Indulge your patriotic spirit this week with these AMAZING, Red, White, and Blue Scones. It’s a big batch, one you’ll be thankful for. Pack a basketful along with your coffee to go watch the parade.
I’m not sure if it’s the school teacher genes in my DNA or what, but I get kinda giddy about color coding. Primary colors make me smile. I’ve even owned a snowman-embroidered cardigan in my time. And planning food to match a holiday? I’m all over that. How can you celebrate the Fourth of July without some red, white, and blue food? I mean, seriously.
Longtime readers will remember the Red, White, and Blue Cake Pop fiasco of yesteryear. Yes, well. Let’s say it was one of my more ambitious, though ill-conceived, moments. Not one to be discouraged, I rallied, and discovered an even better Red, White, and Blue food to serve on patriotic holidays.
Red, White, and Blue Scones
Oh my! These are good. And they are incredibly freezer-friendly. And they are also incredibly rich. But, oh my! These are good. Talk about Old Glory!
This recipe makes a huge quantity of scones that will just melt in your mouth. Bake them and enjoy right away. Bake and freeze. Or mix and form the batter and then flash freeze them for instant morning happiness. Either way, you will be super duper happy you made them, holiday or no.
Note: The raspberries probably will squash a little bit and make a bit of a mess. That’s okay. They will be delicious. I promise. Just pretend you’re Jaime Oliver. That man always makes a mess when he cooks.
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of flour and butter can help keep the price down.
- Buying in bulk – It’s rare that I would buy a small package of dried cranberries. I usually buy the ginormous bag at Costco. I also have gotten into the habit of buying cases of flour from Bob’s Red Mill.
How I make this recipe easy:
One of the great things about scones is that you can freeze them before or after baking. If you freeze them prior to baking, you don’t thaw them, just slide the frozen scones into the hot oven and add a few minutes to the baking time. If you bake them first and then cool and freeze, you can very easily thaw them overnight on the counter so they’re ready when you are.
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- food processor or pastry blender – Either of these tools make quick work of the short dough. You can do it by hand with two knives, but I prefer my food processor.
- bench knife – I love this tool for easily cutting dough into pieces.
- parchment paper – I hate washing pans. Parchment paper makes clean up a breeze.
- sheet pans – I LOVE my set of steel sheet pans. They make such a difference in baking.
- 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 sticks 1 cup butter, cut into cubes
- 2 cups half and half plus extra for brushing
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender. Or use the food processor in batches to cut in the butter quickly. Gently mix in the half and half, just until mixed. Fold in the berries.
- On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a 2 inch thick rectangle. Cut into 16-20 squares or triangles, depending on how big you want them. Place on a parchment- or silpat-covered tray, keeping the scones about 2 inches apart. These will spread a fair amount.
- If baking right away, brush them with the extra half and half and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in preheated 400° oven. Cool slightly before serving.
If preparing ahead of time, flash freeze the scones on a lined tray. Once they are frozen solid, transfer them to a ziptop freezer bag. Bake according to directions in step 3, increasing baking time if necessary. (Baked scones can also be frozen in a ziptop freezer bag.)
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Those look delish and so festive! Thank you for hosting! 😀
My daughter LOVES scones! I wonder if I would dare make them with only blueberries?
Those Scones look great! I bet they would make a great breakfast to take to the Parade route with us!
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
Those scones look soooooo YUMMY! I’m going to have to give them a try! Blueberry scones and coffee here I come!
What exactly do you mean when you say flash freeze? How do I do this with just a normal freezer?
I flash freeze these in my side-by-side freezer. Just place the uncooked scones on a tray (make sure it’s a tray that will fit in your freezer). Once they are stiff, remove the tray from the freezer and place the scones in a freezer bag. I find that my “normal freezer” actually does this more quickly than my deep freeze.
I would love to try making these! Quick question for you – If I freeze the baked scones, what would be the best way you suggest to reheat them?? Put in the oven again, micro or just thawing?? New to freezer cooking myself 🙂
I am going to add this to a post, I have listing Fourth of July Recipes. This is just perfect.
These scones are perfect for packing up and nibbling on while watching the parade on the 4th. Thanks!
Wow, those look SO good! What a treat!!
I’m with you – I love matching colors for holidays! For Christmas, I’ve been known to make a cheesecake with raspberries surrounded by ivy for the red and green effect! This looks delicious.
Yummo!!
Although those scones do look delicious, I’m more of a cupcake gal. I found this really cute recipe from Howcast while searching for 4th of July recipes. Simple and easy, even the kids can help!
Here is the link if anyone is interested!
http://www.howcast.com/videos/386286-How-To-Make-4th-Of-July-Cupcakes
Cheers!
Olivia
Love all those recipes! Great idea. Thanks for putting that together!
Sounds like the perfect recipe: low sugar, high fat. Eating fat doesn’t make you fat, that’s a myth. Fat actually keeps you healthy. So these really are great!
Nothings says “Fourth of July” like Sweet Cherry Pie, http://butterflykissesntastydishes.blogspot.com/2010/06/sweet-cherry-pie.html
Check out my Triple Berry Pie too:
http://butterflykissesntastydishes.blogspot.com/2010/06/triple-berrries-triple-blisstriple.html
Or maybe a Blackberry Crumble:
http://butterflykissesntastydishes.blogspot.com/2010/06/hurricane-alex-and-blackberry-crumble.html
Oh I can’t wait to go through these links! I’ve been looking forward to this theme. 🙂
Wow! I’m glad i found you. This looks like a great resource and I have actually added my link above. You will find 10 of my favorite 4th of July Desserts. However you seem to have a few that I haven’t encountered before, so I will definitely give those a try.
What does the half and half do this this recipe? Can I replace it with soy or coconut milk?
@Jessica, I have never baked with those, so I have no idea. Try it and see?
Did Jessica, the gal with the question about using coconut or soy milk, try the substitution? How did it turn out?
I did not hear back from her. But since then, I’ve tried other scones with coconut milk and it worked great.
I saw this on a 4th of July roundup and just had to pin it. I hope you’ll share your best post of the week on my Friday Flash Blog Linky Party going on ALL weekend at The Jenny Evolution.
Jennifer
thejennyevolution.com
These sound delicious! You mention rolling the dough in a rectangle 2 inches thick. What are the approximate dimensions of the rectangle so that 16 – 20 scones can be cut out?
About 9×13. approx. I cut fairly smallish shapes and they spread a fair amount.
When do you brush on the extra half and half, and sprinkle on the extra sugar?
Thanks for catching my typo. Right before baking. I’ve edited the printable recipe to reflect that.
You’re very welcome!