Hayley's neighbor Miss Gloria is celebrating her eighty-fifth birthday in this book. Lots of visitors have arrived on the island, included her two thorny daughters-in-law. Mis Gloria gets the idea of inviting them for a tour of residences on Houseboat Row, with scones and coffee on Hayley and Nathan's deck at the end. Hayley makes these mango scones, and my, they are delicious! You could make them without the icing, but as my husband would say... why?
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (aka 1 stick or 8 tablespoons) frozen unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2-1/2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 cup ripe mango, peeled and cut into small chunks
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (F).
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Combine the dry ingredients with a fork. Take care to mix the brown sugar in thoroughly.
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Placed a grater over the bowl of dry ingredients, grate the frozen butter into the bowl using the largest holes. With a fork, mix the butter in well with the flour mixture.
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In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the egg, sour cream, almond flavoring, and milk. Stir the combined wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until moist. Fold in the mango.
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Dump the batter onto a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour and shape it into a circle. The batter will be wet and crumbly, but don't overwork it.
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Cut the circle of dough into eight wedges and separate slightly so there is space between each scone. (I cut mine into six wedges, which were very generous!)
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Bake until beginning to brown, about 18 minutes. Serve as you like with more butter, whipped cream, the cream cheese frosting, or just as they are.
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Beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth.
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Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.
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These freeze well and can be warmed up for a treat on another day.
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As a side note, I asked my hub if he wanted his frosted and he first said no. He changed his mind when he heard I was having frosting. After tasting it he said, "I don't know why you even asked me about the icing, it's amazing!"
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I resorted to using frozen mango when I realized I couldn't find ripe mangos at the store, nor did I have time to wait for green mangos to ripen. I defrosted the mango chunks (overnight in the refrigerator). After blotting the excess liquid from the defrosted mango, I chopped it into smaller chunks to use in the scones. The scone dough was very sticky and the mango chunks tended to disintegrate as I folded them in. I ended up having to add an extra tablespoon of flour. However, the scones were still delicious but next time I'll plan ahead and buy fresh mangos to use.