Lemon Guava Cream Scones

Note the melty-gooey cubes of guava paste 

      I wish I could say these had a more inspired origin, but it arose from a hankering for ice cream. You know those foodie freebies offered at Central Market? A particular one that advertised small-batch ice cream, waffle cones and whipped cream drew us in. 

Just the right size for sharing---one for you, two for me...you get the idea

      What we really wanted were the first two items, while the last was likely to be relegated to the depths of our fridge, never to be seen again until long past its expiration date. This time however, as I was putting it away, I noticed a few other items in the fridge that were nearing their use-by date: 3 lemons and a block of guava paste.

I forgot to get a picture beforehand, but saved the packaging of the block of guava paste I had

      Lemon guava sounded like a convincing combo, and the whipped cream brought to mind cream scones. More specifically, tangy lemon scones dotted with cubes of guava paste. I found some promising lemon scone recipes and I started with this one and adapted accordingly. The result was even better than I expected: fresh out of the oven, the warm scones had softened bits of guava paste reminiscent of gooey chocolate chips. Nevertheless, these scones were still great after they’d cooled down—the texture was just right—tender crumb with a bit of crust embedded with chunks of chewy guava.  I upped the pucker-factor just a tad more with a lemon glaze.
     I should probably mention a little more about the guava paste. The brand I used consisted solely of guava pulp, sugar, pectin and citric acid. No food coloring needed to yield the brilliant deep jewel red color. Not only did it contribute great visual aesthetic, but also incredible flavor. Guava is perhaps one of the most fragrant fruits I've encountered, and its flavor is equally matched--most commonly described as a combination of pear and strawberry (I'd add passionfruit). Texture-wise, it's comparable to a soft pear with crunchy edible seeds. There are quite a few varieties, some with white and some with pink flesh, while the exterior skin ranges from green to yellow to a blush pink. In terms of nutrition, guava definitely have plenty of vitamin C and antioxidants. Only while researching to write this did I find out about the sizable body of  studies published in peer-reviewed journals on the health benefits of not only guava but also guava leaf extract/tea. I kinda wish I was in the study that proved eating ripe guava before meals for 12 weeks lowered cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure but I don't think I would have met the inclusion criteria.

     Now for the recipe adaptations—it was frankly a matter of supply and demand, or rather making up for the lack of supply with alternatives. Obvious changes aside (adding guava paste), I switched the all-purpose flour out for white whole wheat (intentional) and ended up using a 50/50 combo of butter and coconut oil (unintentional). Lastly, taking full advantage of our whipped cream freebie, I guesstimated a reasonable amount and folded it in, giving the batter more volume. This recipe comes together faster than clotted cream, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea with a friend and these scones. 

||Lemon Guava Cream Scones||

Makes 25-30 1.5" scones

Ingredients

For the scones~

• 1 and 7/8 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Zest of 3 medium lemons
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes*
• 1 large egg
• 3 heaping 1/2 cups of whipped cream**
• 12 oz. guava paste, cut into small cubes (1/2")

For the lemon glaze~

• Juice of two medium lemons
• 1/3 cup sugar

*as mentioned, I used a 50/50 ratio of butter and coconut oil--if you choose to follow suit, measure the coconut oil and place in freezer for 10-15 min until partially hardened 

**welcome to my world of jank approximations

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F, grease baking sheet with butter wrapper or coconut oil, set aside.
2. Rub zest in sugar to release oils before combining with flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well. 
3. Add butter (and/or coconut oil) and egg, then quickly but gently work into batter until mixture is shaggy/resembles pea-sized crumbles. 
4. Fold in whipped cream to evenly distribute but do not mix/knead vigorously. Batter should just come together. 
5. On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough to 3/4" thick and use 1.5" round cookie-cutter (I used one with a fluted-edge) to cut out scones. gently (I know I keep saying this, but the goal is to *not* have rocks masquerading as scones) push together remaining dough, flatten and repeat until dough is all formed/cut-out.
6. Place on baking sheet, brush lightly with extra cream.
7. Bake 8-10 minutes until tops are just barely golden. Let cool while making the glaze.

Combine lemon with sugar to form a thin glaze, brush on top of slightly cooled scones.
8.Serve and enjoy! preferably with tea, pinkies up