The scent of the lavender will sweep you away.
You will not be raising your pinky while you are having tea with these scones.
A few years ago (many years ago in fact) at a tea conference I learned two things that stuck with me. One, you never split a scone and put your jam and Devonshire cream on it and put it sandwiched back together (you eat the halves separate); and two, when you drink tea you REALLY aren’t suppose to hold your pinky out. Of course, you can eat and drink however you want but I guess that is correct tea etiquette. Hey, when I drink my tea sometimes it is in a cup with no handle.
I wanted to bring back some lavender from our trip to France a couple of years ago but didn’t; so when I saw this dried culinary lavender in a spice shop in Austin, I just had to buy some. Then, it took me about a year to get around to trying my scone recipe using the lavender to make the most “scentful” walnut scones I have made. And, it didn’t hurt that I had some lavender growing right outside my back door to get in the picture. Picture perfect.
Most people think scones are just like biscuits but they aren’t. A scone has a lot of butter, flakier, and sweeter than a biscuit. I have made them with dried currants, cherries and blueberries. I’ve used walnuts, black walnuts (my favorite), and almond. Now, I can add lavender to my list of favorites. I, now, tend to use the same recipe and just change the fruit or nut because I have found that this is “the best scone ever” in my book.
So when you make these, make a few extra for the freezer and when you have a stormy day, get some out, bake them, have a little jam to go along and make a big pot of tea and enjoy the rest of the day. (A stormy day is one of my favorite days.)
BLAST FROM THE PAST:So for a “biscuit” you can do on the grill, try these Cheesy Bacon Biscuits. This recipe actually calls for canned biscuits of all things and they are fun to bake on the grill.
After you steep the lavender in the milk, strain through a sieve.
After the scones are cut into desired sizes, brush with some extra cream and sprinkle with sugar and a few pieces of the culinary lavender.
A basket of scones.
What better to go with hot scones out of the oven that some strawberry jam and Devonshire cream.
Ya know when you eat a scone you are suppose to separate it and eat it in halves, don’t put it back together like a buttered biscuit.
Walnut Lavender Scones
Ingredients
- 2 c. all purpose flour
- 3/4 c. whipping cream
- 3 Tbsp. culinary lavender flowers
- 3/4 c. walnuts chopped
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 c. butter very cold, cut in cubes
- 1 egg
- 4 Tbsp. sugar
Instructions
- Put the lavender buds in the milk and bring almost to a boil. Turn off heat and let the lavender steep for about 15 minutes. Strain the milk and discard the lavender. Refrigerate cream until cold.
- Mix the dry ingredients and cut in the butter using your fingers, forks or a pastry blender until you have pieces of butter the size of small peas.
- Mix the egg and chilled cream together and add all at once to the dry mixture along with the chopped walnuts.
- Turn dough onto floured board and knead 3-4 times. Smooth and add a little more flour to top so the rolling pin does not stick. (Flour the rolling pin also.) Roll to about 3/4-1" thickness. Cut with 1,2 or 3" cookie cutter.
- Brush tops of scones with extra cream and sprinkle with some pearl sugar (or regular) and a few buds of the lavender (not the steeped ones).
- Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until nice and brown.
- Serve with a good strawberry jam and some Devonshire or clotted cream.
Recipe Notes
If you want to make these ahead for the freezer, here is what you do. After you cut them out, brush with cream and add the sugar and lavender, put on cookie sheet and freeze. When they are solid, remove from cookie sheet and put in freezer bags or containers.
To bake frozen scones, here's what I do -- turn the oven on, THEN remove scones from freezer and put on a baking sheet. When the oven has preheated, then put your scones in to bake. They will still be partially frozen but believe me, they come out perfect.
Well, not “biscuits” and Jam but Scones and Jam. I got this dish towel at Loveless Cafe in Nashville last visit there and couldn’t wait to make some sort of biscuit so I could use it for one of the pictures.
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