Blueberry Scones + UPrinting giveaway

I am not even ashamed to admit that I love a good bargain. I clip coupons; I buy $15 desks. When Jeni’s celebrated its new Nashville location with free scoops of ice cream last week, we were front in line. And when Whole Foods had a $1.99 sale on organic blueberries June 17, you know I bought a whole case.

A whole case.

Organic blueberries, which typically go for more like $4 or $5 a pint, are definitely on my top five list of favorite fruits. They are packed with antioxidants. They’re delicious by themselves, and even better with cream. They’re great to freeze for morning smoothies; they’re great to eat with milk and cereal. And, on top of all that, they remind me of Tim—because he wrote about them in one of the first ways we got acquainted.

So really, I guess you could say it was my bargain-loving instinct—and the 12 pints of blueberries that accompanied it—that we can thank for this recipe, a pretty basic adaptation of a simple blueberry scone. Mixing the dough couldn’t have been simpler: it took 15 minutes, maybe, and even with the added 20 minutes of bake time and more to clean the kitchen, it was still somewhere under an hour total, which is a pretty small investment for what you get in return.

These scones are really beautiful to look at, flecked with the deep purple stain of blueberries and nicely shaped into golden triangles of dough. Fresh out of the oven and topped with a little butter, they are pure heaven. I ate four.

I told Tim, while we ate them yesterday afternoon in his kitchen (where I, yet again, forget to bring my camera and resorted to iPhone/instagram tactics), these scones feel like something you’d be served at a bed and breakfast in Maine, where wild blueberries are simply everywhere, worked into menus from breakfast to dessert.

I think I’d rather like to go back to Maine, if only for all those blueberries. But for now, I’m glad to have a freezer full, as well as these scones, to enjoy.

Oh and hey! Before the recipe, one more thing: A UPrinting Giveaway!
[UPDATE 7/25/11: The winner of the giveaway was Jessie V! Congratulations!]

As a benefit offered only to sponsors at Food Loves Writing, giveaways give companies a chance to feature their product to a diverse food-loving audience, as well as readers a chance to win something new. I don’t know what your personal printing needs are these days, but I can tell you, at least from this side of still trying to order wedding invitations, there’s something to be said for a quality print job. Thanks, UPrinting, for your sponsorship and for hosting this contest!

Details of the Giveaway from UPrinting:
The winner receives:

• 50 pieces 8.5″ X 11″ brochure printing
• 100lb Paper Gloss
• With Folding (Half Fold, Trifold/Letterfold, Z-Fold, Roll Fold, Accordion Fold)
• Outside and Inside printing, 2 Business Days Turnaround
• Free shipping

Restrictions:

• Open only to US residents
• 18 years old and above only
• Contest ends tomorrow, June 30, 2011 at midnight CST [NOW CLOSED]
• Winner cannot have won another UPrinting contest in the last six months

How to Enter:

• Simply leave a comment on this post, stating what you’d do with the prize AND/OR telling me your favorite way to eat blueberries.
• Winner will be chosen via random number generator July 1

Disclaimer:
This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, an online printing company. Visit UPrinting.com for more information about brochures and available brochure templates. UPrinting will get in touch with the winner for the prize claim within 30 days.

And now, the recipe!

Blueberry Scones
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Makes 12 scones

Ingredients:
2 cups whole-grain spelt flour
1/4 cup Sucanat
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled (1/2 a stick)
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup organic cream
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Combine flour, Sucanat, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add washed blueberries and toss to mix*.

In a separate bowl, beat together the cream and the egg. Then slowly add the wet mixture to the dry, stirring with a rubber scraper until a dough forms. Using your hands, knead lightly, until the dough just comes together, being careful not to overhandle.

Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured board, shape each half into a 6-inch round and cut into 6 wedges.

Bake the scones on an ungreased sheet for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Serve warm!!

*Truth be told, we forgot to add the blueberries until the very end. No worries if you do too!