A shortcake style flaky, golden biscuit that melts in your mouth.

My mother has made these since I was a very little girl. They are perfect fresh out of the oven with coffee for breakfast and leftovers work incredibly well as a shortcake to be served with fruit and homemade whipped cream.

Just the Recipe | 12 Biscuits

Ingredients

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 Tbs Sugar

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/3 Cup Butter, Softened

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

For the Egg Wash:

1 Egg

1 tsp water

Oven Temp: 425° | Baking Sheet

Steps

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Add the butter. Beat for 30 seconds until the butter is well blended into the flour and the dough is a bit crumbly.
Scrape the bowl. Add the heavy cream and egg. Beat for 30 seconds until a soft dough forms.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface three times.
Form into a ball and cut in half.
Pat each half into a circle, about 1/2 inch think. Cut each circle into six wedges
Place the wedges about 2 inches apart on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
Mix the egg wash by beating an egg with 1 tsp water. Brush the top of each wedge with egg wash.
Bake for 12 minutes, they should be golden and smell buttery.

Serve hot from the oven with more butter and jam.

Store in an airtight contain and re-heat to serve.

Weekend Scones: A Family Tradition

I asked my Mom to share her memories of this recipe:

“The first time I made a batch of scones, our daughters were just little tykes. These buttery, triangular shaped biscuits were an instant hit which they looked forward to seeing on the menu every weekend. During the sometimes difficult teen years, the smell of butter wafting down the hallway encouraged even the most reluctant daughter to crawl out of bed to join us at the table. The years moved on and our daughters’ college friends sometimes visited on the weekend. They too had the opportunity to sample this delectable treat. Now as our daughters and son-in-laws gather around the table we have continued to enjoy these scones together. Some of my fondest memories are the many requests our daughter, who now lives hours away, has made, “Would you make scones for brunch on Sunday?” Her requests warmed my heart because I learned that sharing fresh baked scones had truly become one of our family’s traditions.”

~Gwendolyn’s Mom

Kitchen Acumen Tips:

Soften butter by leaving it on the counter overnight. Melted butter will not work in this recipe.
Don’t over knead. Dump out the bowl, then gather the dough together in one ball. Fold in half, rotate and fold in half again two more times. Then round gently into a ball.
I use silicone baking sheet liners and they work just as well as parchment paper.
You don’t need much egg wash. Since it takes a whole egg to make the egg wash we like to serve these for Sunday brunch with scrambled eggs. Add the leftover egg wash to the rest of the eggs. No waste!
You’ll want to eat these fresh from the oven for optimal deliciousness. Since the scones will be steaming hot, serve in a basket lined with a towel to absorb the steam and keep the biscuits (scones, shortcakes, whatever you want to call them1) from getting soggy.
To make your own whipped cream for serving the scones as shortcake with fresh fruit pour 1/2 cup of cream and 2 teaspoons of sugar into a chilled bowl. Beat with a mixer (by hand will take a while but can be done) until soft peaks form and hold their shape when you dip a spoon in and lift it back out. Only make as much as you’ll use as homemade whipped cream doesn’t keep for very long. 1/2 cups of cream will make enough whipped cream for about 3-4 shortcakes.

My mother found this recipe in the Kitchen Aid cookbook that came with her mixer, eons ago (sorry Mom, but it is true). She’s been making it for over 25 years. Talk about a tried and true recipe!