grapefruit scones

I am thankful for the sunny skies we've had since our spring snowstorm last week.  But, I am needing warmer weather.  I'm tired of the boots, snow pants, mittens, hats, etc. that clutter up our mudroom.  I am ready to have the kids grab their spring coats and rain boots and be done with it.  This need for warm weather got me thinking of this cheerful recipe that I found a couple of weeks ago.  Just seeing these scones lined up on the cookie sheet made me happy.  And I needed a bit of a pick me up.

And making the simple grapefruit sugar for the tops put a smile on my face.  Not everyone gets this, but thankfully Nathaniel was ready to high five me in the kitchen after see these pretties.

I wasn't the only one anticipating their deliciousness.

And as I was taking these pictures of the scones I was so pleased with the light that had miraculously found itself in my dark and dim kitchen.  We receive some light in the morning but otherwise my kitchen is not the place for pretty blog pictures.  It was when I looked out the family room window that shows the beautiful scene of my neighbour's garage roof that I realized the not yet melted snow on the roof was creating a perfect reflector for the sunshine to find its way into my kitchen.  So, I guess all that snow did have a purpose.

Grapefruit Scones - adapted from Joy the Baker
makes 8

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 ruby red grapefruit, zested and segmented
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup yogurt (I used vanilla, you could use plain)
2 tablespoons honey

Place your oven rack in the centre and preheat to 425 F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Zest the grapefruit and combine the zest with all of the sugar.  On a clean cutting board, rub the zest and sugar together with the back of a fork.  The sugar will become a tinted orange colour.  Measure 2 tablespoons of this grapefruit sugar and add to the flour mixture.  Reserve the remaining sugar for the tops of the scones.

Next, segment the grapefruit.  Using a sharp knife, cut off the remaining white peel.  Then slice in between the white skin segments to the centre of the fruit.  When the fruit has been segmented, cut the grapefruit segments into chunks.  Set the segments aside.  If you're unsure of how to segment citrus fruit, here's an article that will break it down for you.

Dice the cold butter into small cubes.  Working quickly, add the butter to the flour mixture and combine with your fingers.  Continue to break the butter down until they become the size of peas.  Add the yogurt, honey and grapefruit segments.  Using a fork, toss the mixture together until the dry ingredients are moistened by the yogurt and honey.

Turn the scone dough onto a lightly floured surface.  The dough will still be quite sticky.  Using your hands, pat the dough into an 8 inch disc, about 1 inch thick.  Cut into 8 wedges.  Using a bench scraper or a knife, place the scones on the prepared cookie sheet.  Brush the tops lightly with buttermilk or milk, then sprinkle with the reserved grapefruit sugar.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown on top and firm but still soft in the centre.  Allow to cool on the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.  Serve warm.  These are best eaten the day they are made.