A few days ago I made these delightful light flaky scones for my sister’s baby shower. Although they turned out to be everything that I hoped for, I would not suggest that any of you try to double the recipe in a Kitchenaid stand mixer. You might get great scones, but I’m not sure the mess all over your kitchen will be worth it (notice the omitted pictures from the messy result). These are from the Barefoot Contessa (my personal comfort food guru). All her scone variations are lovely, so feel free to experiment in a similar fashion. I enjoy dried strawberry scones with a little sugar added to the mix and then sprinkled on top instead of the savory cheddar and dill. Oh, and if you’re interested in what happened to the leftovers from the shower, the ladies from work seemed pretty pleased with their Monday morning surprise.

“4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt **
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 pound extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced
1 cup minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour*** and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.”

**If you don’t have unsalted butter, please omit the additional salt in the recipe.

*** This is key so that the cheddar and dill are evenly distributed throughout the dough.