Spring Cleaning: buttermilk scones with white chocolate chips

by Sarah Gilbert, Posted Mar 30th 2006 @ 7:24AM

buttermilk scones and coffee a la sarah gilbert

My refrigerator is always full of buttermilk. You see, I'm a thrifty soul, and if I need buttermilk for a recipe I can't bear to buy the pint-sized cartons. Did you even see the price per fluid ounce? No, I must go for the economical two-quart-sized container. Thing is: there is no recipe on the whole earth that calls for a half gallon of buttermilk.* Instead, I measure out 1/2 cup or five tablespoons or some other amazingly tiny quantity. And then, every time I pick up a recipe, I think, how can I use buttermilk in this?

So when I was looking for a recipe for scones the other day, I was terrifically happy to find this one on Nicole's blog. I made it, with great success, and then started scheming. How could I use even more of the ingredients slowly turning from "non-perishable" to "perished" in my pantry shelves? I emailed Nicole, I rummaged to find white chocolate chips and dried blueberries and I made these fantastic drop scones. [click through for recipe]

*portions of this post may be highly exaggerated.

buttermilk scones just out of the oven
buttermilk white chocolate scones with blueberries

Whisk together three cups flour, one tablespoon baking powder, one teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/3 cup sugar until combined. Rub 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces, into the flour mixture with your fingers until the mixture resembles very coarse meal. Stir in one cup buttermilk, one tablespoon vanilla, and a few pinches of orange zest, if desired, and then add 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or chunks) and 1/2 cup dried or one cup fresh blueberries as the dough starts to come together.

Using your fingers (you may wish to dip them in cold water, first), shape pieces of dough into rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. My rounds were about three inches across. If you like, brush with buttermilk and sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Everyone in my family loved them - especially my 11-month-old, Truman.
truman loved the buttermilk scones