pinch of salt).