I always prided myself (stupidly) on my lone ranger lifestyle. I was an island. If I wasn’t dating someone, I wasn’t hanging out with anyone. Who needs friends? I was perfectly happy to navigate that strange and uncertain time known as “my terrible 20s” alone.
Maybe a product of being bullied in middle school (kleenex down, this isn’t a sob story) made me weary of people, made me enjoy alone time or maybe I am just stubborn.
I’ve always had a girl friend or two – who I cared about deeply but saw infrequently; but, my desire for a group was nonexistent. In fact, if I ever found myself in a group, I was immediately uncomfortable, I would become a different person.
I had to be the funniest, the smartest, the most interesting – to be more than I actually am. I had to dominate the conversation. Ugh – what a pain I must have been. Believe me it wasn’t cockiness that drove me, it was self-consciousness. Funny how those two work together.
So when I moved to D.C and found myself in a group of women, eating scones, watching Pride and Prejudice on a Thursday morning – I was surprised, shocked even, by how much I was enjoying it. How laid back I felt, how comfortable in my own skin, how happy I was to get to know these girls and meet more of them, to build friendships.
What happened to me? Maybe in moving to DC I matured, not likely, but somehow I realized wanting friends, heck even needing friends, didn’t make me weak or vulnerable. Actually, it made me a better friend, a better person.
And what a group of women I found. Smart, funny, confident. Good jobs, great stories, common interests, knack for scone making, nice. These girls are so unbelievably nice.
They changed me, brought out a better, more socially comfortable side I wasn’t sure existed. I am an island no more. Transformed. Happy to be with people, part of a group. Happy to eat scones and watch Colin Firth sport about in his pantaloons.
Why wouldn’t I be? What crazy person wouldn’t want to spend a weekday morning chowing down on buttery, rich, homemade scones slathered in devonshire cream? Drinking tea, face swapping on Snapchat, speaking in poorly executed but endearing-for-your-effort English accents. Laughing too much for 8am. You’d have to be nuts to say no to that!
So this one’s for the girls. The group I feel lucky to be a part of. My new friends (and one old friend) who took little old anti-social me in and made me a believer in groups, in girls, in socializing, in scones. You know who you are.
Cheers!
You just need a few things to make scones. I bet you’ve already got them!
Whisk together your dry ingredients – full list below.
Add the grated butter to the dry ingredients and toss to coat it.
Rub the butter and dry ingredients together with your fingers until the butter is evenly dispersed throughout the dry.
Whisk together the egg and the cream and then add it to the dry ingredients. Stir the wet in with a spatula or your hands until the dough starts to come together.
The dough will seem a bit dry and shaggy but it will come together. If it is too dry add a bit more cream. Too wet? Add more flour.
Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out.
Roll into a rectangle that’s about 5 x 7 inches. Cut the rectangle in half vertically.
Take each 1/2, cut it into 1/3s and then cut those 1/3s in 1/2 into triangles. You know?
You’ll end up with 12 triangles!
Place the triangles on a cookie tray lined with parchment. I keep most of mine plain but I add berries to a few for a bit of razzle-dazzle. You can add whatever you want. Chocolate, raspberries, blueberries, raisins, anything really.
Place the scones into the freezer and chill for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Whisk together 1 egg and about 2 tablespoons of water. I eyeball it. Remove the scone dough from the freezer and brush with a light coating of egg wash.
It’s a very thin layer of egg wash – hardly even visible!!!
Place the scones in the oven and bake for 15 – 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.
The scones are done when they are puffed and slightly golden.
Look at this scene. Isn’t it magical? Grab some of your friends, pop in the Jane Austen film adaptation and slather them scones in devonshire cream for the full experience.
Special scones for special ladies!
Social Scones
Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, frozen and grated (I freeze over night)
1/2 cup (or a little more) of heavy cream
1 egg
Blueberries, raspberries, chocolate chips (optional)
1 egg + 2 tablespoons of water for egg wash
Directions:
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Add the frozen grated butter and toss in the dry ingredients to coat. Once the butter is coated rub the butter into the flour with your fingers.
Whisk together the egg and the cream. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a spoon until it just comes together. If the dough seems a bit dry, add a little heavy cream. If the dough seems sticky, add a little flour.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a 5 x 7 inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half vertically. Then cut each strip into three and then each third into a half on a bias to make a small triangle. You should have 12 triangles when you are finished.
Place the triangles on a parchment lined baking sheet. If you want to add any flourishes like berries, chocolate chips or raisins do so now. Place in the freezer. Freeze for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Remove the scones from the freezer. In a small bowl, whisk together the additional egg and water. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, apply a thin layer of egg wash to the top of each scone.
Place the scones into the oven and bake for 15 – 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The scones are finished baking when they are puffed and golden.
Let cool slightly and serve! Slather with devonshire cream, butter, whipped cream, no cream. Dunk into tea, coffee, your face. Eat them up!
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