For most of the country, school is going to be back in session - IN PERSON - at least as we begin this new school year. I don’t know about yours, but MY kids are ecstatic!

Gone are the moans and groans I’ve grown used to over the nearly 40 years I’ve been at this motherhood thing, and in their place is such joy and enthusiasm over in-classroom learning I’ve never seen before! It’s got me excited too! (Yes, I DO realize the learning aspect has little to do with the anticipatory glee - it’s all about seeing friends again!!)

If you still have some plump juicy blackberries hanging around begging to be picked before the falls rains set in (Oh please, oh please, we NEED the fall rains!) all you need is a cup of them to mix up a batch of these scones and make your kids first school morning even sweeter than they could have imagined! If you go the extra step and add the lemon glaze, you’ll be so glad you did! It adds a touch of sweetness and the citrus is a nice crisp contrast to the soft warm sconce.

There are two main points to remember when it comes to making scones - one, it’s ALL ABOUT THE BUTTER. The colder, the better! And, don’t over-work the dough; give it a light touch, pat gently into place before cutting into wedges.

Give ‘em a try!

Blackberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes or you can use frozen butter and grate it in.

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup blackberries

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 Tablespoon of each)

• splash of cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Next, add the cold butter. A pastry cutter works great if you’ve used cold butter cut into cubes. If you’ve grated in frozen butter, just toss it to coat well. (All butter should be no larger that pea-sized.)

4. In another bowl, whisk egg and cream together. Combine with dry mixture, and mix with a fork, just enough until dough comes together.

5. Add the berries to the dough, gently turning into the dough, trying not to squish too much juice out of the berry.

6. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a round shape about 1” thick. Using a sharp knife dredged in flour, cut the round into about 8 wedges of the same size.

7. Transfer to a a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top.

8. Serve warm or continue with the next step to add a lemon glaze.

9. While the scones are baking, make the glaze. Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with the zest and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Add a splash of cream if glaze is not thin enough. (Conversely, add more powdered sugar if you want a thicker glaze.)

10. Brush warm scones with half the glaze, wait until they have cooled a little bit (10-15 minutes) and brush again. Serve.