I had made some buttermilk dried cherry scones a few weeks ago. I’d never used buttermilk in a scone recipe, so I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out. They turned out great! Honestly, I didn’t notice a difference between using heavy cream and buttermilk. One thing that you still need to remember is to not overwork the dough. If it gets too warm, pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes. I have a TON of pecans and walnuts (giant bags in my freezer that my parent’s bought for me) and toasted them in a bit of butter for these scones. Oh, and extra cold butter is key. Freeze a stick of unsalted butter for 20 min or so. These scones are not overly sweet either. I like the addition of the toasted nuts with the hint of brown sugar. I had one with my coffee this morning and it was delicious. (Okay, who am I kidding? I had a scone yesterday, shortly after I took them out of the oven).

This is the first time I’ve ever rolled a perfect circle. Amazing!

Scones fresh from the oven.

• 2 C AP flour
• 1/3 C brown sugar
• 1 TB baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 C unsalted butter
• 3/4 C buttermilk
• 1/2 C toasted pecans and walnuts
• 2 TB buttermilk for brushing on top of scones before baking
• Demerera sugar for sprinkling on top of the scones before baking (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Cut ice cold butter into cubes and use a pastry blender or your hands to combine. Get to the point where the butter is about the size of peas. Add the buttermilk and the toasted nuts. Use a spatula to mix everything together. There might be some craggly bits, and if so, add a tiny splash of buttermilk. If the dough is too warm from all the mixing, pop it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop or cutting board. Flatten the dough into about a 7-8 inch round circle. Cut dough into 8 wedges and put on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush scones with that two tablespoons of buttermilk and sprinkle some sugar on top (I didn’t put sugar on them, but, I might next time). Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or, until ever-so-slightly golden. You don’t want to over-bake them because they’ll be dry. No one wants dried out scones.