Game of scones: Old treat suddenly trendy

Everyone loves a good comeback story.

That’s true with a celebrity, a sports star — or, apparently, even pastries.

More than just an old-style biscuit, scones have become a popular alternative to muffins and bagels in bakeries throughout Philadelphia and South Jersey.

And these days, pastry chefs are getting creative with these traditionally underappreciated treats, whipping up seasonal varieties and fresh fruit fillings that tantalize their customers’ taste buds.

Classically savory or sweet, the scone has evolved over the years — from a Scottish quick bread that dates to the 1500s into a popular pastry with delightful textures and often-surprising flavor combinations.

Flavors keep it fresh

In Philadelphia, Lisa and Mark Cosgrove own the Bakeshop on Twentieth Street, a small-batch bakery and café that opened in 2014. This home-style business features menu items baked with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and pastries that are made daily. Many of the Cosgroves’ recipes are family favorites that have been passed down through generations.

Reflecting the pastry’s renaissance, the bakery’s scones are its best-selling items. So far, the owners have created more than 35 flavors — with an overwhelmingly positive response from their customers. Their most unique offerings are brie, strawberry basil, banana maple walnut and pear chocolate. They also create a daily vegan scone and are working on a gluten-free recipe.

“Scones are an easy and satisfying breakfast or snack,’’ says Lisa Cosgrove. “They are a grab-and-go option that are lower fat that most muffins. Our scones are ‘drop’ scones rather than the traditional triangle-cut variety. They resemble giant breakfast cookies, which most likely add to their appeal, as well. Plus, they go great with coffee.”

Cosgrove adds that the bake shop’s scones are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

“Many people don’t like scones because they tend to be dry,” she says. “However, Jessica Stern, one of our bakers, created a recipe using a special blend of flours, which give them a unique flavor and texture. We are constantly changing the flavors based on customer requests and what’s in season.”

The bake shop’s summer scones include apricot mango, strawberries and cream, and peach almond.

Cosgrove encourages customers to suggest new flavors. “We found that some of our customers are looking for fresh fruit-filled scones … so we came up with a few, such as blueberry compote and apple pie-filled.”

Mixing it up

In South Jersey, Espressit coffee house in Haddon Township offers an assortment of unique scones. The café, open since 2008, has become a local destination known for its interesting bakery, breakfast and lunch items. Here, scones are made fresh every day using fruit, jam, nuts, seeds and dried fruit.

“Today, we have more than one baker and many more additions to the scone recipes,’’ says owner Stacey Douglas. “The way things work here is that each baker brings to the table their own creativity in terms of the food creations. We do have standard recipes, however, there is room for innovation in each one. This way, we can use what we have available, and not waste anything. We can get creative with combinations because it makes it fun for the baker — and the customer.”

Just a sampling of Espressit’s many varieties include cinnamon, pecan maple, banana chocolate chip, pumpkin pecan cranberry, lemon poppy, toasted walnut raspberry jam, triple berry, ginger pear and blueberry lemon.

Douglas adds, “I would have to say that our scones sell better on the weekend mornings and muffins during the week. Maybe people associate scones as a brunch food. Generally our scones are round, crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. They are less sweet than a muffin — unless a powdered fruit sugar glaze is used on the top to give it contrasting texture and complementary flavor.”

Secret to good scones

In Atlantic City, Deborah Pellegrino, the executive regional pastry chef at Caesars Entertainment, also bakes a multitude of scone flavors, including raisin, orange “craisin” and maple, but likes to keep her pastries basic and in season, adding summer varieties such as strawberry, blueberry, peach and cherry. She often includes them in the brunch offerings at Nero’s restaurant at Caesars.

“We keep it simple, yet good,’’ she says. “Don’t get me wrong, I like to see unique flavor combinations but not when there are so many that you don’t know what you are tasting. I don’t like masking a delicate pastry with heavy flavors and miss the mark. It’s important for them to be delicate, tender, moist and buttery. There is nothing wrong with simplicity and just tasting really good.”

Pellegrino explains that she likes to use dried fruits in scones as moisture sometimes escapes the fresh fruit.

“I like to keep the fresh fruit pureed into the glaze on the top, or even a dip on the side,” she says. “Whoever said you can’t dip scones?”

“The secret to making scones is to mix the dough just enough to combine the ingredients, and keep the butter ice cold,’’ Pellegrino adds. “This helps develop the layers of flakiness. Over-mixing creates a dense, chewy scone. But everyone has a different palate and you should make your scones exactly how you enjoy them.”

If you go

Bakeshop on Twentieth, 269 S. 20th St., Philadelphia. bakeshopon20th.com or (215) 644-9714

Espressit Coffee House, 18 Haddon Ave., Haddon Township. espressitcoffeehouse.vpweb.com or (856) 854-1001

Caesars, 2100 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City. caesars.com/caesars-ac