Lavender-Earl Grey Scones for a Royal Wedding

Once again an evening or afternoon spent with M. always seems to end with all of us completely overstuffed and certain food items on the menu remaining unmade or uneaten due to our complete inability to plan a rational amount of food for a gathering of 3 people. Exhibit A: Good Friday Fish Supper. Exhibit B: Gathering to watch the Royal Wedding (and yes, I was only there for the food). The menu included: cheese scones, lavender earl grey scones, whipping cream & jam to top the scones, deviled eggs, watercress and cucumber sandwiches, salmon sandwiches, strawberries and baslamic cream cheese sandwiches, chips, vegetables & dip, oh and donuts. Ridiculous, yes??

In the end, we didn't make any of the planned tea sandwiches, but the scones were a smashing success. I used my basic scone recipe from the buttermilk chai ginger scones, and added decaf earl grey tea and a lavender-tulsi tea. I think next time I will try to add a bit of orange zest and leave out the lavender altogether.

Lavender Earl Grey Scones
2 c. all purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/3 c. sugar
a dash of salt
1-2 tsp earl grey tea (from a tea bag - if you use whole leaves, grind them in a coffee grinder first)
1/2-1 tsp lavender tea (same as above)
1/3 c. butter
1 c. buttermilk (I rarely buy buttermilk and just use 1 c. milk to which 1 Tbs. vinegar, white or cider, has been added and let sit for 5 min or so)


1 heaping tsp (total) earl grey/lavender tea steeped in 1/4 c. boiling water

Steep the tea and boiling water for ~1/3 min. Remove tea bag (or strain if using loose leaf tea). Set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients together and stir in the tea. Cut butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse crumb texture is achieved. Mix in the dry tea leaves. Use 1 Tbs of the steeped tea stirred into the buttermilk. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until mixed. Knead on a lightly floured surface gently, adding a bit more flour if the dough is too wet, and then press into a circle ~ 1/2" thick. Cut into 8 wedges and place on a baking tray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 min until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack before wrapping.