The Mixing Bowl: Apricot Flaky Scones by Elisabeth Klos

I'm a big fan of breakfast. Eggs, hash browns, pancakes, toast with jam. I love it all! I will admit, though, that on most mornings I'm strictly a granola gal (I don't even put milk on my cereal, although sometimes I'll add berries on top, if I have them on hand!). Every so often, though, I like to treat myself with a little breakfast delight. These apricot scones, brought to us by painter Elisabeth Klos, are the perfect something special for when you have guests over brunch or on days when a bowl of corn flakes just isn't going to do the trick!

Elisabeth Klos is a fantastic painter based in California who also just happens to have a whole series of oil paintings devoted to desserts! It's the perfect combination of art and sweets! I'm really taken with the doughnut painting, but there's also something about that crust on the pumpkin pie piece that I just love!

From Elisabeth: I love painting and drawing sweets/baked goods because they evoke such a warm, nostalgic, happy feeling in me and in most of my customers. The process works something like this: First I do a decoupage under the painting with packaging labels from old flour bags, sugar bags, Hershey bars, etc. (You can see the label in the scone painting - the Gold flour symbol to the left of the scones.) Then I usually do color blocking as a backdrop to a simple portrait of the dessert using oil paint. Sometimes I use a rubber stamp to put text under the dessert.

Elisabeth's paintings are available for sale on Etsy, right here. If you're looking for something specific for the dessert lover in your life, Elisabeth will take custom orders as well. I think it would be really fun to give an avid baker a personal portrait of their most famous dessert: mom's apple pie in oil! You can find contact info and more images on her Web site. Click here to check it out and here to view her blog.

You can find the complete recipe and more of Elisabeth's work after the jump. Thanks, Elisabeth!

Apricot Flaky Scones (from Baking for All Occasions, recipe courtesy of Food Gal)
(makes 12-14 scones)

For scones:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons moist dried apricots, finely diced to yield 3/4 cup
1/2 cup unsalted, shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk


For glaze:

2 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk
3 tablespoons turbinado or other raw sugar

Before baking: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

To make scones: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and whisk to blend. Scatter butter pieces over the flour mixture. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter just until the majority of the butter chunks range in size from peas to coarse crumbs. Stir in the apricots and nuts, if using.

Stir orange zest into buttermilk, and drizzle half of the buttermilk evenly over the surface of the flour mixture. Toss lightly with a fork. Then add remaining buttermilk and toss until mixture comes together in a shaggy mass. If any areas remain dry, gradually add more buttermilk, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time, tossing lightly to distribute the buttermilk. With lightly floured hands, transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface, shape into a rough, semi-cohesive mass, and knead gently about three times.

On the lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 12 by 5-inch rectangle. Fold dough into thirds like a business letter; working from a short end, lift bottom one-third of the rectangle up over the center and then fold top third down to cover. This folding creates layers of dough and fat, so the scones will puff up slightly as they bake and will have a flaky texture. Roll out the dough again into a 14 by 5 1/2 by 3/4-inch rectangle. Transfer it to a baking sheet, place a piece of plastic wrap on top, and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, to rest and to partially chill the dough.

Carefully transfer the chilled dough to a cutting board. Cut small wedges with a sharp knife. You’ll have 11 to 13 of them, depending upon how large you cut them. Place wedges, about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. (Depending upon the size of your baking sheet, you might need to use two pans.) Gently press the 2 end pieces from the rectangle together to form a wedge, and add it to the others on the baking sheet.

To glaze scones: Brush tops of scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake scones until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature the same day they are baked.