Wildcat Scones

I eat a lot. Are we really surprised? I think about what I’m going to be eating for lunch while making breakfast. I plan my breakfast whilst eating dinner. I make my own food and I eat out. The latter informs the former quite a bit.

There’s nothing I love more than having an amazing dish when I’m out for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and then attempting to recreate it in my own kitchen. The flavors or method or combination

Which is what led me to make these scones the other day. I hadn’t thought about them in years, but last week’s post got me thinking about and craving them. I used to pick up the Wildcat Scone from Great Harvest when I was at Northwestern. It was their special scone made just for us, a way to show our school pride. And I was never more proud to be Wildcat.

Now that I don’t have direct access to it, I have no choice but to make my own version. (Preferably while wearing an old college sweatshirt. What makes them so much more comfortable than regular sweatshirts?) They’re flaky and lightly sweet, bursting with juicy blueberries and topped with tangy orange glaze. They’ll have you saying, “Go ‘Cats!” in no time.

Wildcat Scones

(makes 12 scones)

1 orange, zested and juiced

3 cups flour

2 TBSP baking powder

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. salt

¼ cup sugar

12 TBSP (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

¼ cup half&half

½ cup whole milk

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 batch orange glaze, recipe follows

Eggwash

Preheat oven to 415 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the zest, flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar. Set aside.

Using a pastry blender, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the texture of coarse sand and no pieces larger than a small pea remain.

In a large measuring cup, combine the half&half, milk, egg and vanilla, whisking until combined. Pour into the flour mixture, stirring gently with a fork to bring together into a shaggy dough.

Gently fold in blueberries, trying not to crush them.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Fold dough over 4 times, patting into a 1-inch thick square. Cut into 12 equal squares and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush with eggwash and bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until scones are golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan before topping with glaze.

While the scones baking, make the glaze.

Simple Orange Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice of one orange

Pinch of salt

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.

Top slightly cooled scones with glaze.