I make these drop scones with whatever berries I have on hand. I would rather spend a half hour making scones, than throwing slightly old berries away.

I made some Caramel Coconut Macaroon Thumbprints for Sally’s Baking Addiction April Challenge and had some strawberries left over. (They were BOGO.) Waste not, want more.

Berry Drop Scones

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup (67g) sugar
• Zest of 1 small lemon (or orange or lime)
• ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
• 150-175g berries. Use any berries that you like.
• 1 cup heavy cream + extra if required
• Coarse or turbinado sugar for topping

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and zest. Pulse a few times to incorporate.
3. Add the cubed butter and pulse to incorporate. The mixture should resemble very coarse sand.
4. Empty the flour mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the cream and stir until just barely incorporated. Add additional cream by the tablespoon to help the dough come together
5. Gently fold in the berries. (It’s fine if the raspberries or blackberries break up a little – it adds a nice pink stain to the dough.) The dough should just be moist, not wet, but also not crumbly or powdery looking. If it looks too dry, add a tablespoon of cold water.
6. Spoon the dough into 12 equally sized pieces on the parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle some coarse or turbinado sugar over the top, if desired.
7. Bake for 16-19 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The scones should be lightly golden and cooked through. I rotate the pan after 10 minutes
8. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then carefully remove to a cooling rack.