How to Make Heart-shaped Scones - Without a Cookie Cutter!

I'm not one for buying a million different cookie cutters.  I like to think of myself as way more DIY than that.  I can cut my own heart-shaped scones!  And I'll waste less precious scone dough with my method, too.  I decided that this Valentine's day is going to bring some beautiful heart-shaped scones to my plate, and they should be topped with a raspberry glaze.

To make heart-shaped scones, you can use a traditional scone recipe, my vegan recipe, or the recipe below, a quick and easy egg-free recipe which is another old traditional recipe I love called Cream Scones.  You can even use my Scone Mix.  If you're not into raspberries, you can use any kind of jam to top these or just brush them with cream and serve them plain.  I also have a recipe for a kumquat glaze which is really pretty.

To shape the scones, first cut them out as usual.  Form the dough into a circle, then cut the circle into eight triangles.

Carefully place the triangles onto a cookie sheet.  Cut the edges off the wide side of the triangles, then cut a v-notch in the middle of the scone like this:

With your thumb, make a depression in the center of the scones.  Brush the scones with cream.  Top the scones with your glaze or jam.

Bake as directed.

Raspberry Glaze:

In a small sauce pan, heat:

1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp sugar

Boil for 5 minutes, then carefully taste and adjust the flavors as needed.  Simmer the mixture while you're preparing your scones.  Don't let it cool or you won't be able to pour it.

Cream Scone Recipe:

makes 8 scones

Pre-heat oven to 425 F. 

Mix in a medium bowl:

2 cups All-purpose Flour

1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder (make sure it's GF)
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp xanthan gum (not necessary if your gluten-free flour mix already has it, or if you are using wheat flour)

2 tsp lemon zest

Add all at once, and combine in a few quick strokes:

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

Turn the dough out onto your cookie sheet and pat it into a circle.  It may seem like it's not sticking together - you can gently pat it and/or let it rest until it becomes cohesive.  Cut the circle into 8 equal pieces.  Follow the pictorial instructions above for heart-shaped scones.  Top with a glaze before cooking or you can also put the glaze on after baking.  Bake at 425 F for about 12 minutes, or until starting to brown.

Enjoy your heart-shaped scones!

Check out the blog Gluten-free Homemaker on Wednesday for more Valentine's day ideas!