Strawberry Pop Tart Scones

I’m always bemused by the difference between scones and scones. You know, the English-style round ones with jam and cream, and the American triangle ones stuffed with things other than sultanas… thank goodness. I just can’t come at a sultana scone.
When I saw this recipe for strawberry pop tart scones, I didn’t even baulk at them not being round and familiar, like I usually do. All I knew is that I wanted them. I wanted their crunchy, breakfast-food-style strawberry goodness immediately, if not sooner. Pop Tart scones? Amazing.

Unfortunately it was nowhere near strawberry season when I made them, so I decided to add strawberry jam preserves instead of the fresh strawberries the original recipe called for. Not a bad idea, it turned out. Crunchy. Soft in the middle. Strawberry-y. I ate them for morning tea with a cup of coffee, but they could really be had any time. Breakfast, weekend brunch, after-school afternoon tea… you can even tell yourself they’re healthier than a breakfast pastry. Probably because they are!

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
85g tablespoons butter, grated
1/2 cup cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup strawberry jam

Icing:
1/2 cup icing sugar
a drop or two of pink food colouring
Enough milk to get to the right consistency – a teaspoon at a time.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250C

2. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Rub in the cold grated butter with your fingertips until blended and the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

3. Add milk, cream and egg. Mix until a dough forms, adding the jam half way through.

4. Pat dough into a large circle on a lined baking tray and cut into eight pieces. Separate the pieces about an inch apart and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden.

5. Mix the icing and drizzle over.

So what do you prefer? The traditional English-style scone, or an American-style triangle? And what do you top them with?