Yogurt, White Chocolate and Sour Cherry Scones

 


Remember that cookbook I got the other day, "The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook?"  I didn't tell you this at the time, but my copy arrived with a whole bunch of blank pages in it.  I contacted the Yeo Valley Family Farm and told them about it and asked could they e-mail me the missing recipes.

 

They went one better and sent me a whole new cookbook!  I was so impressed, considering I hadn't gotten it from them in the first place but from Amazon.   I never expected them to mail me a whole new one.   I just wanted the missing recipes.  Thank you YEO VALLEY!  You're the best.   (Plus they threw in a money saving coupon for their tasty yogurt.  So what else could I do but bake these lovely scones and give them a shout out of thanks!

 

I have to say, no word of a lie . . . these are the nicest scones I have ever baked.  They rose really well.  The finished scones were about 4 inches tall!



Flaky and deliciously stogged full of lovely dried sour cherries and white chocolate chunks.  I used a bar and a half of Green and Blacks White Chocolate in mine and it was just perfect.  I just broke each little rectangular piece of chocolate in half.  The perfect little treasure, tucked inside the perfect scone . . .



I baked them for our breakfast the other morning . . . the tasty smell of them baking wafted up the stairs and got the Toddster out of bed lickety split!  You got to do your baking early in the morning on these hot and sticky days . . . just sayin' is all . . .



They made the perfect breakfast topped with a dollop of clotted cream and some M&S Turkish Black Cherry Jam with Vanilla.  (Oh my goodness I love that stuff!  It's my favourite jam!)  Oh boy, was that a breakfast made in heaven . . . and in all honesty, they didn't really need the clotted cream and jam because I have been eating one every morning for breakfast ever since, cold, out of the tin with no embellishment whatsoever and they are still fabulous!

 


Next time I am going to use dried blueberries and a bit of lemon zest along with the white chocolate bits and then serve them with clotted cream and lemon curd.  I can't wait!!

*Yogurt, White Chocolate and Sour Cherry Scones*
Makes one dozen  

Printable Recipe  

Adapted from the Yeo Valley Farmhouse Cookbook.   Deliciously tasty!

450g self raising flour (4 cups)

large pinch salt

4 tsp baking powder

100g chilled sweet butter, diced (7 TBS)

50g caster sugar (4 generous TBS)

150g dried sour cherries, coarsely chopped (scant cup)

150g white chocolate chunks or chips for cooking (scant cup)

2 medium free range eggs

100g whole milk plain yogurt (13 1/4 TBS)

200ml whole milk (7 fluid ounces)

granulated sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 220*C/ 425*F/ gas mark 7.   Have ready a large baking tray which you have lined with baking paper.

Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor.   Tip in the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs.   Tip into a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, cherries and chocolate chunks.   Beat the eggs and yogurt together in a measuring jug add milk enough to give you 400ml altogether (13 1/2 fluid ounces).   Make a well in the dry ingredients and tip in all of the milk mixture, reserving 2 TBS for later.  Mix together lightly to make a soft dough which is slightly sticky.  For light scones do not over mix.

 Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead briefly until just smooth.   Pat out to 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into rounds using a sharp 3 inch cutter and using a direct up and down tap with the cutter, taking care not to twist it, cutting as many as you can from this first cutting.  Remove to the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between.  Gently re-knead the scraps and pat out, repeating the cutting process, until you have 12 rounds.

Brush the tops with some of the reserved milk mixture.  Sprinkle each with a little granulated sugar.   Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.   Lift onto a wire rack to cool.

  
Eat on the day with lots of soft butter for spreading, dollops of strawberry jam and cups of hot tea, herbal or otherwise!



Now THAT'S a tasty ♥ mouthful ♥ !!