Strawberry Scones

I must say, there are few things I love more than lazy weekends at home with nothing to do but swim in the pool and relax on the couch with my family. On these rare occasions I love to indulge in home cooking, with fresh out of the oven baked goods. Scones are the perfect treat when one can't be bothered to cook a meal but still wants something more than a slice of toast.

There’s just something about a scone that can make my breakfast that much better. These light and slightly sweetened scones with fresh strawberries are sure to impress anyone. A dab of your favorite jam or Devonshire cream and you have the perfect scone! These lovely scones freeze well and can be prepared in advance and go straight from freezer to the oven. Could your weekend get any better?

Strawberry Scones

1 cup strawberries, or any fruit, cut into bite size pieces

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

2/3 cup heavy cream or buttermilk

sugar, for the tops of scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle fruit with 1 tablespoon sugar, set aside. Be sure to make the pieces small, or they tend to fall out of the dough if cut into larger pieces.

Combine remaining sugar with flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter, using a pastry cutter to cut in butter or you may want to use your fingers to be sure butter is evenly mixed into flour mixture. Stir in fruit; then add heavy cream/buttermilk. Use spatula, gently stir dough until it holds together.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to incorporate dry ingredients. Be gentle so you don't break up fruit and don't overwork the dough. Sprinkle dough with flour if it gets sticky.

Gently pat the dough into a circle that is 3/4 inch thick. If any of the fruit pokes out, push back into dough. Cut circle into 6 wedges, transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them. Sprinkle with sugar and bake 15-20 minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown and spring back when you push them. Do not over bake.

Enjoy!