Recipe: Mixed Berry & Jasmine Tea Scones — Recipes from The Kitchn |Cooking With Amanda

You can't go wrong with scones for Mother's Day. And you almost have no excuse not to make something home-baked, especially when you can consider these mixed berry scones laced with delicate jasmine come together in just twenty minutes with the help of a food processor.

The recipe you see here is my base recipe for almost all my scones. Of course once in awhile, I'll get over-indulgent and make them with a toffee and chocolate chip spin, but today I'm keeping it fruity with some mixed berries. Along with that, I stepped it up a bit with a jasmine tea twist. Feel free to omit it, but you would be missing out on the subtle floral flavor from the ground jasmine tea leaves — it's what really makes this recipe stand out.

And in case you are wondering if heating the cream then steeping the tea in it would extract more flavor — it doesn't. I've tried it. Of course, that might work with a stronger type of tea. If anyone tries this recipe with something other than jasmine tea, please come back and let the rest of us know how it worked out.

These scones really do come together quickly. But if you are really pressed for time, plan ahead and mix the dough up to a day ahead and refrigerate the cut unbaked scones for next day baking. You can also freeze the scones and bake them within 7 days.

Mixed Berry & Jasmine Tea Scones

Serves 6 to 8

1 tablespoon loose jasmine tea leaves
1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 ounces frozen blackberries
4 ounces frozen raspberries
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Course sugar, to top

Heat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat.

Place jasmine tea leaves in a coffee grinder or food processor, and process to a fine grind. Combine finely ground jasmine tea leaves, flour, almond flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor bowl. Pulse 4 times in three second bursts to blend all dry ingredients. Add in the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Pour 3/4 cup of the heavy cream over the mixture and pulse another 3 to 4 times in 3-second bursts or until dough starts to come together. Turn dough into a bowl and fold in berries.

Transfer the dough to a heavily-floured work surface and pat it into 1-inch-thick square. Using a knife, cut dough into 3-inch x 4-inch rectangles and then halve each rectangle diagonally. Transfer triangles to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, remove the scones from refrigerator, brush the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Transfer to oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops and bottom edge start to turn golden. Cool scones on a wire rack before serving.

Recipe Notes

Berry Mix: Use any mix of berries you have on hand, just keep the total ratio of berries to 8 ounces. Frozen or fresh berries will work. Keep in mind if you use fresh berries, they will break in the process of folding and color the dough. Fresh berries will also require a bit more flour on your work surface while you shape the dough into triangles.
Freezing Scones: To freeze, wrap the shaped, unbaked scones in a layer of foil and another layer of plastic wrap. Scones can be baked from frozen, but add 5 to 7 minutes on to the baking time.

(Image credits: Naomi Robinson)