I seem to be on a kick right now to make sure I have “treats” just in case. Just in case we get unexpected company! So, I have 2 tropical loaves, chocolate chip cookies, and scones. Oh…sorry about that….the cookies are all gone.
Anyway, these are lovely and if you wish, serve with with a nice orange marmalade and butter and you will be given the award of the day.
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 2/3 cup golden raisins
- 1 tbsp. finely grated orange rind
- 6 tbsp. cold butter
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- 1/2 cup + half and half cream
- Icing sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt. Stir in the raisins and orange zest.
Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. Make a small well in the center and add the liquids. Stir only until the dough clings together.
Knead on a lightly floured surface about 12-13 times.
Cut the dough into 4 pieces and lightly pat into squares about 1/2 inch thick. Cut these diagonally and place the squares on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
On removal from oven, sprinkle with icing sugar. Let cool if you can. Otherwise, pour the coffee, grab the butter and marmalade amd have your own party. I would…
Apple Puff
Ahh….weekend just hours away and this is a nice, lazy day kinda start to the long weekend.
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- dash of salt
- icing sugar
- 1 cup whipped cream, flavoured with a sprinkle of cinnamon
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Saute apples in butter until soft. Now arrange in a pie plate, in a pretty overlapping pattern.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and slowly add the flour and beat until really smooth. Stir in the milk, vanilla and salt and pour over the apples.
Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Quickly add the icing sugar, a dollop of whipped cream and Voila! You did it again. Oh yeah, serve immediately.
Hint: If you want to make it ‘adult’, add some Calvados to the butter when cooking the apples. Just sayin’…..
Ginger Scones
These are a great tasting scone and our guests would ask if they could take any that were leftover for ‘later’.
- 2 cups flour, sifted
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup COLD butter (never margarine)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped preserved ginger
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 large egg white
- light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Add the ginger and milk just until the dough comes together.
On a parchment lined cookie sheet, turn the dough out and pat together into a round. With a knife, score into 8 – 10 wedges. Brush with the whipped egg white and sprinkle with brown sugar.
Bake 12-15 minutes.
Have some butter, napkins and fresh brewed coffee on hand. See what I mean? They have all disappeared.
Savory Pecan Scones
Anything with pecans, to me, means comfort food. These are a wonderful scones mixed with cheese and herbs…….yummy-yummy.
You will need:
- 1 cup toasted, coarsely chopped pecans
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 cup finely ground toasted pecans
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/4 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. mustard
- Shredded cheese for topping
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl combine flour, ground pecans, baking powder, soda and salt.
Using a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture looks like a coarse meal. Stir in the Gruyere cheese, chopped pecans and thyme. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture.
In a small bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk, honey and mustard. Add all at once to the flour mixture.
Turn dough out onto a lightly flolured surface. Knead gently 10-12 strokes until nearly smooth. Divide in half. Roll and pat into 2- 6 inch circles. Cut each circle into 6 triangles. Place the triangles on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.
Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm. You could, at this time, drizzle a little honey over the top of each scone.
Now, make a pot of tea/coffee, grab a good book/friend and enjoy a quiet time.
Truly yummy-yummy
Cinnamon, Pecan and Cranberry Scones
This is a real nice recipe to make. I took this from my cookbook “The B & B Cookbook”. It makes 6 wedges.
You will need:
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing scones
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 3 tbsp. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on scones
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 tbsp frozen butter, grated (makes for fluffier scones)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup of the cream, egg yolk and vanilla.
In another bowl, sift the flour, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, pinch of salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the butter and gently stir to mix. Stir in the pecans and cranberries.
Add the cream mixture and stir with a fork until it forms a sticky dough, but still manageable. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 30 seconds. Pat into a 3/4 inch thick round and cut into 6 wedges.
Transfer the wedges to a parchment lined baking dish. Brush each one with the extra cream and sprinkle with some sugar.
Bake the scones in the center of your oven for about 15-18 minutes or until a light golden.
The only thing needed here is some fresh butter and jam, a spot of tea or a good cup of coffee. Oh, yes, and having a good friend to share it with is an excellent idea.
Summer Berry Scones
Sometimes only the taste and flavour of a scone will feed the soul and body when you want something “different”. I just may have the right thing.
You will need:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cake flour
- 3 tbsp. berry sugar
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 6 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup fresh Blackberries
- 3/4 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
- 1/3 cup whipping cream
- 2 large eggs
- Berry sugar for sprinkling.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together the first 4 ingredients.
Cut the butter pieces in until resembling small peas. Now add the berries and zest. Be careful not to mush the berries.
Whisk together the cream and eggs until well mixed. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquids all at once. Gently with a fork stir until it just comes together.
Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead a couple of times to combine. This will be sticky. Pat the dough into a 6 inch square and, now with a knife that has been dipped in flour, cut into six rectangles and then cut through the rectangle to make triangle shaped scones.
Transfer these to a cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. Brush the scones with a little extra cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 30 minutes, checking to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Yummy and comforting. Add butter and jam or lemon curd and enjoy.
Lemon Scones
Sometimes we wrack our brains trying to find something different, either for breakfast or afternoon tea, and this might just hit the spot. They are not difficult and will raise a few eyebrows when they take that first bite.
You will need:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. each of allspice and cloves
- pinch of salt
- 8 tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup yellow raisins
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. grated lemon zest
- 2/3 cup milk.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thoroughly stir the flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. With a pastry blender, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until butter is blended into small granules. Add the raisins, sugar and lemon. Now add the milk and stir to form a soft ball.
On a lightly floured board turn out the dough and knead about 10-12 times. Form into a ball and lightly flatten out on a cookie sheet that has parchment paper on it. Score with a sharp knife so that 8-10 triangles are marked. Bake about 15 minutes (watching it doesn’t get too brown) and cool on a wire rack.
When ready to serve, cut in half and put a generous spoon of lemon curd inside and replace the top. Sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy.
This is just one of the treats served at the B & B.
Honey Raisin Scones
This is a really nice recipe for scones and very simple to do.
You will need:
- 2 cups flour, sifted
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 6 tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
- 1 whole egg, plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup yellow raisins
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 egg white (for wash) lightly beaten
- cinnamon sugar
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly grease a baking sheet or use parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. In a smaller bowl combine honey, yogurt, eggs and vanilla. Mix this well.
Stir in raisins. With a fork , stir the dry ingredients into the honey mixture until just moistened. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Shape into an 8 inch wedge and about 1 inch thick.
Cut into 8 wedges. Brush with egg white sprinkle surface with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
Now make a fresh pot of tea, set out your best cups/plates and invite a friend or neighbor over for a cuppa and yummy warm scones and conversation. Does life get any better?