Preheat oven to 425 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
3 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
2 teaspoons cream of tartar (this is important)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound)
8 ounces (by weight, not volume) whipped cream cheese at room temperature (I used Philadelphia brand, which is also 8 ounces by volume)
6.5-ounce (by weight) package Boursin Cheese with Herbs at room temperature (one package)
2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
1 cup sour cream
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Mix in bits of salted butter with two forks or a piecrust blender, just as you would for piecrust dough.
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you have a food processor, you can use it to do this. Cut ½ cup COLD salted butter into 8 chunks. Layer the chunks of butter with the dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor. Process with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and proceed to the next step.
Check your cheeses. If they haven’t come up to room temperature, take them out of the packages, put them in a microwave-safe bowl, and soften them on HIGH for 20 seconds or so. Then take them out and add the beaten eggs and sour cream. Mix everything together thoroughly.
Add the cheese, egg, and sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir the dough with a fork until everything is thoroughly combined. The resulting mixture should be roughly the consistency of cottage cheese.
Use a large spoon to drop the biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet. You can make 12 very large scones, 24 medium sized scones, or 4 to 5 dozen mini scones. (You can bake one sheet at a time with this dough—it’ll be fine in the bowl for a half-hour or so while you wait for the first batch to bake.)
Hannah’s 2nd Note: I line my baking sheets with parchment paper for easy removal.
If your scones look a little ragged around the edges, wet your fingers and shape them into rounds.
Bake the scones at 425 degrees F. for 14 to 16 minutes for very large scones, 12 to 14 minutes for medium-sized scones, or 8 to 10 minutes for mini scones baked in miniature cupcake tins sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. To test for doneness, touch them with the back of a spoon to see if they’re “set” on top.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: DON’T OVERBAKE these scones. That will make them dry. My very large scones took a total of 15 minutes, the medium-sized scones took 14 minutes, and the mini scones in the miniature cupcake tins took 9 minutes. The rule of thumb here is that if they look done, they are done.
Cool the scones for at least 5 minutes on the cookie sheets, and then remove them with a spatula. (If you used parchment paper, all you have to do is pull the paper off the baking sheet and peel off the scones.) The mini scones in the miniature cupcake tins should cool for at least 8 minutes before you remove them.
Serve the scones in a towel-lined basket so that they stay warm.
Yield: Makes 12 very large scones, 24 medium-sized scones, or 4 to 5 dozen mini scones. These scones are simply delicious served with extra cream cheese, capers, and smoked salmon.
Hannah’s 4th Note: To serve mini scones as appetizers, simply cool them and cut them in half horizontally. Top them with more cream cheese, press on a few capers, and place a small slice of smoked salmon on top. You can either serve them that way, or spread a little more cream cheese on the top half and use it to make a mini sandwich the way Sally does.