Blueberry Tea Biscuits with Halo Glaze

So feathery light with a touch of sweetness, and the wonderful taste of blueberries. Then top them off with an orange glaze and you are on your way to a delicious breakfast. Serve these beautiful biscuits with eggs and sausage patties.

*2 cups cake flour (*if you don’t have cake flour, measure out 2 cups of all-purpose flour and remove 4 tablespoons of the flour and add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix well)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces plus 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, melted and set aside for the tops

2 tablespoon white sugar plus 1-2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for the biscuit tops

1 1/2 teaspoons zest of orange or Halo

1 cup heavy cream mixed with 1/4 cup milk (read recipe directions below on adding cream mixture)

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a parchment line baking sheet.

Use 1/2 tablespoon of the flour to mix into blueberries. To a mixing bowl, add the remaining flour, baking powder, salt, 2 tablespoons white sugar and Halo zest. Add the butter, and using either a pastry blender or your hands, mix the butter into the flour until you have very small pieces of butter.*See the method below for mixing butter into flour. Start to stir in enough of the cream mixture to make a moist dough, adding about 3/4 cup of the cream mixture, and then as needed. When the dough is moist enough, but still slightly stiff, very carefully fold in the blueberries to keep them from breaking.

Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop or a measuring cup of the same size, drop the dough onto the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with butter and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Makes 13-16 biscuits.

Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

Juice of one small Halo, or if using an orange, enough juice to make a glaze

Mix well, and drizzle on top of the slightly cooled biscuits.

If the biscuits are still hot when you are ready to serve them, just put them on serving plates and add the glaze. Believe me when I tell you that nobody is going to mind scooping up the glaze. It will be delicious!

This is my method for mixing butter into flour. Put your hands into the flour like two  scoops and pull the flour up into them. Now, push the butter through your thumbs and forefinger. You will feel the butter flatten and fall into the mixture. When you see very small pieces of butter, then the mixture is ready to mix with the liquid.

This recipe is an adaption of one found in Biscuits, Pancakes & Quick Breads, by Beverly Cox.