Biscuit Method Scones

I've graduated to the Biscuit method - yeah!  Scones are always a hit with my family so I was anxious to get to these.  My oldest daughter was home from college to go to her sister's graduation and I definitely wanted to make these before she left.  They turned out great but the method was very different than what I've done in the past.  I've always used a pastry blender to mix in the butter and
just dumped everything together.  Alton had me using parchment paper and my fingers. 

At first I didn't understand the "puppy ears" technique but then I got the hang of it.  You just have to let the flour get all over the butter and then it works great between your fingers.  I did have a little trouble with kneading the dough on the parchment paper however.  I just couldn't get the flour to stay on the paper - I would move the paper to "fold" the dough over itself and the flour would slide and then the paper would stick.  It was kind of frustrating and I ended up just sprinkling more flour over the top, giving it a couple of quick folds with my hands and then patting it out into a rectangle.  It all turned out great and the taste was soft and moist with just enough crumb.  The bottoms browned up and the tops puffed up in just the right amounts.   Just before they were ready to come out I sprinkled some sugar on top which proved to be scrumptious.  The recipe called for dried cherries and I had left those out based on personal preference so the sugar added the bit of sweetness they needed.  It would also have been good with some whipping cream or jam too but they were so tasty coming out of the oven that they were all gobbled up while they were still warm.