A cousin to the griddle-baked flatbread known as bannock, scones are believed to have originated in Scotland. The delicious treats were first made with oats. Originally, cooks shaped the dough into a large round just like a pizza, similarly scored the dough into four to six triangles, and then cooked the round on a griddle over an open fire or on top of the stove. Today's scone is more often made with flour and baked in the oven as small, individual rounds.

Scones are most popular in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, and are a basic component enjoyed with the cream tea or Devonshire tea, forming a familiar tea time spread of tea, scones, clotted cream, and jam. The British ritual of tea time originated in the early 1840s when the Duchess of Bedford, a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria, decided that she was tired of feeling peckish (we love those Britishisms) in the middle of the afternoon. In the early years of Queen Victoria's reign (which were also the years following the Industrial Revolution), citizens of the United Kingdom clearly needed rituals of comfort and domesticity as tea time became a national tradition within one generation.

As a practice, tea time, or simply eating a scone as an afternoon snack, can contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Eating smaller meals throughout the day helps maintain a steady blood sugar level, prevents a metabolism crash, and generally encourages smaller portions. The beauty of a good scone is that it satisfies the sweet tooth without being too sweet. The five recipes below will take only 30 minutes of your time - start to finish - and serve eight to ten people. Although these recipes may be considered relatively healthy for the amount of flavor they pack, feel free to add fruit (or more fruit) to boost nutritional value.

QUEEN VICTORIA'S SCONES

  • 2 cups flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  • 2/3 cup milk

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and work into the dry mixture, using either 2 knives or your fingertips. Once butter is fully worked in, add milk until mixture becomes a soft, bread-like dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface or a wooden cutting board and pat into a disk about 1 inch thick. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a small glass. Place on the prepared baking sheet and coat the tops with a thin film of milk to seal them up.

Bake for 12 minutes until lightly golden and well risen. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

From the History Channel


HEALTHY BLUEBERRY PECAN SCONES

  • 1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
  • Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in blueberries and pecans. Add milk mixture, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a floured surface; pat dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut dough into 10 wedges, and place the dough wedges on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake scones at 375° for 18 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

From Judy Lockhart in Cooking Light





TRIPLE FRUIT SCONES

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons chilled stick margarine or butter
  • 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Craisins)
  • 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg white
  • Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; cut in margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in apricots and cranberries. Combine buttermilk, orange rind, egg, and egg white; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Roll dough into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 8 (3-inch) squares using a dull knife or a dough scraper. Cut each square into 2 triangles; place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

From Cooking Light





RASPBERRY SCONES

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400. In a food processor, pulse together flour, cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg yolk. Slowly pour buttermilk mixture through feed tube into processor, pulsing until dough just comes together.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle raspberries on top. Knead three times to fold in raspberries (there may be loose pieces of dough and a stray berry or two). Gather and pat dough into a 1-inch-thick square and cut or pull apart into 2-inch pieces. Place pieces, about 2 inches apart, on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets.

Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let scones cool slightly on sheets on wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store in an airtight container, up to 1 day.

From Martha Stewart


HAM AND SWISS SCONES

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 cup whipping cream, divided
  • 3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped baked ham
  • Wax paper
  • Mustard Butter

Preheat oven to 450°. Stir together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Freeze 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cream, cheese, and ham, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Turn dough out onto wax paper; gently press or pat dough into a 7-inch round (mixture will be crumbly). Cut round into 8 wedges. Place wedges 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush tops of wedges with remaining 2 Tbsp. cream just until moistened.

Bake at 450° for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with Mustard Butter.

From Southern Living


Bonus: Mint Juleps!

May 30th also just happens to be National Mint Julep Day. Commonly associated with the South, the alcoholic beverage cannot in good conscience be recommended as healthy, but if you double (or triple) down on the sprigs of mint, you might be able to boost the nutritional value of each sip. A two-tablespoon serving of mint leaves provides nine percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin A, three percent of the daily vitamin C requirement, three percent of the RDA of folate, and a whopping 214 percent of the daily tryptophan requirement. A few tablespoons of mint leaves also provide six percent of the RDA of manganese.

  • 2.5 ounces of bourbon
  • 3 springs of mint (six to eight leaves)
  • 1.5 teaspoons brown sugar
  • Half a cup of crushed ice

In an old-fashioned glass, muddle two sprigs of mint with the brown sugar and one ounce of bourbon. Add the crushed ice and the remaining bourbon, and garnish with a sprig of mint.

O happy day!