HONEY WHIPPED RICOTTA-STUFFED SCONES
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THE THICKENED AND EMBRACIVE RICOTTA-MASCARPONE MOISTENS THE CRUMBS LIKE A SCONE CARRYING ITS OWN CLOTTED-CREAM
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Sometimes, we wait for the perfect recipe-publishing moment to present itself. Iced dairies to fend off the heat in August… festivities to baste in the spirit of October… chocolates to sweeten the tones of February, and austerities to bring in those bikini-lines in May. Recipes, like romance, like good stories. I get it. But sometimes, most times actually, the birth of a certain recipe comes as forcefully and inevitably as the bad news it carries. Sometimes, we just have to make something, quite simply, because it’s Monday.
I hate Mondays. And please note, that coming from someone who is technically unemployed, that is saying a lot. Because Monday feels like standing at the bottom of an endless stairwell, and a monkey is holding a $20-bill at the top. Monday feels like watching the prelude of a documentary on counting alphabets in a foreign language without subtitles. Monday feels like powering through the infuriating hunger on the last day of a juice-cleanse, but only that it is still the first day. Monday feels like a brand new sandbag. Monday makes my coffee tired. So even though I’ve came up with this buttery scone stuffed with honey-whipped ricotta a while back, and have been waiting for the perfect timing to tell you all about it, it dawned on me that today, which is a Monday, is actually when your joy-deprived souls will need it the most.
This time-tested, my go-to scone-dough (or biscuit dough, whatever, who knows the difference really) is crispy and flakey on the surface, but its moist and crumbly interior houses a good dollop of creamy, slightly salty, zesty whole milk ricotta whipped with mascarpone and floral honey. Eaten hot out of the oven, the oozy filling bursts enthusiastically to lift your most stagnant Monday-blues. Eaten cooled with rewarded patience, and the thickened and embracive ricotta-mascarpone will moisten the crumbs like a scone carrying its own clotted cream. I don’t know about you, but my Monday is nearing its end, and I haven’t yet raised the first thought to smash my computer on the pale wall. And I say no human should go another Monday without it.
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UPDATE 2015/09/24: Please note that the ricotta I used was very very firm. So if your ricotta feels a bit on the loose side, wrap it in cheesecloth and put something heavy over it, then leave it in the fridge overnight to get rid of excess water.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (165 grams) whole milk ricotta
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) mascarpone
- 1/4 cup (85 grams) good quality floral honey
- 1/4 tsp lemon or orange zest
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 cups (395 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp aluminium-free baking powder
- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 9 tbsp (126 grams) unsalted butter, cold
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp (260 grams) whole milk, cold
- 1 egg wash
- Raw sugar to sprinkle
Instructions
- In a food-processor, blend ricotta, mascarpone, honey, lemon zest and salt until smooth, then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Cut the cold, unsalted butter into large cubes and add to the flour-mixture, then with a pastry-cutter or your hands, cut/squeeze the butter into the flours until they become shaggy and pea-sized bits. Some bits will be bigger or smaller, rounder or flatter than the others. It's totally fine. Now add the whole milk, and stir the whole thing into a dough with a large fork. Do not over-work it. Once the dough starts to come together, gather loose bits and flours with your hands so they all stick together, then transfer to a lightly floured surface.
- Dust with flour as needed as you go, and roll the dough out into 1/3" (1 cm) thick rectangle, then cut into 6 equal squares. Place about 1 1/2 tbsp of the ricotta-filling in the centre. Dab the edges lightly with a bit of water, then fold the dough over into a triangle and gently pinch the edges together. You can pinch away excess doughs and shape the triangle as neatly as you can, then set aside on a lightly floured pan. Repeat with the rest. Freeze the scones in the freezer for at least 30 min to 1 hour before baking. You can also make the day before and keep them frozen until the next morning.
- 30 min before baking, preheat the oven on 445 F/230 C. Brush the surface of the scones with egg-wash, then sprinkle generously with raw sugars. Bake in the oven for about 15 min until golden browned and puffed. I prefer to eat them once cooled, when the filling becomes thick and creamy.
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Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
September 14, 2015 at 10:35 PMOmg, I wrote about not being able to deal with the whole Monday thing too today but you describe it so much better. I want that $20 bill!!!!! And these scones. Especially because of that honey-ricotta mix!
Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table
September 14, 2015 at 10:46 PMIndeed, why bother serving scones with clotted cream when you can just combine them both right away? I love this “lazy” approach to desserts!
Sam @ SugarSpun
September 14, 2015 at 10:56 PMThe ricotta inside of the scones is genius, these are exactly what I need to get through Monday (and oh did you ever describe it perfectly).
Ursula @ LilVienna.com
September 14, 2015 at 10:58 PMWanna have them NOW!
Jessica
September 14, 2015 at 11:26 PMheh – love that your scone recipe is your biscuit recipe – as it should be! flakes and fluffy crumbs all the way!
Nicole @ the James' kitchen
September 14, 2015 at 11:30 PMYou are a lifesaver. Just started a nasty cold (thanks to freezing cold plane) which is getting worser by the minute. I think, I can muster the rest of my energy to make these delicious scones and brighten this $*&’# Monday – just what the doctor ordered.
Nicole
rebecca | DisplacedHousewife
September 15, 2015 at 12:26 AMLove the stuffed scone!! These look delicious!! xx
Heather (Delicious Not Gorgeous)
September 15, 2015 at 12:34 AMi tend to think of lasagna when i taste plain ricotta (for no good reason aside from the fact that there’s ricotta in lasagna). but the mascarpone and lemon zest sounds really tasty and decadent and decidedly not lasagna-like (:
Crystal @UnePeach
September 15, 2015 at 7:11 AMA stuffed scone with anything sounds wonderful! Making some so soon!
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen
September 15, 2015 at 8:36 AMThat whipped ricotta-mascarpone interior looks incredible – and absolutely ideal to get you well on your way to Tuesday! (in fact, I think I would love them any day of the week!!) x
Jessica | A Happy Food Dance
September 15, 2015 at 12:24 PMThis joy-deprived Monday soul needed these today – thank you
Kristina
September 15, 2015 at 5:05 PMThis is what I need in my life right now. The mornings are getting darker and colder and I need something to bring back the joy that went away with summer. This might just be it.
Mallory
September 15, 2015 at 7:27 PMMan, these look good! Love the idea of stuffing them with a filling – everything you need in one package! High five, lady!
Athena
September 16, 2015 at 1:39 AMPRETTYYYYYYYY!!!!
Kara | Sorghum and Starch
September 16, 2015 at 2:46 AMI never would have thought to stuff a scone. These are lovely!
Ylva
September 17, 2015 at 8:36 PMYum-yum…
Ricotta is always a good idea! And mascarpone too. And scones anyway. ;) Thanks!
Richard Griffiths
September 19, 2015 at 1:55 AMWell I am not sure whether my ricotta, my honey or my mascarpone is more sloppy than yours but when I mixed them together they were like unwhipped cream and really did not want to be inside my scone at all. I have eaten most of that already.
The scone with a dribble of the remainder are in the freezer. Still I do like scones though!
mandy@ladyandpups
September 19, 2015 at 2:24 PMRichard, the ricotta and mascarpone I used were both really firm, and maybe that was the problem. I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you :(
Mary
September 19, 2015 at 9:47 PMI had the same problem with the filling really thinning out in the food processor. I would recommend whipping by hand if your ricotta is not super firm. Delicious scones! Thanks for the recipe :)
Jess @ Clarendon Tinder Diaries
September 19, 2015 at 11:05 PMThat… is the most PERFECT description of Monday I have ever heard! And you have maybe inspired me to blow off my brunch date so that I can go buy the ingredients to make these nuggets of sunshine (by maybe I mean yes)
Laurie
September 24, 2015 at 4:05 AMI was thinking that maybe if you strained the ricotta through cheesecloth for a few hours or overnight, it might get rid of excess moisture.
mandy@ladyandpups
September 24, 2015 at 2:18 PMLaurie, definitely! the ricotta I used was really really firm!
Madhvi
September 30, 2015 at 4:02 AMOh yum, can’t wait to try these! But i am a bit confused about the measurements..
1/4 cup (56 grams) mascarpone
1/4 cup (85 grams) good quality floral honey
How come both 1/4 cups are different in terms of grams??
mandy@ladyandpups
September 30, 2015 at 3:57 PMMadhvi, ingredients differ in density and therefor in weight as well :) Keep a note on the update on the firmness of ricotta. Many comments suggested that their ricotta was too loose :)
T
September 30, 2015 at 9:33 AMWondering how long these keep? Was thinking of making ahead and traveling with them.
mandy@ladyandpups
September 30, 2015 at 3:56 PMT, I would say a day or overnight at room-temperature is fine, but not longer because of the dairy. Keep a note for the update on the firmness of ricotta :)
Mar
April 20, 2016 at 12:18 PMWhat is calorie count and breakdown of nutritional values ?
Jess
January 31, 2017 at 6:58 PMHi,
This sounds gorgeous!
Just wondering if I freeze them overnight can I pop them in the oven straight from the freezer or do they need to defrost a bit?
Many thanks,
Jess
mandy@ladyandpups
February 1, 2017 at 1:21 AMJess, I’m not sure the texture of ricotta will remain the same after freezing.. somehow I heard that cheese becomes gritty after freezing.. but I’m not sure. If you do try it, I would bake straight out of the freezer. Let me know how it turns out!
Chantal
March 10, 2017 at 9:16 PMThis method/recipe is such a good idea. I could prep them Sunday night and finish baking them on the dreaded Monday morning. Quick question: do you notice that the freezing results in a loss of leavening?
mandy@ladyandpups
March 11, 2017 at 3:39 PMchantel, hm not in my experience… though scones and biscuits are always on the unpredictable category in my life :)
Radja
September 14, 2018 at 4:54 PMYum…. nice to try these
Steve Besserman
January 6, 2021 at 11:26 AMMy filling was quite loose even without the food processor. Used my favorite Bellweather farms Ricotta and tried squeezing excess moisture through cheesecloth, but to no avail. Fantastic flavors, but difficult to seal inside, and it ran out in the baking. The recipe made enough filing for a second batch, so I cut out scones with a 3 inch biscuit cutter, made a depression in the center, and filled it with the ricotta mix. Egg wash and sugar around the rim. The filling firmed up a bit and caramelized at it’s edges. They looked and tasted fantastic. Wish I could include pictures. Thanks Mandy