Kumquat Scones

Have you ever tried a kumquat? It’s not a fruit that is commonly known, but I like to think of it almost as a mini mandarin orange. My mother-in-law has a beautiful little kumquat tree in her yard. I never ate it before and I never really had a desire to try it. But when she told me that I was supposed to eat the peel and not just the inside of the fruit, I was intrigued! After taking my first bite, I was pleasantly surprised; it was crunchy, tangy, and citrusy! I liked it. But when my mother-in-law gave me a big bag of this tiny little fruit, I was a bit overwhelmed. I only ate a little bit at a time, my family doesn’t eat it, and I hated the thought of it going to waste. 

In the end, I decided that the best way to eat all these kumquats was to make them into scones! And let me tell you, it might be my favorite scone flavor yet! With every bite of the flaky buttery scone is a bit of zesty and punchy kumquat peel. This is a serious must-try! Especially with a cup of coffee or green tea! I’ve  tried making scones once before, but to no success.  I hadn’t quite found the perfect recipe; perfectly browned and crispy outer layer yet crumbly and fluffy inside. 

Thank goodness for my friend Elena from Best Served Vegan! She gave me her base scone recipe and wow, it absolutely turned out heavenly! This dynamic combination of sweet and crumbly scone combined with light citrus from the kumquats was an absolutely perfect combination! After I started making these, the whole family kept requesting these for Sunday brunch. I am so excited to share this recipe with you and I hope you enjoy it!

Base Scone Recipe: https://bestservedvegan.com/vegan-strawberry-rosemary-scones/

Ingredients

• 1 cup of kumquats
• ½ cup of sugar
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 4 tsp of baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt 
• ⅓ cup of cold butter
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup of milk

Instructions

1. Freeze butter in the freezer the night before making scones. 
2. Slice kumquats thinly and discard the center of the fruit. 
3. In one mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk together. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together. Take butter out of the freezer and start grating butter into the dry ingredients bowl. 
4. Once you are done grating, combine wet and dry ingredients in a bowl and add kumquats. Use your hands to lightly blend and mix until the mixture is blended. Don’t overwork the mixture. 
5. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a booking tray. Place mixture on the parchment paper and use a sharp knife to cut into 8 pieces of scones. Use milk or heavy cream to lightly brush the top of the scones so that it browns nicely. 
6. Bake scones at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. 

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