HONEY-RICOTTA SCONES

I've been searching for the perfect scone: I want it to have a moist, cakey center with a biscuit-like crust. And of course, it has to be sweet, but not too sweet. I guess, maybe the better way to describe it is rich. Yes. A rich, moist, and biscuity scone. Fresh out of the oven, of course! I've tried many many scones at a variety of bakeries, but I just haven't been able to find a scone that meets those three characteristics all at once. Some have great flavor, but lack texture. Others are the perfect texture, but I don't want to eat it if it doesn't taste like anything! I decided to start experimenting myself... and I think I might have found it! These scones are great because most of their flavor comes from a natural sweetener- honey! Adding ricotta to the recipe enhances the already-rich flavor of honey, but doesn't overload our senses by making the scones too sweet. I'm sure the cakey center is due to the butter and cream, and the butter most definitely gives the crust the wonderful biscuit texture I was looking for. Plus, they are made with whole wheat flour so there are some added health benefits! Just wait until you try them! The other great thing is that you don't have to bake all of the scones at once! You can cut them into single servings and freeze them, that way you can pop them in the oven with little effort later and still have freshly baked scones! I will admit, no matter which recipe yo use, scones are best straight out of the oven. So this solves the problem of having leftover scones that don't taste as good as when you first made them- don't bake them until you're ready to eat!

honey-ricotta scones

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup ricotta
1/8 cup honey

You can make these by hand or in a food processor! If you are using a food processor, probably the easier/faster method, combine the two flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt in the food processor. Pulse to combine, then add the 6 tablespoons of cold butter and process until the mixture is of fine, homogenous consistency. If you are doing this by hand, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and cut the cold butter in using a fork, or your hands if you find that to be easier! Again, you want to work the butter in until the mixture has an even consistency. There will be small pieces of butter still- and that's better than okay, that's good! That will give your scones some lift and make the center nice and cakey. You just don't want any large chunks left.

Next, add the heavy cream, ricotta, and honey, and mix to combine (using your processor or a wooden spoon!). Once combined, shape the dough into a circle, about 1-inch tall (I like to use a rolling pin to make the top relatively even so that certain areas don't brown too much faster than others), on a lightly floured surface. Using a butchers knife, cut the circle into eighths. At this point, you can either bake the scones, or you can freeze them and bake them later. Or, you can do both! For those you'd like to bake right away, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. For those that you'd like to bake later, prepare the baking sheet with parchment paper like you would to bake the scones, but instead, after transferring the scones to the baking sheet, cover the scones with plastic wrap and place the entire sheet in the freezer. Let freeze for about 2 hours, and then peel off the paper and store in a gallon freezer bag. When you're ready for a fresh scone, just follow the original baking instructions, and potentially add on another 1-2 minutes of baking time. But go by looks rather than timing- the scones are done when the edges begin to brown, not once the middle begins to brown! This will keep the inside nice and moist!