Mojito Scones: Happy Hour, Meet Breakfast.

I found this fabulous recipe on KAF: "While at first thought, these two flavors (sour? minty?) don’t seem complementary, they actually occupy enough common ground to make a good pair. Both are refreshing, clean flavors; not at all subtle, they wake up your taste buds. Heck, they’re both bright green; that should count for something! Lime and mint come together nicely in these tender scones. Since the recipe as written provides the barest hint of mint, feel free to ramp it up by brushing the scones with a bit of mint syrup after baking."

• Ready In: 36 mins
• Yields: 8 scones

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 1/2 ounces)
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄3 cup light brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  freshly grated lime rind (zest, the rind of 1 lime)
• 1  tablespoon of fresh mint, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup  cold butter
• 3⁄4 cup  cold milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  lime oil (optional, for enhanced flavor)
•  coarse white  decorator sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk the first 7 ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Work in 1/2 cup cold butter until the mixture is unevenly crumbly.
3. Add 3/4 cup cold milk and 1/2 teaspoon lime oil (if using).
4. Stir just until the dough is cohesive.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape it into a rough ball, and roll or pat it into an 8″ round.
6. Patting the dough into a lightly greased 8″ round cake pan is an easy way to make a nice, neat round.
7. If you’ve patted the dough into a pan, turn the pan over and rap it sharply to drop the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
8. Score it into 8 wedges.
9. Brush with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired.
10. transfer the wedges to the sheet, separating them by about 1″ at the outer edge.
11. Place the scones in the freezer for 15 minutes; this will help them rise higher.
12. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 400°F.
13. Bake the scones until they puff up and begin to brown, 16 to 20 minutes.
14. Remove them from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan before transferring to a rack.
15. Serve warm, or at room temperature. Wrap any cooled leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.