Roasted Peach Vanilla Bean Scones

Peaches. How I love them. A co-worker gave me some peaches from his tree. They were so fresh and full of flavor.  I couldn't decide what to do with them, except I knew I had to roast them.  I've been hearing on my facebook page that people love roasted peaches. They are great on ice cream, plain, and in desserts. Roasting them brought out their flavors, and made them so juicy.  Afterwards, I was craving breakfast, so decided to incorporate some of the peaches into these heavenly Vanilla Bean Scones.  Divine.  Divine as breakfast, and especially amazing warm with Vanilla ice cream.

Roasting Peaches 


* I used Vanilla Paste, but you can use beans or even extract. I've included the amounts below.

2 Tb butter
2 Tb fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 Tb sugar
1 Vanilla Bean, halved lengthwise and scraped, or 1 teas. Vanilla Paste, or 2 teas Vanilla Extract
6 ripe peaches, halved and pitted (They do NOT have to be peeled)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the butter in a large, shallow baking dish, and put in the oven while it is preheating until the butter melts.

In the meantime, wash, half, and pit your peaches.

When butter is melted, add in the lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla. Mix.

Add peaches, turning to coat in the butter mixture, and then arranging cut side down in a single layer.

Roast until peaches are tender, and the butter mixture is syrupy, 15-25 minutes.  Brush with liquid halfway through. Serve peaches warm, or refrigerate.

Roasted Peach Vanilla Bean Scones 
The Double Dipped Life

*You don't have to roast the peaches, but it adds a great depth of flavor to the scones.

2-3 cups of flour
4 teas baking powder
3/4 teas salt
1/3 cup sugar
4 Tb butter
2 Tb shortening
1 egg
3/4 cup cream, plus more for brushing on scones
2 teas vanilla paste or 1 bean, or 4 teas vanilla extract
1 cup diced peaches
turbine sugar  (regular sugar works as well)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Mix well.  Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry cutter or 2 knives.

In a separate bowl, beat egg, and add cream and vanilla. Mix well, and then add to dry ingredients. Stir in fruit, and then add more flour until mixture is not wet.  This could take up to 1 full cup.

Turn dough out onto a floured baking sheet.  Press and form into a 1 inch thick circle, just smaller than the width of the cookie sheet.  With a pizza cutter, cut into triangles (like a pizza!).  Separate the pieces slightly. Brush each scone with cream, and sprinkle turbine sugar on top.

Bake for 15 minutes or until brown.

ENJOY!

Strawberry Scones

I love scones, but have never attempted to make them before. They always seemed intimidating. Then, I found this recipe. It's not hard at all! Plus, the addition of fresh strawberries makes them moist and full of flavor.

The whole family enjoyed these for breakfast, and for desert, and for a snack! I think these would make a fantastic Easter breakfast!

Strawberry Scones

Adapted from FamilyFun.com

Ingredients
1 cup hulled and finely diced fresh strawberries
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar, plus a little for sprinkling
1 TB baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1/4 teas ground nutmeg
A lemon, for zest
6 TB cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup plus 1 TB light cream
1 teas vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Heat your oven to 425ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, using a few spots of butter or cooking oil to stick it in place. Set the baking sheet aside.

2. Place the diced strawberries on several sheets of paper towel to absorb their juice. Meanwhile, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Zest half of the lemon into the ingredients, taking care to remove just the outermost skin and not the white pith.

3. Cut in the butter with two butter knives or a pastry blender until the flour-coated pieces are the size of peas. Add the strawberries, tossing them gently with a fork to coat them.

4. Make a well in the mixture. Blend the 1/2 cup of light cream and the vanilla extract in a measuring cup and pour them into the well. Using as few strokes as possible, gently stir the dough until it forms a ball. Let the dough sit for 1 minute.

5. Clean and flour your hands and dust your work surface with flour. Place the dough on the floured surface and knead it gently three or four times. Transfer it to the large baking sheet and pat it into an 8-inch circle. Using a lightly oiled pizza cutter or a serrated knife, cut the dough into 8 wedges, as you would a pizza. Use a small spatula or pie server to carefully separate the pieces, leaving at least an inch between them.

6. Brush the tops of the scones with the remaining TB of light cream, then sprinkle the surfaces with sugar. Bake the scones until the outsides are crusty and starting to brown, about 18 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then slide the parchment and the scones onto a wire rack to cool for another 20 minutes before serving.

When serving the leftovers, if there are any, warm for 30-45 seconds in the microwave.