Blueberry Coffeecake Scones

It's a little ironic that I am writing this post about blueberry scores, full of freshly picked summery blueberries, on the second day of fall.  I may or may not be wearing warm Christmas-themed pajamas as I write about blueberry picking.  Craziness.

Anyway, these scones.  They're incredible.  As far as scones go, they are incredible.  We've all had scones that are crumbly and dry, but these are moist and flavorful and bursting with sweet blueberries.  There's also a slight hint of lemon zest that brightens everything and makes you want to eat the whole batch in one sitting.  True story.

The recipe calls for a coffeecake-like crumb topping.  I left it off solely because I was going to the movies and ran out of time.  But I am actually glad that I did, because I didn't think they needed it at all.  I'll still post the recipe the way it comes, but feel free to skip it if you don't want the extra half stick of butter.  They're decadent enough!

Recipe:

blueberry coffeecake scones
from Simply Scones: Quick and Easy Recipes for More than 70 Delicious Scones and Spreads, by Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright
makes 8 scones

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed blueberries
for crumb topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter an 11-inch diameter circle in the center of a baking sheet.

2) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture.  With a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3) In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and lemon peel.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine.  The dough will be sticky.  With lightly floured hands, gently knead in the blueberries until evenly distributed.  Pat the dough into  9-inch diameter circle in the center of the prepared baking sheet.

4) To prepare the topping, in a small bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture.  With a pastry blender, cut the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle the topping mixture lightly into the dough.

5) With a serrated knife, cut the circle into 8 wedges.  Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until the top is lightly browned and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean.  Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.  Using a spatula, transfer the scones to the wire rack and cool.  Recut into wedges if necessary.  Serve warm, or cool completely and store in an airtight container.