Citrus-Berry Scones

I was searching for something fun to make my family for Valentine's Day and came across a recipe for scones. I didn't have all the ingredients, but figured it'd be a fun time to experiment with substitutions.  I only had greek yogurt, so I had to increase the liquid a bit...and used an orange, instead of a lemon, for my citrus.  I was a little nervous, but my family gave me a unanimous cheer and said these were definitely a "make again". :)

Citrus-Berry Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
zest of one orange
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used greek yogurt, so I added a couple extra splashes of cream)

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Egg wash, as needed

For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners sugar
Juice of one orange
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and lemon zest. Add the cubes of butter and either with a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture is grainy and the butter is the size of peas.

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and cream until combined. Add to the flour mixture and mix with a spoon until the mixture just starts to come together. Do not overmix. Add the blueberries and gently fold together (the blueberries will start to bleed so mix minimally to prevent your scones from turning purple). Gather the mixture into a ball and dump onto a greased surface.

Use your hands to form the dough into a circle and flatten about one inch think. Use a pizza cutter and cut the dough into 8 slices. Place each triangular scone on the sheet pan about one inch apart. Create an egg wash by whisking one egg and a tablespoon of cream or milk together. Brush over the top of each scone.

Bake until golden, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Meanwhile, make the glaze.

Stir together the orange juice and confectioners sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Add the butter and microwave on high for about 30 seconds until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Drizzle over the tops of the scones.

Makes 8 scones.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Completely Delicious's Lemon Blueberry Scones

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Lemon and Blueberries...is there a more perfect fruity combo??  I made this loaf for breakfast while my in-laws were here, and it was gone within hours. 

For the Loaf:

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used low-fat and it was perfect!)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed (I used frozen and they were too heavy and sank to the bottom of the cake, even coated in flour.  I'd recommend using fresh, small blueberries so they stay suspended in the cake as it bakes.)

For the Lemon Syrup:

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
5. While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
6. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.
7. To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

This loaf is super sweet and very lemony.  The lemon syrup can be skipped, if you prefer less lemon...or simply reduce the amount of lemon zest.  If you prefer it to be less sweet, I would cut the amount of glaze in half and just drizzle it on or leave it off altogether.  The loaf by itself is very moist and fantastic without all the bells and whistles.

Recipe Source: Sweet Pea's Kitchen