Raisin Scones

I had to make more new scones because I am back in Rochester. Where the scone craze began. And where it is snowing. And where the Robber is not. I need something to make my soul cheerful. At some point during my original scone phase I searched Epicurious and made a list of all the best looking scone recipes and I have a few left over that I haven't made yet, this being one of them.

The good news is that this scone, unlike its most recent predecessor, was a happy surprise. The scone dough itself was pleasing and the subtlety of the raisins and the lemon together (the golden raisins and the lemon are a must) was wonderful. If I wanted to take it to the next level I might add a little candied ginger, but it's not really necessary.

Notes: I almost doubled the amount of both kinds of raisins (a good move), used whole milk instead of cream, and omitted the egg wash. I rolled the dough all out together into a round disk and cut it into eight scones and where most scone recipes say make twelve and really make eight, this really should make twelve. The eight scones are ginormous (but so happy and good....)

Find it on Epicurious here:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Raisin-Scones-102461

Ingredients:

4 C. all purpose flour
1/2 C. white sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
12 T. (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/2 C. golden raisins
1/2 C. raisins
1 C. whipping cream
2 large eggs
1 T. vanilla extract
1 T. grated lemon peel

1 large egg
2 tsp. water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil.

2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into large bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in raisins.

3. Whisk cream, 2 eggs, vanilla and lemon peel in medium bowl to blend. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined.

4. Gather dough into ball and knead lightly. Roll out dough on floured surface to 3/4-inch thickness. Using 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out scones. Gather scraps; reroll and cut out additional scones. Place scones on prepared baking sheets, spacing apart.

5. Whisk remaining egg and 2 teaspoons water in small bowl to blend. Brush egg mixture over tops of scones. Bake scones until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer scones to rack and cool slightly. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature.) Serve warm or at room temperature.

Raspberry Chocolate Tea Scones

So while it is true that a) I haven't baked a scone since September and was well over my scone fest and b) I have come to believe all you need is a few good scone bases to use and then you just throw whatever you want IN the scone, I have still come to this. I am still trying new scone recipes. Not that I don't have a few great bases-- I do-- and eventually I'll record which of the recipes I've blogged are the best and which are duds. But there is something still so tempting to me about new scone recipes. Maybe this one will be amazing! I say, and I fall for it all over again.

Sad to say, however, that this Eggs On Sunday recipe (like the other raspberry chocolate recipe on this blog) was a disappointment in terms of the scone base. Raspberry and dark chocolate, always a good idea and especially redeeming in January, but the scone underneath couldn't quite pull it off and ended up being too chewy and bland for my taste. So why blog this? you ask. Because this blog isn't meant to be life changing, it's meant to be life recording.

Note: I used Hershey Bliss dark chocolate cut up into small chunks (divine) instead of mini chocolate chips, and I also used fresh raspberries cut in half that I threw in the freezer for ten minutes or so before putting into the batter. And I omitted the egg wash, of course.

Which all that I present to you the recipe found online here:
http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/raspberry-chocolate-tea-scones-recipe/#more-3286

Ingredients:

2 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 T. sugar
4 T. unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into small pieces
1 C. miniature chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
1 C. frozen raspberries, chopped (keep frozen until you’re ready to add them to the dough)
3/4 C. heavy cream
1 egg, separated
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and sugar. Add the chopped cold butter and rub with your fingers into the flour until the bits of butter are roughly the size of peas. Stir in the chocolate chips/chunks.

3. Separate the egg; reserve the white for later use (you’ll use it to brush on the tops of the scones before baking.) In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the cream, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.

4. Add the chopped frozen raspberries to the flour mixture. Pour in the cream, and using light, quick strokes, stir with a fork until just moistened (there may still be some flour on the bottom of the bowl.) Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball and knead it lightly a few times, just to gather it together. Don’t worry if there’s still a little flour remaining on the bottom of the bowl.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into two balls. Gently flatten each ball into a 1-inch high disk, and cut each disk into 6 wedges (for 12 scones total-- I made 8.) Place on baking sheet and brush the tops with the reserved egg white; sprinkle with sugar.

6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and scones are cooked through.