Recipe: My (Walnut) Scones

by John Ryan

My (Walnut) Scones

These are richer than scones from the biscuit school. To my mind, at least, they are the ultimate brunch scone. I've also used the walnut scones for strawberry shortcake—they're a little more crumbly than biscuits, but they make an absolutely heavenly strawberry shortcake.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or currants
2 eggs with milk added to total 1/2 cup

Turn your oven on to 375 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. While your oven heats up, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut the shortening or butter into the dry ingredients until the fat is gravel-sized or smaller. Then quickly press/rub the lumps of butter between your palms--imagine flattening the butter into leaves. When the mixture resembles cornmeal, stir in the walnuts or currants.

Beat the eggs and milk together in a measuring cup, then pour that mixture over the dry ingredients and toss. Gather the mixture like a snowball and flatten it on the counter into a disc about 3/4 inch thick. Cut the disc into pie-shaped wedges and lay them on your cookie sheet. Bake until they are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.