Blackberry Lemon Scones and a Revelation (Indigo Scones)

  

  First post!  First things first (that saying doesn't make much sense to me...), you should know an important fact about me.  It has to do with the blog name.  Why Indigo Scones?  It's a little reference to a problem of mine: perfectionism.  I dream up huge goals, I tackle them, and sometimes I fall short.  Sometimes, I let it get to me more than it should.  Sometimes, I get into a huge funk over seemingly insignificant things.  Sometimes, I have a hard time letting things go. 

  That's a lot of sometimes.  They happen frequently.

  All in all, I hate even the thought of making mistakes.  I worry about the weirdest things, I just do.  I tend to turn things I enjoy into chores with my need to make things just right.  Not cool.  Especially for a wannabe baker...or blogger.  

  However, one day I see pictures of these white, fluffy scones; spotted with beautiful blackberry gems.  With a determined face and a batch of successful strawberry scones behind me, I thought, what the hey!  Let's do blackberries.

  

  The result?  Indigo.  So very indigo.  I forgot to add the berries with the dry ingredients...so I just sort of squished them in.  My hands were purple, the table was purple, the parchment was purple.  But!  I didn't kick myself.  

  I had made a "mistake," and lived.  I liked how they looked.  Pictures cannot do this indigo justice.  I had met something that surpassed my own goal, and that leads me to a very important point.  

  Sometimes, goals meet you.  Inspiration smacks you in the face when you aren't looking for it.

  My thoughts: "Really??  You don't have to try super hard at everything all the time?" 

  Maybe (undoubtedly) this seems silly to most...but for me, it was a revelation.  Yes, I'll still spend ten extra minutes arranging things or decorate cookies for five hours.  I'm still me.  And that's okay,  too, it's okay to be particular and have high standards; you just can't let it go too far.  

  I was wishing for natural light to shoot in the whole time I was making these.  The finished product was shot on my sister's pretty white chair pulled up to a window.  I discovered that you should only bake as many of these soggy guys that you absolutely need, and freeze the rest.  Because they definitely shouldn't sit in a tupperware for several days...heh.  It's an ever learning process! I thought I had it down, but you know what?  I still worry, I still tend to be finicky, I still get into funks.  It's just life.

  Balance, I'm still learning, still young.  

  

  These scones are just a little reminder of all that.

  

  This time around I did add the berries at the right time, only because my now broader knowledge of buttery doughs was telling me not to overwork anything.  And, anyway, it's pretty much impossible to recreate a revelation. 

  

  Well then!  Rather a deep (and lengthy)  introductory post, but I think it's important to share the meaning behind this blog's title and the girl running it.  I'm here to write about what I love.  I'm not looking for self-promotion or internet fame, just a little knowledge; and a way to share all sorts of kitchen experiences.  And to show that baking isn't so bad at all, you just have to be humble and ready to learn.  A good friend of mine once said that being humble isn't necessarily bringing yourself down, it's raising someone or something else up. 

   So if these flop for any reason, whatever!  Learn from it.  Do it again, be prepared to laugh at yourself.  Whip up some crazy scones, be happy.

  

  Make life indigo.

Blackberry Lemon Scones

Yield: 6-8 large or 12 mini scones

  

Ingredients for the Scones:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 3 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 2/3 cup half-and-half, or cream, or buttermilk

Ingredients for the Topping:

• Zest from one lemon
• 1/4 cup turbinado (or granulated) sugar  

 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°  F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.
 

Sprinkle blackberries with 1/2 tablespoon of granulated sugar; set aside.  

On a work surface, combine the lemon zest and the turbinado sugar with a bench scraper until well combined and fragrant.  Set aside.

Combine remaining granulated sugar (2 1/2 tbsp.) with flour, baking powder, and salt. Add butter quickly using a pastry cutter, 2 knives, or your fingers (if you're feeling adventurous).  Cut until mixture resembled a coarse meal, and the biggest chunks of butter are no bigger than small peas.  Stir in fruit; then add cream/half-and-half/buttermilk all at once. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir the dough until it just holds together.

Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to incorporate dry ingredients. Be gentle so you don't overwork the dough and melt the butter (no worries about the berry juices if you're going for indigo scones). Sprinkle the dough and surface with flour if it gets sticky.

Press/pat the dough into a circle 3/4 inch thick. If any berries peek out, push them into the dough. Cut the circle into 6-8 wedges (or 12 minis), then transfer the wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them.  Sprinkle with lemon-sugar topping.  (At this point you can flash freeze the scones for 15 minutes on the baking sheet, then wrap in plastic wrap and store in a bag in the freezer.)

Bake 15-25 minutes or until the tops are beginning to lightly brown and spring back when you push them slightly (Keep a careful watch and check every 5 minutes after the initial 10-15; you do not want dry scones!).

Let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing. 

Sources: scones adapted from Confessions of a Tart, topping inspired by Joy the Baker