strawberries and cream scones

The other night I decided to make omelets for dinner, but I wanted to make something yummy to go with them. I had a lot of strawberries in the fridge so I decided to try these. I have never made scones before (well, at least not these type of scones, I thought scones were fried dough!) but these were so easy  and delicious! My husband and his friend ate all of them in one night! These ended up being a great addition to our dinner.

Strawberries and Cream Scones

Yield: Makes about 8-12 scones, depending on size

Ingredients

Scones:
• 1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half or whipping cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-2 drops pure orange extract, optional
• 2/3 cup diced fresh strawberries
Glaze:
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheet.
2. For the scones, in a blender or food processor, process the 1/2 cup diced strawberries with the sugar and half-and-half or cream until the mixture is smooth. Set it aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, forks or your fingertips, work in the butter to the dry ingredients until the mixture is unevenly crumbly with the largest crumbs about the size of a pea.
4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the blended strawberry/cream mixture, the egg, the vanilla extract, and the orange extract, if using.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the dough just barely starts to come together. Add the 2/3 cup diced strawberries, gently folding them in, using your hands, if necessary, to pull the dough together into a cohesive mass. Take care not to overmix - it will make the scones tough. It's ok to have a shaggy mess of dough as long as it is holding together for the most part.
6. Lightly sprinkle your work surface/countertop with flour and divide the dough into two halves. Take one half and gently press the dough into a thick circle on the floured surface, about 6-7 inches in diameter. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to separate the dough into six equal triangles. Place each scone on the prepared baking sheet(s), spacing them about 2 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining half of dough. Alternately, you can make smaller scones by dropping tablespoon-ful sizes of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
7. Make the glaze by stirring together the sugar, water, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. If the mixture seems too dry, add a teaspoon of water gradually at a time until the mixture reaches the consistency of a thick syrup. Drizzle some of the syrup over the top of each scone.
8. Bake the scones until they are just beginning to turn golden brown around the edges, 13-16 minutes. When properly baked, they should be moist (but not gummy) at the center.
9. Serve the scones warm or at room temperature. The scones can also be cooled completely and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Just before serving, reheat very briefly in the microwave for 5 to 10 minutes, or tented with aluminum foil, in a preheated 350°F oven.