Easy Cream Scones

You might think you don’t like scones, and I wouldn’t blame you. Coffee shop versions are often hideous—crumbly, dry little bricks. Good for making you thirsty for coffee, I guess, but not much else. Unless… You bake them yourself. Yes! Don’t worry, there’s nothing to making these easy, delicious scones except a good appetite. They stir up in minutes, yet emerge from the oven with a golden crust and sweet, tender crumb. Serve them hot from the oven, slathered with jam and butter or clotted cream, and you will no longer wonder why anyone created the things in the first place.

Easy Cream Scones
Adapted from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham
Makes 12 scones (recipe halves nicely)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. dried fruit (raisin, currants, dried cherries, or chopped apricots, prunes or figs; whatever you like)
1 1/4 c. heavy cream (perhaps a bit more)

Glaze
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Use an ungreased baking sheet.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl, stirring with a fork to mix well. Add the dried fruit. Still using a fork, stir in the cream and mix until the dough holds together in a rough mass (the dough will be quite sticky; drizzle in a bit more cream if it seems too dry).

Lightly flour a board and transfer the dough to it. Knead the dough eight or nine times. Pat into a circle about 10 inches round. For the glaze, spread the butter over the top and sides of the circle of dough and sprinkle the sugar on top. Cut the circle into 12 wedges and place each piece on the baking sheet, allowing about an inch between pieces.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.