Raspberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

For months, I have been listening to my friend Analia complain about how a certain Seattle-based coffee retailer no longer carries her beloved raspberry scones.

So I finally made her a batch to shut her up.

I had always thought of scones to be a British pastry, but Analia said that they are quite popular in Argentina (where she's originally from) and are commonly served with tea, mate, or a side of beef...jajaja.

Scones are incredibly easy to make. This particular recipe is great because the dough requires very little sugar, as most of the sweetness comes from the lemon glaze. If you don't have a pastry blender, use the pulse mode of your food processor to incorporate the cold butter into the flour.

The original Tyler Florence recipe actually calls for blueberries which I replaced with the raspberries. I found the result to be just as tasty, and my friend Analia is a little more pleasant to be around.

Raspberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
Adapted from Tyler Florence, Food Network

For scones:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

For lemon glaze:

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 lemon, zest finely grated
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 

Make the scones:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the raspberries into the batter.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1-1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

Make the glaze:
Technically you should make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e. over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top) but it's even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving. Yields 8 scones.