Simple Scones

From: Allrecipes.com Apricot Scones

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1 teas­poon baking pow­der
* 1/4 teas­poon baking soda
* 1/2 teas­poon salt
* 8 tables­poons unsal­ted but­ter, fro­zen
* 1/2 cup rai­sins (or dried currants)
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 large egg

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle posi­tion and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking pow­der, baking soda and salt. Grate but­ter into flour mix­ture on the large holes of a box gra­ter; use your fin­gers to work in but­ter (mix­ture should resem­ble coarse meal), then stir in rai­sins.
3. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
4. Using a fork, stir sour cream mix­ture into flour mix­ture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in pla­ces, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
5. Place on a lightly flou­red sur­face and pat into a 7– to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprin­kle with remai­ning 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 trian­gles; place on a coo­kie sheet (pre­fe­rably lined with parch­ment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until gol­den, about 15 to 17 minu­tes. Cool for 5 minu­tes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cranberry-Orange Sco­nes

Follow the recipe for Sim­ple Sco­nes, adding a gene­rous teas­poon of finely gra­ted orange rind (zest) to the dry ingre­dients and subs­ti­tu­ting dried cran­be­rries for the raisins.

Lemon-Blueberry Sco­nes

Follow the recipe for Sim­ple Sco­nes, adding a gene­rous teas­poon of finely gra­ted lemon rind (zest) to the dry ingre­dients and subs­ti­tu­ting dried blue­be­rries for the raisins.

Cherry-Almond Sco­nes

Follow the recipe for Sim­ple Sco­nes, adding 1/2 tsp. almond extract to the sour cream mix­ture and subs­ti­tu­ting dried che­rries for the rai­sins. You can subs­ti­tute any dried fruit.