Lavender Scones With Spearmint Clotted Cream

Who doesn’t love to sit down and have a delicious scone with a hot cup of coffee or tea?  

 

 Continuing on with our floral theme this week, I decided to take a very traditional recipe and add a bit of a twist to it.  The first flavor that popped into my mind was: Lavender!  I know, I know, you're thinking "Um, I don’t want to eat something that tastes like my mom’s shower gel, thank you very much." But fear not! I had my closest (and most honest) friends try this scone and they all loved it!  Then with the addition of the spearmint cream...mmm. 

 

Not to sound smug, but the word “perfection” did escape the lips of one of my friends, while another said, “I feel so English!"  So I hope you enjoy and let us know what you think in the comments below. 

 What you’ll need...

1/3 Cup Sugar

2 Cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

6 tbsp Butter, softened

2 Cups + 2 tsp Lavender Flowers

½ tbsp Lavender Water (optional, recipe below)

1/2 Cup Milk

1 Egg

 Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Prepare a cookie sheet by lightly greasing it.

 

Lavender Water:

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil one cup of water and two cups of lavender flowers.

 

 After it has come to a boil, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes.  Strain off the lavender flowers and allow the water to cool.  

You’ll have about one cup of liquid after this process. 

 For this recipe, we will only be using a half tablespoon, so the remaining water you can store in the fridge or freeze in an ice cube tray. 

If you measure a half tablespoon of the liquid into each cube, you will have perfectly sized portions that you can conveniently pop out next time you want to make this recipe. 

The lavender ice cube would also be delicious added to a cup of green tea!  You can get creative and experiment to see what you like.

Scones:

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well.  Cut in butter until fully combined and the mixture is crumbly.

Add in the remaining two teaspoons of lavender flowers, milk, egg, and lavender water if you choose to use it (I do highly recommend it for maximum flavor, however you can always substitute plain water or milk).  

 

Mix thoroughly until batter is moist and slightly tacky.

Drop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

 

Sprinkle with sugar.  This is optional, but it does give the top a wee bit of a crunch which adds a nice texture.

 

Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the tops are a beautiful golden brown.

Transfer onto a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before serving

Spearmint  “Clotted” Cream

4oz Container of Mascarpone

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

5 Drops Spearmint Essential Oil

2 tbsp Powdered Sugar

In a chilled metal bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.  Spoon the mascarpone cheese into the whipped cream in three separate intervals, whipping well between each addition.  Then whip in the powdered sugar and spearmint oil

Now, I normally don’t suggest using essential oils in recipes, but in small amounts, it can occasionally be done.  I searched near and far for an actual spearmint extract with no success.  So, I made do with what I had on hand and I was pleasantly surprised by the results.  The five drops of oil was just enough to be refreshingly delicious without being too overpowering!

Serve the 'clotted' cream with a warm lavender scone and enjoy!