Scones

• 2 3/4 cups flour 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (not baking soda!)
• 1/2 cup cold butter (1 cube)
• 1 cup chopped dried fruit, flavored chips, nuts, or a combination, optional 
• 2 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup half and half, milk, or cream and 1 tsp. extract of your choice (vanilla, orange, etc.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Work in the butter just until the mixture is crumbly; it's okay for some small chunks of butter to remain unincorporated. Stir in the fruit, chips, and/or nuts, if you're using them. (I like chopped craisins with orange extract.) Make a depression in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Stir until all is moistened and holds together.  If you need to add more moisture because your scones won't hold together, you can add up to 3 tbs. more cream (or 1/2 and 1/2, or milk, depending on what you used).

To bake:  I used my pampered chef stone to bake these, and sprayed on a little PAM on to make sure they didn't stick.  If you use a different type of pan, you can line it with parchment paper.  I prefer small scones, like the "mini" scones you can buy at the supermarket.  I took about half of the mixture at a time, formed it into a triangular shaped "tube," and sliced it about 3/4 of an inch thick so that each of the mini scones would be triangular shaped and would be nearly an inch thick when they were finished.  If you prefer large scones, divide the mixture into two parts, round each half into a 5-6 inch circle about 3/4 inch thick right on the baking stone or parchment-covered pan. Using a knife, cut each round into six wedges and pull the wedges away from each other so that there is about half an inch of space between them to allow for them to rise a bit.

You can brush your unbaked scones with a little milk and sprinkle with sugar or cinnamon sugar before you bake them if you like.  (I didn't do this because I serve scones with clotted cream and lemon curd, so I didn't need to add the extra sweetness.)

Bake large scones at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Small scones are done quicker, they should be finished in 10 minutes, but all ovens are different so keep an eye on them and as soon as they are golden brown, take them out.  Remove the scones from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm. When they're completely cool, store in covered container at room temperature for up to a week or so.  I actually had them for about 2 weeks and they were still fine.  However, they are best in the first few days of course.