Cooking up Goodness: Strawberry Scones

I wanted to thank all of my readers for sticking with me through all the ups and downs of my post frequency. It means the world to me that you still read my blog. :)

Life is throwing me curve balls lately. Recently, it threw at me a project partner who likes to leave things to the last minute. On top of that, he was late for our class in which we had a partner presentation. I am not happy with this individual. Also, the slides were all messed up and some looked super crappy. I felt the most prepared out of both of us. Hopefully our group grade will be alright. I am crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. It was a rough presentation, but we still have the paper to write. Should be interesting. These problems are the reasons I hate out of class projects. Frustration major.

In other news, I am planning more stuff for the student organization I am president of and I am working on some PR stuff for Relay for Life. I am also trying to figure out my future. With all of this and school, I'd say I am going to be busy. Hopefully it will all be worth it! At least baking and cooking are still there to help me get through the stress. It is odd how I can just focus on baking and cooking and reach a peaceful place.

The weather here is absolutely gorgeous. Other than the thunderstorms that we had, the weather is warm, breezy, and sunny for the most part. That reminds me... happy first day of spring! The blossoms on the tree outside of my window are blooming and it makes me smile. It truly is the simple things that can keep you sane sometimes. I am trying to take it day by day and absorb as much as I can with the time I have left.

With spring happening, summer is only a short season away. I absolutely love strawberries in the summertime, so this would be a lovely repeat recipe when strawberries are at their peak of tastiness. I adore scones and strawberries, so these were a perfect marriage for me. The only thing I regret is the orange zest. I have learned that I can do without the zest. I will exclude it next time. Anyone who is strongly against the orange zest flavor can leave that ingredient out.

Strawberry Scones (adapted from Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:

1 large egg
1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (I used greek yogurt because that was what we had in the house)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. orange or lemon zest, optional
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, and more for sprinkling
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I put my butter in the freezer and then used it.)
1 heaping cup of fresh, diced strawberries

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 425 F or 220 C.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, milk, and citrus zest (if you are using it) until well blended. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix and then add in the cold butter. Use a pastry blender or two forks to blend the butter with the dry ingredients. The butter should be approximately pea-sized chunks when you are done.
Add the strawberries to the flour mix. Toss the strawberries so they are coated with the flour mix.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients/butter bowl.
Mix together until a sticky dough has formed. If absolutely needed, add milk 1 Tbsp. at a time to hydrate remaining ingredients. (I didn't have to add anything extra.)
Lay out some wax paper on a flat surface and sprinkle flour over it. (This prevents a messy countertop. You can skip the wax paper if you wish. I found it helpful to lift the scones off though.)
Knead the dough a few times. (Basically squish it with you hands in the bowl. Make sure you flour your hands first!)
Transfer the dough to your well-floured work surface. Pat into a disk about 7 or 8 inches in diameter.
Cut the disk into 8 wedges. Sprinkle with sugar.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. (I need to get one of those baking mats!)
Place the scones on the cookie sheet and bake until lightly brown on the top, approximately 15 minutes.
Let the scones cool a few minutes before serving.
Eat and enjoy!