Scones

I've been watching The Great British Baking Show, which has inspired me to do a bit of baking.  I thought I'd channel those Brits and bake some scones.  I've never made scones before, but while I was looking at recipes, I found out that the British and the Americans make scones differently.  Apparently, the Brits prefer their scones without extra add ins, while Americans don't mind beefing theirs up.  I went the American route, using a recipe from here.  I'm posting the bare bones recipe, but you can add whatever fillings you like.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, refrigerated
• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar (for sweet) and 2 tablespoons sugar (for savory)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 baking soda
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon extract (vanilla, almond, orange, coconut, etc.)
• 1 cup fillings (dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, cheese, bacon, etc.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Using a grater, shred the butter.  In a KitchenAid mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Mix in the butter.  In a separate bowl mix together the sour cream, egg, and extract (if you're making sweet scones).    Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture.  Mix in fillings.  Form dough into a circle and cut into 8 pieces.  Place pieces on baking sheet and bake for 15 to 17 minutes.

Some of my favorite flavors include:

• Orange and chocolate chip
• Cherry almond
• Bacon, cheddar, and chive (pictured above)
• Sun-dried tomato, basil, and asiago