Classic Scones with Clotted Cream and Jam vs Koulourakia: Traditional Greek Butter Cookies

Both bakes rely on butter, sugar, egg, milk and baking powder, yet put them to very different uses. The scones rub cold butter into flour and bind it with egg and milk for a light, tender crumb, then come alive split warm with clotted cream and jam. The koulourakia cream softened butter with more sugar, add vanilla and optional orange zest, and are twisted into ropes that bake golden and firm under an egg-yolk wash. One is a soft base for toppings; the other, a self-contained cookie that keeps.