I am a scone fanatic, so when I saw this recipe over on Two Peas & Their Pod a while back I just knew I had to try it.  I absolutely LOVE this website…the photography is beautiful and I haven’t seen a recipe yet that I don’t want to try.  Take a look for yourself and  you will see what I mean!

Strawberry Ricotta Scones

(from Two Peas & Their Pod)
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used lowfat)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (also lowfat)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
milk or heavy cream, for brushing the scones (I used fat-free half-and-half)
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on the scones

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.   Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat and set aside.

Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium bowl.  Add the ricotta cheese and whisk until combined.  There will still be a few lumps.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest.  Rub together with your fingers until fragrant.  In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon sugar mixture.  Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture and toss with a fork just until the butter is coated with flour.  Using a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands, cut the butter into the flour until you have a mixture of pea-sized clumps of butter and flour.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix the dough.  Gently fold in the strawberries.  Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough briefly.  If it is too sticky, you can add a little bit of flour as you knead.  Pat the dough down into a disk, about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut the dough into 8 wedges.

Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet and brush with milk or heavy cream. Sprinkle scones with turbinado sugar.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until scones are golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack and serve.
The sweet, juicy chunks of strawberry and the lemon zest give these scones a wonderful flavor. Surprisingly, you can’t even taste the ricotta cheese.   These strawberry ricotta scones would be the perfect breakfast for Mother’s Day!

Until next  time,
Muncho Mom