Fall has officially started this week. The temperatures have gradually fallen to the mid-fifties over the last few days. More and more people have begun bundling up with thicker coats and warmer footwear. Still, many others are holding onto summer weather for as long as they can. Kevin and I are visiting family in California this week. We packed for our trip by swapping out summer clothes and rotating in fall clothes. I even dusted off my fall boots and brought along some sweaters and a fall coat. The start of fall means a shift from cooking lighter meals to preparing heartier meals. Gone are the large serving bowls and out comes the deep casserole dishes. During the summer, my preferred meals tend to be light cold pastas and salads. I ate some sort of pasta tossed in vegetables and herbs almost every week during the summer. When fall rolls around, I start dreaming up baked casseroles, hearty soups, and roasted seasonal produce. Baked pastas become part of my monthly rotation of warming meals to serve along with new twists on tried and true soups. I’ve already started stocking up on my favorite spices, spice blends, and a variety of apples and squashes. Fall also means college football is in full swing. Kevin and I both love football Saturdays and game day foods. Depending on how Michigan plays, we may or may not have a maize and blue treat the very next day. We’ve been feeling a bit lukewarm about Michigan’s football season this year. Despite last week’s devastating loss, Michigan was able to bounce back with a solid win this week. To celebrate Saturday’s win, I’m sharing a recipe for my maize and blue scones. My maize and blue scones feature a ton of bursting sweet blueberries and fragrant lemon zest. Lemon and blueberries are one of my favorite fruit combinations to work into desserts. The blueberries add a freshness and sweetness to the scones. The lemon zest adds a brightness and slight tartness. Together, the combination is definitely a classic fruit pairing. I’ve learned over the years pressing blueberries into the dough works better than folding blueberries into the dough. In the past, when I would work the blueberries into the dough, I usually ended up with a bunch of popped or smashed blueberries. Pressing the blueberries into the dough helped the blueberries retain its shape throughout the baking process. I usually snap a few photos of my finished work before thoroughly enjoying the scrumptious scones with some green tea.
For the maize and blue (lemon blueberry) scones:
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 2 tablespoons baking powder
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ cup granulated sugar
· zest of one whole lemon
· 5 tablespoons refined coconut oil
· ½ cup almond milk, plus additional tablespoon for brushing on scones
· 1 cup fresh blueberries
· 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2) In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and lemon zest. Add the refined coconut oil. Use a spoon to stir together the ingredients and then use your fingers to combine all of the ingredients until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Slowly add the almond milk. Gently mix the ingredients until the dough starts to form.
3) Lightly flour a working surface. Roll dough out and gently form the dough into a circle, taking care not to work the dough too much. Once the circle is formed, press the blueberries evenly throughout the dough. Cut the dough in half vertically and again horizontally. Then, cut diagonally on both sides until eight equal triangle pieces are formed. Arrange the scones on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper about an inch from one another. Brush the tops of the scones with the tablespoon of almond milk and top scones with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar.
4) Bake the scones for 18-20 minutes until the scones are puffed up, golden brown, and cooked through.
Takeaways: These scones are slightly sweet, just the way I like it. The turbinado sugar adds a crispy exterior crust to the scones. You can also make a lemon glaze to drizzle over the scones by mixing some confectioners’ sugar with freshly squeezed juice from a lemon.