Missing Link Scones

Hillbilly Jedi describes these as "the missing link between the scone and the Southern US Biscuit." I made them for dinner tonight and they were quite tasty. I got the recipe from her blog; her source is "How to be a Domestic Goddess."

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 4 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tbsp shortening in teaspoon-sized lumps (I used my small cookie dough scoop for this!)
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1 large egg, beaten (for egg-wash)

Preheat oven to 425. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar together. Cut in butter and shortening, then work with hands until mixture is like damp sand. Add milk all at once, stir briefly into a soft dough and knead a few times on a floured surface. Like all biscuits, it's important to handle the dough as little as possible. Roll about 1 to 1 1/4 inch thick and cut with 2.5 inch crinkle-edged cookie cutter. Place in greased baking dish close together; they should rise and touch when baking. Brush with beaten egg. Bake 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Hillbilly Jedi recommends serving them with "Thunder and Lightening" (aka clotted cream and molasses) but standard biscuit fixins' work too.

Optional additions:

For Fruit Scones

• 3 oz raisins OR
  
• 3 oz dried cherries and zest of one orange (I may try miniature versions of these for Christmastime)

For Cheese Scones

• 3 oz grated sharp cheddar (Next time I make a brunch meal, I'm going to try these and serve with Virginia ham)