Toaster Scones.

That's what I call them. They're essentially drop biscuits with pretensions, but they do have the fat-rich tenderness of scones rather than flaky layers, and they keep well enough to reheat in a toaster for a full week. So, toaster scones.There's a story of how they came to be. Of course there is. Skip past it to the recipe if you're goal-oriented.Once upon a time I made blueberry muffins for every special occasion--where reasons like "Tuesday" or "I had a rough work shift" counted as definitions for "special." When I got tired of chewing on muffin papers, I bought half-sized loaf pans and made "muffin loaves" instead. I can still whip up a batch of those in less time than it takes to pre-heat the oven.During this same long-ago time biscuits were my go-to for ordinary occasions when I wanted a bread with supper but had none in the house. Not just any biscuits, tho. See, biscuits require cutting. Rolling. Counter cleaning. UGH. I am a lazy baker. SO LAZY. So of course I made drop biscuits instead. Stir, plop & drop. Tasty & easy.One day I decided to make muffins and discovered I had no eggs in the house. Tragedy! All my muffin recipes required eggs. The disappointment was crushing, but I decided to make biscuits as a consolation treat. Any port in the storm, any bread in a pinch.I know, muffins are NOT just biscuits made with eggs, just as scones are not merely biscuits made with cream. Still. They're all baked goods that spring from the same roots of flour, baking powder, salt & fat, therefore they all live in the same compartment of my brain.Anyway. In this episode I had no eggs and aimed for drop biscuits....and somewhere along the way the inspiration light bulb went off. I COULD HAVE MY BISCUITS AND BLUEBERRIES TOO! In practice it didn't quite work. They were entirely edible but Not Quite Right. It took learning scone recipes and tweaking proportions here and there to come up with a reproducible, predictable result. Here it is:Prologue:375 degree oven or 400 if I'm in a hurry.parchment paper on baking sheets1. Mix together2+ c. flour3 tsp. baking powder1/2 tsp. salt1/4+ c. sugar if I'm adding fruit2. Work in 1/2 c fat (butter, cream cheese, plain yogurt or some combo of same, whatever I have in the fridge) I usually go with 4 tbsp butter and a scoop of plain yogurt) I work it in with my fingers, some people use forks or pastry cutters.3. stir in at least 1 c. of fruit or shredded cheese4. Add 1/2-3/4 c milk & mix until it forms into a dough.Sometimes it's more like thick batter. The more fat I use in step 2 (or if I'm making Cheesy Toaster Scones) the more solid the result at this point. If the dough is workable by hand, I form it into a long log 1/2" high and cut into triangles like scones. If it's gloppy (fruit ones are usually gloppy) I plop it on the baking sheet like drop biscuits.5. Bake 20-25 min at 375, 15-18 min at 400 --until just browning on top. Cheese ones cook faster than fruit ones, sometimes as much as 5 min faster.Blueberries, pitted tart cherries, dried fruits, leftover applesauce, shredded cheddar cheese, feta cheese & assorted herbs, shredded smoked mozzarella & chopped basil...I've made a lot of different versions of these. They were all delicious. There's variability on the rise, so sometimes I have to cut them in half to toast up later, sometimes not. Either way, they are extra-delicious when toasted to a crisp brown finish.That's it in a nutshell. The next adventure will be seeing how much almond flour I can sub in without screwing up either flavor or rise. Spouseman wants to cut back on carbs and I'm all for upping fiber & protein content where I can.