i'd rather be baking

I hope everyone’s enjoying the first full week of the new year! We had a lovely holiday break visiting a multitude of extended family, including a few days in St. Louis. My grandparents live there and we try to visit as often as we can. Every time we go to St. Louis we go to this huge, beautiful Whole Foods, and we never leave without a scone. Their mixed berry scones have become my favorite kind and this week, now that we’re back in cold, grey, snowy Utah, I decided to take a crack at making some of my own.

January has never been my favorite month. The holidays are over and there are months of winter ahead! It’s not exactly a happy thought. But I’ll admit that these scones cheered me up a good bit. They’re moist and tender and packed with berries – just what we need to make January a little brighter.

Mixed Berry Scones
Adapted from Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes

Feel free to use frozen berries – I did! It’s January, after all!

Makes 12 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons cold butter or margarine, cut up
1 large egg
1/2 cup yogurt (I used nonfat vanilla)
1/3 cup blueberries
1/3 cup blackberries
1/3 cup cranberries

2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, 1/3 cup sugar, and nutmeg and pulse together.
Add butter and pulse until dough is the consistency of small peas. Pour mixture into a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine yogurt and egg and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in yogurt mixture. Add berries and stir gently until just combined.

With a large spoon, scoop out 12 lumps of dough onto the cookie sheets, spread about 2 inches apart. With floured fingers, shape dough into wedges or round gently. Brush with milk and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

High-Altitude Notes: Increase flour to 2 cups and 3 tablespoons, increase baking powder to 1 tablespoon, increase buttermilk to 3/4 cup and add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda. Bake at 425°F for 18 to 20 minutes.