The other day I had a big box of strawberries lying on the bottom rack and staring at my face whenever I opened the refrigerator. Little A was more than happy to snug in 1 or 2 of them when he opened the fridge for his cheese cube but still there were enough to make a dessert out of them or use them in baking before they got spoiled. And just a day before, we had friends at home for whom I made strawberry mango souffle; so I was in no spirits to make another dessert of this berry fruit.
A few days back, while browsing through the recipes on internet as a part of my daily night-time routine before going to bed, I remembered having a quick read about blueberries scones. Since I already had their cousin waiting to be picked up in my pantry, blue berries were exchanged for strawberries without much thought. What could make the scones more enticing were a streusel topping!
Streusel is a crisp crumbly topping made from flour, butter and sugar. Add a pinch of cinnamon to give it an earthly taste. Strawberry scones topped with streusel is a perfect marriage as it gives the scones a well-balanced sweet tanginess and crunchiness in the mouth. This was done in a jiffy while Little A took his afternoon nap and was finished soon after. This recipe is easy and calls for ingredients that are easily available in the kitchen.
Ingredients :
For Scones -
- All purpose Flour – 2 cups
- White granulated sugar – 1/4th cup
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Cream – 1/2 cup
- Baking Soda – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- Butter (salted or unsalted) – 1/2 cup cold and cut into small cubes
- Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
- Fresh Strawberries – 1 cup, chopped
For Streusel -
- All purpose flour – 1/4 cup
- Butter – 2 tbsp cold and cut into pieces
- Brown Sugar – 1/4 cup
- Ground Cinnamon – 1/4 tsp
Method :
Preheat oven to 200 Degrees Celsius and lightly butter the baking tray or line it with a parchment paper. In a food processor or in a large mixing bowl sieve through flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Give it a stir so that everything is well combined. Add in white granulated sugar and cold butter. Pulse the processor or with the help of knives or pastry blender or your fingertips cut the butter into the flour till it look like coarse crumbs. Gently fold in strawberries. In a separate bowl mix cream, eggs and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients into the flour mixture in parts and stir with a light hand till the dough comes together. Do not overmix as it tends to harden the scones. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for about 4-5 times. Roll the dough in a round shape maintaining a thickness of 1 inch from the bottom. With the help of a cookie cutter, cut out the shapes on the dough and place them in a baking tray. Alternatively, you can cut the dough in triangles. Brush the top of the scones with cream. Keep it aside till you prepare the streusel mix.
Streusel : In a bowl whisk together flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter with the help of a knife or fork till it forms into crumbs. Top each scones with a teaspoon of streusel.
Bake for 20-25 mins until the scones are nicely browned. Slightly cool on a wire rack and serve when they are still warm.
