RASPBERRY SCONES (2 different recipes)

RASPBERRY ALMOND BUTTERMILK SCONES
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/06/09/raspberry-almond-buttermilk-scones/
Really good!  They went flat for me but I think maybe because I added all the buttermilk instead of keeping out the 2 T for the top.  They still tasted really good.  We liked better the next day. Loved the addition of almond extract.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup (120ml) + 2 Tablespoons (30ml) buttermilk, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 package (6 ounces; 170g; 1 and 1/4 cups) Driscoll’s raspberries
• 1/3 cup (37g) sliced almonds

Fresh Raspberry Icing

• 1/2 package (3 ounces; 85g; or about 1/2 cup) Driscoll's raspberries
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners' sugar (only did 1 cup)
• 1 Tablespoon (15ml) cream or milk (only used 1/2 T)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Adjust baking rack to the middle-low position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Grate the frozen butter (I use a box grater to grate it; a food processor also works for grating - here is the one I own and love). Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture and combine it with a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup buttermilk, egg, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract together. Drizzle it over the flour mixture and then toss the mixture together with a rubber spatula until everything appears moistened. Slowly and gently fold in the raspberries.1 Try your best to not overwork the dough at any point. Dough will be a little wet. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can and transfer to a floured surface. Press into a neat 8″ disc and cut into 8 equal wedges with a very sharp knife. Place scones at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush scones with remaining buttermilk, then sprinkle almonds on top.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes as you make the glaze.
5. Make the glaze: Toss the raspberries and granulated sugar together. Vigorously stir to break up the raspberries. Allow to sit for 5 minutes as the raspberries let out their juices. Strain the raspberries through a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Use a spoon to press them through, extracting all the juices. You'll have about 3 Tablespoons of juice. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar and milk. Add a little more confectioners' sugar to thicken or more milk to thin, if desired. Drizzle over warm scones.

Make ahead tip: Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2 extra days. Unglazed scones freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then heat up to your liking before glazing and enjoying.

Additional Notes:

1. It can be difficult to avoid smashing the raspberries as you work with the dough. That's OK! Handle the dough with care and always use floured hands and a floured work surface.

WHOLE WHEAT RASPBERRY RICOTTA SCONES

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/07/whole-wheat-raspberry-ricotta-scones/

These were really good and easier to make than I thought they would be.

The trickiest thing about these is the dampness of the dough. Yet that same trickiness is they bake into something that seems impossibly moist for a scone, and especially a whole wheat one. Keep your counter and your hands well floured and you won’t have any trouble getting them from bowl to counter to oven to belly, which, after all, is the whole point.

1 cup (120 grams) whole wheat flour
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter
1 cup (136 grams or 4 3/4 ounces) fresh raspberries
3/4 cup (189 grams) whole milk ricotta
1/3 cup (79 ml) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together.

With a pastry blender: Add the butter (no need to chop it first) and use the blender to both cut the butter into the flour mixture until the biggest pieces are the size of small peas. Toss in raspberries and use the blender again to break them into halves and quarter berry sized chunks.

Without a pastry blender: Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Roughly chop the raspberries on a cutting board and stir them into the butter-flour mixture.

MAKE SURE AND HAVE FLOUR ON THE SURFACE AND A SCOOPER TO PUT THE FLOUR ON YOUR HANDS BEFORE GETTING HANDS DIRTY. IT IS REALLY STICKY! (nylon scraper works great getting off hands)

Both methods: Add the ricotta and heavy cream together and stir them in to form a dough with a flexible spatula.Using your hands, gently knead dough into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl. Don’t fret if the raspberries get muddled and smudge up the dough. This is a pretty thing.

With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch tall. With a large knife, divide the dough into 9 even squares. Transfer the scones to prepared baking sheet with a spatula. Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. It’s best to cool them about halfway before eating them, so they can set a bit more. I know, way to be a big meanie, right?

Do ahead: Scones are always best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on your parchment-lined sheet and freeze them. If you’re prepping just one day in advance, cover the tray with plastic wrap and bake them the day you need them. If you’re preparing them more than one day in advance, once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Bring them back to a parchment-lined sheet when you’re ready to bake them. No need to defrost the froze, unbaked scones, just add 2 to 3 minutes to your baking time.