British Scones - Valentine's Tea Snack

When we were young, growing up in India and reading all those British novels, Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie or Anne Mather, there was always mention of afternoon tea with scones, and I remember salivating with Fatty, Larry, Pips, Bets and Daisy of the Five Find-Outers when one of their mother's whipped up scones and biscuits for tea. Always wondered about it - Then moving to the US, I encounter biscuits, a tradition of the South which I dislike I was hoping to like scones a  bit more. In 2005 we traveled to New Zealand and we had "scones" Found them too dense and super filling - like dense all purpose flour packed together with butter. One of the best vineyards they said, but still did not cut it for me. Until my friend decided to make these for tea on her birthday. They were full of layers, and truly delicious with the fresh cream and jam she served it with. They were still filling, but wonderfully so.  Which got me thinking…Hmm, I could try to make these. So I scoured the net for an "authentic" scone recipe and found the simplest one I could find and tried it the "propah" British way. This is a recipe I put together after reading through many and it allowed me the option of making them eggless.

What with my heart shaped cookie cutter, it was so appreciated by my girls and family.

What better treat for a great Valentine's Tea?

To make abut 10 Scones

Ingredients
1 cup of self-rising flour +2 tbsp
1/4 cup of cold butter (pinched)
2 Tbsp of castor sugar
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup of milk (divided)

Method
Pre-heat Oven to
Spray cookie sheet and keep ready
Mix flour, salt
(Keep butter refrigerated until ready to use like when making pie crust)
Pinch/cut the butter into the flour and mix just until gravelly like bread crumbs
Add the sugar
Follow up with water - use only enough to make a slightly wet and sticky batter
If you are going to, add your cranberries/blueberries or nuts at this point
Sprinkle the two tbsp of flour, one at a time, and roll the dough gently to get a soft yet non-sticky batter
Pat down with hands or roll lightly with rolling pin to about an 1-1/2 inch thick batter
Cut with cookie cutter and place on cookie sheet
Bake for about 10 minutes
Should be rise but soft and flaky!

Serve warm with butter/whipped cream/Jam and of course a steaming cuppa tea or chai

Enjoy and Happy Valentines Day to all of you. May you be loved always.