Earl Grey Blackberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

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Fresh blackberries, zesty lemon and rich Earl Grey tea make up this super delicious breakfast scone. Perfect for guests or just a lazy Sunday afternoon. Easy to freeze and reheat.

Oh hi there! Are you ready for more tea recipes? Yes?! Great. Wondering where I’ve been? Read on below. Not wondering? Just keep scrolling. I won’t judge, this recipe is pretty damn good.

You may have noticed I haven’t been around the past couple months. It wasn’t by accident or from lack of enthusiasm. My last blog post was April 8th. On April 27th, my grandpa passed away AND also on April 27th, my fiancé’s mother unexpectedly passed away as well. I traveled to St. Louis for a week to say goodbye to my soon-to-be mother in law.

Since then it’s been sort of a flurry of putting pieces back together and lots of self care. On top of those 2 deaths, my dad was diagnosed in April with stomach cancer and is currently undergoing chemo. And.... also our wedding is in umm, yeah 8 days.

ANNNNDDD…. queue need for space, self-care, reflection and no extra time.

I’d love to do a blog post or even just a few social media posts after the wedding (and honeymoon!) about self-care during a rough patch and also about giving yourself the grace to not uphold all your commitments.

The short version?

• Ask for what you need.

• Keep up some sort of physical activity (even if it’s just walking or stretching).

• Allow prior commitments and new opportunities to pass.

• Detach from unnecessary negativity (news, politics, unsupportive friends, social media).

• Make time and space for more love (possibly at the sake of other priorities).

Whew! It’s been a hard couple months and I’m ready for the next phase — the getting married, going on our honeymoon to Ireland, turning 30 in August phase.

All that is to say… I’ve had this AMAZING Earl Grey scone recipe sitting in my to do list patiently waiting until I had the spare brainspace to get it up. I tested and took photos of this guy back in April thinking I would have it up for you about a week after my life decided to kind of fall apart.

On the plus side, I can now tell you with confidence that if you freeze these bad boys, and reheat them in a toaster oven they will be oh-snap-omg-still-so-great.

Alright, I decided to make these guys because TBH I was watching a lot of Great British Baking Show and eating a ton of blackberries and the two just needed to combine into a single activity.

But the reason I LOVE these scones is because of the amazing balance in flavors between the Earl Grey with the blackberry & lemon. The Earl Grey tea brings so much depth to these scones — they’re rich, bold, nuanced. And then the fresh blackberries and lemon drizzle come in and brighten the whole thing up! You top that combo off with butter or clotted cream and you’ve got yourself a winner!

Also! One of the secrets to great scones (and pie crusts and pastries…) is keeping your ingredients chilled. My directions tell you to throw the scones back in the freezer a couple times, this keeps the butter cold which makes the scones super flaky. The more you can keep on the chilly side — your buttermilk, your flour, your bowl! The better these scones will be.

For this recipe I used Townshend’s Tea Crème de la Earl Grey which has blue cornflower blossoms and an essence of French crème.

You can feel free to use your favorite Earl Grey tea or try some of my other favorites:

• Smith Teamaker Lord Bergamot - My absolute favorite Earl Grey. If you think you know what Earl Grey should taste like, I invite you to check this tea out.

• Harney & Sons Paris - Fruity black tea with vanilla and caramel flavors, and a hint of lemony Bergamot.

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Earl Grey Blackberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Makes 16 scones. Adapted from Joy the Baker. Keep all ingredients chilled until needed.

SCONE INGREDIENTS

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (416 grams) — plus extra flour for kneading

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1.5 tablespoon earl grey tea, ground until fine

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup cold buttermilk

1 cup fresh blackberries

Extra buttermilk & granulated sugar to top scones before baking

GLAZE INGREDIENTS

1 cup powdered sugar

1.5 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

Zest of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Move baking tray to upper 1/3 of the oven. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Grind 1 1/4 tbs earl grey tea in a small blender or with a mortar and pestle.

3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, tea, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Discard any pieces that don’t go through sieve with ease. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture is course and butter is pea-sized or smaller. Place dry mixture in the freezer or refrigerator for 5 minutes while you prepare the wet ingredients.

4. In a small mixing bowl, combine egg and buttermilk and beat lightly with a fork. Rinse and dry the blackberries.

5. Take the dry mixture out of the freezer or refrigerator. Combine wet and dry mixtures until most of the mixture is just holding together. Add blackberries and gently toss. There will still be loose flour at the bottom of your bowl.

7. Empty bowl onto countertop. Using the heel of your hand, push the dough together on the top and sides until it becomes more cohesive.

8. Cut dough in half and place one half on top of the other. Use the heel of your hand to push down on the dough on the top and sides until it becomes even more cohesive. The blackberries may get crushed a bit, that’s okay.

9. Repeat cutting in half and layering one more time only if needed to help bring dough together. Do not overwork! The dough should just barely hold together.

10. Shape dough to a 1 inch thickness. Cut dough into 2 inch circles using a round pastry cutter or cut into 2 inch squares with a knife. Reshape excess dough and re-cut. Try to avoid overworking the dough.

11. Place scones onto your prepared baking tray. Place tray in the freezer for 5 minutes so that the butter can firm up again.

12. Brush scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with granulated sugar before placing in the oven. Bake for 16-20 minutes until tops are golden brown. Place scones on a metal rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath until scones are cool.

13. Prep the glaze. Mix powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon zest with a fork until smooth. Add extra lemon juice or powdered sugar as needed until you get the right consistency.

14. Drizzle glaze evenly onto the scones, allowing excess to drip onto the parchment paper. Let scones sit for 10-15 minutes until glaze sets.

15. Serve as soon as possible. Scones will keep about 2 days. You can freeze extra scones (wrap in saran wrap) and reheat later as needed.

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Lovely little things

• If you follow my Instagram, you’ve seen me story endlessly about the salads in this Mighty Salads cookbook by Food52. They are seriously beyond good. I love a salad that’s hearty enough and filling enough to keep me going and this cookbook nails it. Flawless recipes. Every one I’ve tried has been a keeper. Cannot recommend enough.

• My hands are always a hot mess. I overwash them and they’re always dry and sad. I got this Weleda Skin Food Lotion recently though and it’s really helped. Plus it’s a certified natural cosmetic product free of synthetic preservatives, fragrances, colorants, and mineral oils.

• Have you heard of the podcast Forever 35? Well it’s my new favorite. It’s a podcast “about the things we do to take care of ourselves”. Kate and Doree are two amazing ladies in LA. They talk about skincare, makeup and self care, but it's merely a conduit for the larger conversations about navigating the impossibilities of womanhood & being an adult. It’s great. It’s really really great.

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Currently reading

• Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver