Blackberry Walnut Scones

Earlier this week I went out to The Pumpkin Patch to get some tomatoes from their produce market. I got tomatoes, but I got a whole bunch of other yummy things too. I came home with kale, rainier cherries, blueberries, a watermelon, yellow wax beans, tomatoes (2 kinds), and the most beautiful blackberries I have ever seen.

They were just gorgeous! Big, juicy, and full of flavor.

Look how big that berry is. Have you ever seen such a big blackberry?

When I saw the blackberries I immediately knew I “needed” them so that I could make my favorite blackberry walnut scones.

I love scones. Let me clarify, I love my scones and some others that I have tried, but I do not love all scones. I have had some scones before that were just plain awful.

I have met folks who have said that they hate scones. I usually follow that up with a “well you haven’t tried my scones.” Even folks who think they hate scones, have decided they like them after trying one of mine.

And I’m always surprised when I tell someone I made scones and they then ask, “Aren’t scones hard to make?” No, scones are not hard to make. They are quite easy, but you do have to follow a couple of simple rules to make good scones.

The first rule is: Use cold butter. Your butter has to be cold, like straight out of the fridge kinda cold. If it’s not, your dough will not be the correct consistency and your scones will be more cake like and less scone like.

The second rule is: Don’t over mix the dough. This rule applies when mixing in the butter and also when mixing in the liquid or in this case, yogurt. Over mixing will change the consistency of the dough and the scones will bake flat and that will be no bueno.

In addition to following these rules, another thing that makes these scones so good is the use of Tillamook Vanilla Bean yogurt. It’s creamy and delicious and it’s made without artificial flavors, HFCS, artificial colors, or artificial growth hormones. Many scone recipes use cream in them, but by using Tillamook Vanilla Bean yogurt you can make moist, flavorful scones with less fat and far less calories.

If you are a person who thinks scones are hard to make or if you are a person who thinks they don’t like scones, please give my recipe a try. I think you will change your mind.

Print recipe

Serves

These scones are made with fresh blackberries, toasted walnuts, and Tillamook Vanilla Bean Yogurt. They are soft and moist inside and crunchy on the outside.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts
9oz All-Purpose Flour
1.75oz Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
4oz Butter, Unsalted, Cold
6.75oz Tillamook Vanilla Bean Yogurt
1 pint Fresh Blackberries
Milk or Cream (for brushing on top)
Raw or Turbinado Sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Directions


Preheat oven to 300°. Place walnuts on a sheet pan and toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove the walnuts from the oven and set them aside. Turn the oven up to 375°.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Use the paddle attachment and mix on low to combine the ingredients.

Cut the butter into 1/2" cubes. Place the butter in the mixer and mix until the dough looks like a course meal.

Place the butter/flour mix into a larger mixing bowl.

Add the blackberries and walnuts and gently toss to coat with flour.

Add about 3/4 of the yogurt and gently fold it into the mix. Continue adding yogurt until the dough just comes together. The dough should look crumbly and be a little dry in some places, but wet enough to stick together. Mix gently so that you don't break up the blackberries too much.

Place the dough on a floured work surface. Flour your hands and press the dough into a rectangle.

Cut the rectangle into 6 equal size pieces.

Cut each of the 6 pieces in half diagonally to make triangles.

Place the triangles on a large baking sheet lined with parchment.

Brush the top of each scone with a little cream or milk.

Generously sprinkle each scone with raw or turbinado sugar.

Bake the scones at 375° for 20-22 minutes, until lightly golden on top and around the edges. Turn the pan once halfway through baking.

When the scones have finished baking, allow them to cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Store scones in an air tight container for up to 3 days. Left over scones are best reheated in the oven or toaster oven.

It’s supposed to get hot here in Oregon this weekend, but you can make these in the morning and get the oven turned off before it gets too hot outside. After all, these would make a lovely breakfast. Then you can enjoy the left overs with a scoop of ice cream for dessert.

Do you like scones? What is your favorite kind of scone?

-Lacey

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@SmallTownCookie