Victorian House Scones asked me if I’d review its Scone Mix. How did they know I love scones? Naturally, I said yes. I didn’t say that I travel so much, I am not home a lot to bake. They did not realize when in England or somewhere I can have High Tea, the scones and clotted cream are my favorite part of the offering.

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The scone mixes arrived and I had an assortment of Butter Brickle, Original, Original Oatmeal, and Lemon Poppyseed. Victorian House also offers Gingerbread, Indian Chai, and Pumpkin Spice which all sound yummy.

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In reading the directions, I noticed that you are able to freeze the dough. For me, this was a bonus. I could mix these all up, bake some on the weekend to share with our company, and have the rest in the freezer to pop in the oven when desired.

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The basic additions to the scone mixes are ¾ cup of butter and 1 cup of buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk, don’t worry. You can add 1-tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 2% or whole milk (not skimmed) and get a similar result. Some require 1 teaspoon of vanilla or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

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Of course you can be creative or experiment like I did on half of my batch of the Original. I added 1-tablespoon blood orange olive oil and ¼ cup of sliced almonds—it worked like a charm. On half of the Original Oatmeal, I added ¼ cup chopped pecans and ½ cup of dried cherries. That variation also worked without a problem.

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The directions were clear and told you at what point in the mixing you could put the dough in the freezer. For me, this was a real bonus as now, I have frozen scones I can pop in the oven and they taste just as good from the freezer state as they did originally.

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On one batch, I overworked the dough and pressed it down too much. As a result, they still tasted great, but did not rise as much.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Butter Brickle with the addition of brown sugar and tiny chips of Heath Almond Brickle Chips as well as the Lemon Poppyseed. I had no desire to experiment, as I knew they would be ideal just the way they were. My husband favored the Oatmeal and my guests liked the Lemon Poppyseed. We all enjoyed them all—I’m just stating favorites.

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Before I wrote this, I checked out Victorian House Scones website. In its Q&A section, it gives tips covering many aspects of these scones including vegan. Whereas Victorian House Scones are represented in 28 states, I think in most cases, it is easier to order online unless a store is nearby. They also sell wholesale.

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I found these both extremely easy and good and highly recommend.

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Victorian House Scones
Call toll free: 877.749.1943
P. O. Box 8094, Lafayette, IN 47903

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Clotted Cream (Devonshire) This is an easy version not the old fashioned and it is from Allrecipes.com.
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sour cream
1-tablespoon confectioners’ sugar.
Method:
Using a whisk attachment on a mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Remove from mixer, and hand whisk in the sour cream and confectioners’ sugar until just combined.
Store in the refrigerator.

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If you have a product you would like reviewed, please email me at mdhill@noralyn.com. I do not review products that I don’t like as I recognize, value, and appreciate the differences in palates. Consequently, if you submit something that does not satisfy my own taste buds, I prefer not to review it and will notify you accordingly.

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Big Blend Magazine NoraLyn
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Maralyn
Author: Maralyn

Maralyn Dennis Hill, The Epicurean Explorer, is president emeritus of International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association, member of Society of American Travel Writers, and Society of Professional Journalists. She is Executive Editor of Luxe Beat Magazine and contributes to other publications. She also speaks and is a guest on many shows. The majority of Maralyn’s articles are now geared to the luxury market, spas, corporate retreats, business events, and culinary tourism, from simple to gourmet. Maralyn’s description of herself: I was born to travel and tell the tale. I’m energized by different cultures in every aspect of their lives, from food, wine, and destination, to how they conduct business. Travel represents a continual geography lesson.