Mini Star- Anise Scones

This recipe also comes from Bon Appetit and I can’t remember when I got this recipe. My husband and my mother just love anise because it tastes like licorice. You can find ground anise in the spice section of your local grocery store. The star Anise in the picture above are sometimes hard to find. I just happened to see them in the grocery store. To make these scones, I just ground the Anise in a spice grinder or you can also use a coffee grinder. Licorice lovers eat your heart out.

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 large egg

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

2 ¼ cups cake flour

3 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons freshly ground star anise

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon coarse salt

6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter

½ cup raisins

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons raw sugar

Preheat oven 400 degrees. Whisk ½ cup cream, egg, and lemon peel in medium bowl. Whisk flour and next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Using large holes of box grater, grate butter over dry ingredients. Using fingertips, blend until coarse meal forms. Add raisins and cream mixture. Stir until moist clumps form, adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Turn out onto floured surface and knead just until dough comes together.

Pat out dough to ½-inch thick round using 2 inch diameter cutter, cut out scones. Gather dough scraps and press out to ½ inch thickness and cut out additional scones. Transfer to baking sheet. Brush tops of scone with 2 tablespoons cream and lightly sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until golden brown about 16 minutes.