Blueberry & White Chocolate Chunk Scones

Snowy weather and wintry weekends call for morning baking – there’s no better way to warm the house than with the oven, and no better pairing for your bottomless coffee than warm buttered scones. And if you’re trapped inside, best to have butter and sugar as your potpourri. Besides,

This is a great basic scone recipe to use as a basic canvas – frozen berries are perfect, straight from the freezer (don’t thaw them, they’ll get too juicy), or try chopped apples, dried fruit, chopped nuts and/or dark chocolate.

Blueberry & White Chocolate Chunk Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks
1 cup milk or half & half
1 large egg
a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries (or raspberries, or blackberries)
a handful of chopped white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 425F. In a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and pulse or blend with a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.

In a small bowl, stir the milk and egg together with a fork. Add the berries and chocolate to the dry ingredients and toss them about, then add the milk mixture. Stir with a spatula until the dough comes together, then gather it into a ball and pat it out an inch thick on a baking sheet.

Cut into wedges. Pull the scones apart about an inch so that there’s space for them to cook all around, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until they’re golden. Serve warm, if at all possible.

Makes 9-16 scones.