Strawberry Ricotta Scones

Celebrate the end of strawberry season and the beginning of the school year with this delicious breakfast treat! These scones are not too sweet, but they are bursting with summery strawberries, hints of tart lemon, and tangy ricotta cheese. It appears to be an odd combination, but it definitely works! I recommend keeping a bowl of dough in the refrigerator and baking one or two each morning so that they are warm and fresh when you are ready to eat.

This recipe is fairly easy; you combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately, then whisk the two together before folding in the berries. However, there are a few  tricks to make these some of the best scones you will ever have! I rub the lemon zest and sugar together so that you taste lemon in every bite. It works because the oils in the lemon zest perfume the sugar, giving it a subtle lemony flavor and pale yellow color. Another tip is to keep everything cold, including the butter, ricotta, berries, buttermilk, and the finished dough. The cold ingredients, especially the butter, steam in the oven to create a light, fluffy scone. My final piece of advice is to not overwork the dough. You want to have small nuggets of butter and ricotta, so don't worry about having a smooth, homogenous dough.

I often find myself rushing out the door to get to school on time, so breakfast is usually overlooked. However, if I have a bowl of strawberry ricotta scone dough ready to bake, I never go hungry!

1 Egg
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
2 T Lemon Zest
2 T Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 Cup Ricotta
3 T Sugar
2 1/2 Cups Flour
2 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Stick Butter, Chilled & Cubed
1 1/4 Cups Chopped Fresh Strawberries

Heat oven to 375F. Line a cookie tray with parchment.

Combine the egg, buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk in the ricotta.

Combine the sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the butter, then stir in the liquid mixture. Fold in the strawberries.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared trays using a large cookie scoop. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.


Makes 12
Recipe Adapted from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com