Spring Is In The Air
Now that the weather has been consistently sunnier and warmer in LA, I’ve been feeling more inspired to start spring baking! I personally feel more creative with spring and summer produce. The flavors are so floral and bright, and I love incorporating more fresh produce into recipes. During the springtime, everything is in bloom and adds to the floral, pastel aesthetic of the season, which makes everything look extra cute! But even though a recipe looks pretty and cute, it’s just as important for it to taste just as good. These Blackberry Earl Grey Scones live up the the spring aesthetic and taste even better than they look. The scones are layered with blackberries and topped with an earl grey icing, creating the perfect balance of fruity and floral flavors!
Moisture Is Key
Scones are often known to be dry, which is why they’re commonly eaten with tea or coffee. However, we will be having none of that here. These Blackberry Earl Grey Scones are incredibly moist and fluffy on the inside, but have a slight crisp on the outside. It has such a great texture and flavor profile that it deserves a moment to be enjoyed alone. So if you want to learn how to make these, keep reading!
Keep It Cool
One of the most important factors when making scones is to keep the butter from melting. When the scones are baking, the pieces of butter will melt and steam, which is what helps to create those buttery layers. If the butter is already melted in the dough prior to baking, we won’t get the same results. Because of that, it’s super important to keep as many ingredients as you can chilled and to not overwork the dough.
We’ll start with dicing the unsalted butter into small pieces then place it in the freezer to keep it chilled. In a bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Set it aside in the fridge to also keep it chilled.
Layer After Layer
In a separate large bowl, add in the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt. Whisk the ingredients together until evenly combined. Add in the cold diced butter. Use your fingertips to rub the pieces of butter into the dry mixture until you get a mixture that resembles wet sand with pea sized chunks of butter. Add the yogurt mixture into the dry mixture. Mix it together with a fork until the dough turns into scraggly ball of dough.
Dump the dough onto a floured surface. Gently press it into a 9 x 8 inch rectangle about a ½ inch thick. Distribute half of the sliced blackberries onto one half of the dough. Cut the dough in half then layer it on top of the half with blackberries. Gently press down to form it into 9 ½ x 7 ½ inch rectangle.
Scatter remaining blueberries on half of the dough. Cut the dough in half and layer it on top of the blackberries. Gently press down only to adhere the two layers. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Cut the dough into 6 evenly sized pieces. Place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them 2 inches apart. Brush the tops with heavy cream or whole milk. Then sprinkle raw sugar on top. Bake them in the oven for 30-33 minutes until golden brown on the outside. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
The Icing On Top
In the meantime, microwave the the milk in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Add in the earl grey tea bag and let it steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bag then mix in the powdered sugar and salt. Mix in a drop of purple food coloring if desired. When the scones are mostly cooled, spread a layer of the icing on top. Before the icing dries, garnish with dried edible flowers.
These Blackberry Earl Grey Scones actually changed the scone game for me. I never thought that a scone could impress me so much or even taste this good. The blackberries and earl grey compliment each other so well and do not overpower one another. This is also a great recipe to introduce to someone who is on the fence about floral flavored treats. It has an essence of a floral tea, but it isn’t as powerful as something like lavender or rose. The raw sugar coating on the outside adds the perfect crunch but the inside still retains so much moisture. If you’re on the hunt for your next spring bake, try out these Blackberry Earl Grey Scones!
Blackberry Earl Grey Scones
Ingredients
For the Blackberry Scones:
- 7 ½ tbsp Unsalted Butter
- ½ cup Whole Greek Yogurt
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Zest from 1 Lemon
- 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Sliced Fresh Blackberries
- 1½ tbsp Heavy Cream or Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Raw sugar
For the Earl Grey Icing:
- 3 tbsp Whole Milk
- 1 Earl Grey Tea Bag
- ¾ cup Powdered sugar
- Pinch Pinch of Salt
- Purple Food Coloring (optional)
- Dried Edible Flowers (for topping)
Instructions
For the Blackberry Scones:
- Dice the unsalted butter into small pieces then place it in the freezer to keep it chilled. In a bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Set it aside in the fridge to keep it chilled.
- In a separate large bowl, add in the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt. Whisk the ingredients together until evenly combined. Add in the cold diced butter. Use your fingertips to rub the pieces of butter into the dry mixture until you get a mixture that resembles wet sand with pea sized chunks of butter. Add the yogurt mixture into the dry mixture. Mix it together with a fork until the dough turns into scraggly ball of dough.
- Dump the dough onto a floured surface. Gently press it into a 9 x 8 inch rectangle about a ½ inch thick. Distribute half of the sliced blackberries onto one half of the dough. Cut the dough in half then layer it on top of the half with blackberries. Gently press down to form it into 9 ½ x 7 ½ inch rectangle.
- Scatter remaining blueberries on half of the dough. Cut the dough in half and layer it on top of the blackberries. Gently press down only to adhere the two layers. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Cut the dough into 6 evenly sized pieces. Place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them 2 inches apart. Brush the tops with heavy cream or whole milk. Then sprinkle raw sugar on top. Bake them in the oven for 30-33 minutes until golden brown on the outside. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
For the Earl Grey Icing:
- In the meantime, microwave the the milk in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Add in the earl grey tea bag and let it steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bag then mix in the powdered sugar and salt. Mix in a drop of purple food coloring if desired.
- When the scones are mostly cooled, spread a layer of the icing on top. Before the icing dries, garnish with dried edible flowers. Enjoy!
