Quick Biscuits with Maple Butter

These are the biscuits that I made with the dreamy cream scones to use up my leftover Thanksgiving whipped cream and I had very low expectations for them because the picture in the NYTimes made them look just like any other lesser biscuit. Low and flat and not particularly flaky. But then I made them with butter and cream, not margarine and grain milk. and you better believe these were so packed with butter and cream that it was like eating a flaky, salty stick of butter and if you are into that thing, well, then you can imagine it being pretty amazing. So much for being "well."

We didn't try out the whipped maple butter, but trust me, these don't need it.

From the NYTimes Well Thanksgiving blog 2012:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/12/health/20121111_vegetarian-thanksgiving.html#Quick_Biscuits_With_Maple_%E2%80%9CButter%E2%80%9D

Ingredients:

For the biscuits:

2 C. all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface

1 T. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 C. vegan margarine... or ahem butter...

3/4 C. soy, almond or rice milk... or real milk, or cream...

For the "maple butter":

1 C. vegan margarine, at room temperature

1/4 C. maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add margarine and cut it roughly into flour using a pastry cutter, until mixture is the texture of coarse meal with a few larger margarine lumps. Add nondairy milk and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Do not overwork.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into an oblong shape, about 1 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch floured cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits out and place them on a baking sheet (or just cut them into wedges). Brush the tops lightly with melted margarine and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden. Remove biscuits from oven immediately and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5. Make the maple “butter.” In a mixing bowl, using a whisk or electric mixer, whip margarine with maple syrup until light and fluffy. Refrigerate until serving.

Dreamy Cream Scones

The last new scone recipe I tried was so bad I didn't even post it. The scones were lumpy and soggy and gross and I gave up on new scone recipes figuring, as you all figure, that I have enough. But then came this day after Thanksgiving when I had this exact amount of whipping cream I had to use, and this and another scone/biscuit recipe were both circulating the air, and the Robber was hungry, and such came to such and I made these with chopped fresh cranberries in them and then they were what every scone should be--  more biscuity rather than cakey, but not dry-- not too sweet-- and I ended up buying more cream and making them twice. The end.

Note: For the add-in I chopped my cranberries in half and then coated in sugar before adding to the dough.

An old Smitten Kitchen recipe:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/dream-a-little-dream-of-scone/

Ingredients:

2 C. all purpose flour

1 T. baking powder
3 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
5 T. chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 C. heavy cream

1/2 - 3/4 C. currants, cranberries, etc.

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. 

3. Using a pastry cutter, quickly cut the butter into your flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in add-in ingredient (currants, etc.) 

4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form dough into a round disc and flatten gently until about 1-1.25" thick. Cut into 6 wedges.

6. Place wedges on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Peach Cobbler Scones

In addition to the North Fork scones I also made these scones this weekend, but saved them for the Robber who loves peach pie so much that I thought he might love these scones too. And he did! They ended up sitting on the counter, formed but unbaked, for several hours so I don't think ours rose very high and also because I used baking powder with aluminum yes, the peaches did turn grey within 48 hours, but the Robber happily consumed them. What I liked about these was that the dough itself was not very sweet so it really did feel like a cobbler and not so much like a cake and had a nice salty-sweet contrast which is the Robber's love. Definitely worth a re-visit next summer when the peaches are back in season!

From Annie's Eats:

http://annies-eats.com/2012/08/13/peach-cobbler-scones/

Ingredients:

3 C. all-purpose flour

¼ C. sugar

1 T. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. salt

1½ sticks (12 T.) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¾ C. buttermilk, plus more for brushing

1-2 ripe peaches, sliced thin (I used 1 1/2 and ate the remaining 1/2 peach)

For the cinnamon-sugar (can likely only make half this amount):

2 T. sugar

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.  Whisk briefly to blend.  

3. Add the butter to the bowl and cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the largest butter pieces are the size of peas.  

4. Stir in the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix gently with a fork until a dough forms.  Knead briefly, about 10-15 times, until the dough has come together.  Be careful to avoid over handling the dough, as it can result in tough, dense scones.

5. Turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface.  (If the dough is too soft to shape, chill it for about 15 minutes before proceeding.)  Roll the dough out into a 10 x 12-inch rectangle.  

6. Brush half of the dough lightly with buttermilk.  Lay the peach slices in a single layer over the buttermilk side of the dough.  Sprinkle evenly with about half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Carefully fold the other side of the dough over the peaches as if closing a book and press down gently.  Slice the dough into 8-12 equal sized pieces. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets.  

7. Brush the top of each scone with buttermilk and sprinkle with additional cinnamon-sugar.  Bake until the tops are golden brown and the scones are baked through, about 15-18 minutes.  Let cool 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool further.  

Note: The shaped, unbaked scones may also be frozen on a baking sheet and then transferred to a freezer-safe container.  Bake as directed straight from the freezer, simply adding a few minutes to the baking time and checking for doneness.  

North Fork Table & Inn Scones

Let's just face it: I have come to expect scones as my every day breakfast food. Now that I am eating at the hospital cafeteria for most of my meals-- including breakfast-- I have a lot more options. Yogurt. Eggs. Bacon. Bagels. Croissants. But what do I go to still on an every day basis? Yes, the scone-- although the hospital scones are not quite as tasty as some of the ones I've made. Anyway. But the other thing I like about scones is that I can make a batch for a night when I am on call and they are good for dinner when I'm coming on, for a midnight snack, for a 1 am snack, for a 2 am snack.... and then they are still good to share with the morning team coming on. Hence my scone craze is still alive and well despite my new lifestyle.

Here are some scones I made for my most recent night shift. They were alright. By all standards I'm sure they are amazing, but for me-- just alright. I think what I want out of a scone is changing. I want less chewiness and either more flakiness or more cakeiness but not chewy. And these were chewy. Perhaps because I made them with dried apricots and not with raspberries like Deb of Smitten Kitchen did? So take it for what you will, you will most likely find them amazingly delicious, unless you have made all the other scones on this scone-filled blog, then you will find them delicious but not stand-out-ish.

From Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/09/the-north-fork-and-its-scones/

Ingredients:

2 3/4 C. pastry or all-purpose flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 T. aluminum-free baking powder*
1 tsp. baking soda
12 T. butter, in 1/2-inch cubes
1 C. golden raisins plus 1 T. caraway seeds -or- 1 C. fresh fruit of your choice
3/4 to 1 C. buttermilk (use the smaller amount if using fresh fruit, the larger if using the raisin-caraway combo)
Turbinado or sanding sugar for sprinkling (optional, not in the original recipe)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place cubed butter in freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

3. Add butter to the flour mixture and cut in until you have pea sized specks of butter. Add the fruit/seeds and the buttermilk and stir until just moistened.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple times. Roll or pat dough out to approximately one-inch thick round and cut into 8-12 wedges.

5. Optional: Brush buttermilk over the top of the scones and sprinkle with turbinado or sanding sugar.

6. Bake on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned.

Note: If you use fresh fruit in a scone, it’s very important that you use an aluminum-free baking powder, otherwise the aluminum may precipitate out causing your scones to turn a bluish-gray color. They will still be edible, but may taste a bit tinny or simply look less appetizing.

Strawberry and Cream Biscuits

I will be done with new "scone" recipes some day, I promise. Some day when I'm no longer obsessed... I promise, this one was definitely worth it. Yes! Yes is was! This produced a concoction with a lovely flaky exterior with a soft, moist interior and not too much sweetness-- definitely more biscuity than cakey. And so easy too! And better than the prior strawberry scone recipe I have posted. This now becomes my go to for strawberry scones. And maybe pear scones and everything scones... that is until I find another new recipe. Or want an oatmeal scone. Or a chocolate chip scone. Or... 

Notes: I used half whole wheat flour and loved it, no reason to do it differently next time. Although next time I might try using turbinado sugar instead of white sugar, for some extra crunch and a little interest. 

From Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/06/strawberries-and-cream-biscuits/

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat, loved it)

1 T. baking powder

1/4 C. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

6 T. cold, unsalted butter

1 C. chopped very ripe strawberries (could add more)

1 C. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Cut butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, breaking it up until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal with tiny pea-sized bits of butter about. 

3. Gently stir in the strawberries, so that they are coated in dry ingredient, then stir in heavy cream. When you’ve mixed it in as best as you can with the spatula, go ahead and knead it once or twice in the bowl, to create one mass. 

4. Generously flour your counter. With as few movements as possible, transfer your dough to the counter, generously flour the top of it and with your hands or a rolling pin, gently roll or press the dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness round and cut into 8 even triangles. Carefully transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, leaving a couple inches between each.

5. Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes, until bronzed at the edges and the strawberry juices are trickling out of the biscuits in places. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Gingerbread Raisin Scones

My last scone recipe! For...... now!

I have made some edits from the reviewers on Epicurious, so the recipe reflects what I did and is just a little bit different from the one at the link below. Also, the Epicurious people all hate raisins and lurve candied ginger, so that is an option for the future. They also suggest using 1/2 whole wheat flour, but as I was out I wasn't able to try this.

I ended up freezing these scones for at least a month before I ate them and they got rather flat from being squished in the freezer and then I cooked the first one too long and burned the edges a bit. So it's hard to tell how much I would love these fresh. The flavor was quite good-- just like a big gingerbread cookie-- and I actually liked the raisins, even if the texture suffered from the flattening above. I think these deserve another chance-- perhaps I'll make them again closer to Christmas.

From Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-Raisin-Scones-1109

Ingredients:

2 C. all-purpose flour

1/3 C. packed dark brown sugar

1 T. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

6 T. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/3 C. milk

1 large egg

3 heaping T. light unsulfured molasses

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 - 1 C. raisins (I used baking raisins)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease baking sheet or cover with parchment paper. Blend first six ingredients together. Add butter and cut in or use food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add raisins and stir until raisins are lightly coated with flour.

2) Beat milk, egg, molasses, and vanilla in smaller bowl. Add wet ingredients into flour mixture, stirring just enough to thoroughly wet dry ingredients.

3) Gather dough into ball. On lightly floured surface, press dough into 1-inch-thick round. Cut round into 8 wedges. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Note: The Epicurious reviewers all liked brushing the tops of these with milk and then sprinkling on cinnamon sugar or lots of white sugar, so I did that and then froze them so they probably weren't as pretty as they might have been unfrozen. Sprinkling with turbinado sugar might also be fun.

Cinnamon Roll Scones

Just when I was going to close the door on new scone recipes, this one had to come along! Actually, it's not a new recipe at all, but rather an alteration of the lemon blueberry scone recipe I already have. The wheat flour makes the scone less sweet overall, but the texture is just as perfect here as with the lemon version. I didn't have cinnamon chips so I chopped up some white chocolate instead, which makes for a more subtle scone as I imagine the cinnamon chips would have been more overpowering. The toasted pecans in it were delicious, and as the Robber is currently on a huge toasted pecans kick (he always is, actually) he has been eating these non-stop.

I skipped the "finish" part because why would you put butter and sugar on top of a scone you are going to glaze? It seemed too much for me.

From Annie:

http://annies-eats.com/2012/02/13/cinnamon-roll-scones/

Ingredients:

For the dough:

8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen whole

½ C. milk

½ C. low-fat greek yogurt

1 C. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

1 C. whole wheat flour

½ C. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

For the filling:

Milk or cream, for brushing

3 T. sugar

¾ - 2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used more because I lacked cinnamon chips)

2/3 C. chopped pecans, toasted

¼ -1/2 C. cinnamon chips (white chocolate, strawberries, whatever)

To finish:

2 T. melted butter

Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

For the glaze:

1 C. confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. milk

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425˚ F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Grate the frozen butter on the holes of a large box grater.

2. Whisk together the milk and yogurt in a medium bowl; refrigerate until needed.

3. Combine the flours, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated

4. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until combined. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and knead with well floured hands, 6-8 times, just until the dry ingredients have been mostly incorporated.

5. Roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter (a dough scraper really helps with these steps). Fold the short ends of the dough into the center in thirds, to form an approximate 4-inch square. Transfer the dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.

6. Return the dough to the floured work surface and roll into an approximately 10-inch square. Lightly brush the surface of the dough with milk or cream. Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Layer with the toasted pecans and cinnamon chips.

7. Roll the dough up into a tight log. Lay the log seam side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice into 8 round discs. Place the shaped scones on the prepared baking sheet (I patted my slices down flat a bit on the baking sheet). Lightly brush the top of each scone with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar. (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed.)

8. Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 16-20 minutes (about 20-22 if baking from the freezer). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes.

9. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and milk. Whisk together until smooth, adding additional milk or sugar to reach your preferred consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the scones. Serve warm.

Cornmeal Cranberry Drop Scones

Why would you eat cornmeal scones when you can have cornbread? This is what the Robber asks me after taking a bite of these scones. I, on the other hand, find that while corn-bread-ish indeed these were actually surprisingly there own thing. A little more dense than cornbread. The dough only barely sweet, making each bite with a dried cranberry in it a tangy surprise. And a satisfying scone matrix, if you ever decide you want your butterscotch chips/raspberries/dark chocolate/apricots/what-have-you in cornmeal instead of cream.

From the Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving Blog from the NYTimes. If you haven't discovered their vegetarian Thanksgiving dishes, you should, because some of them are pretty fabulous:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/11/01/health/20111101_vegetarian_thanksgiving.html#Cornmeal_Cranberry_Drop_Scones

Ingredients:

1 C. whole wheat pastry flour

1 C. coarsely ground cornmeal

1/4 C. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. lemon zest

7 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 egg

2/3 C. buttermilk

3/4 C. dried cranberries, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained (I suspect these would be good with whole frozen cranberries too)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Dump any bran remaining in the strainer into the bowl. Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the butter and lemon zest and pulse until you have a coarse, even mixture.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and the buttermilk. Turn on the food processor and add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. As soon as the dough comes together, turn off the machine. Add the cranberries and pulse just a few times to distribute through the dough. Don’t pulse too many times or the cranberries will be chopped.

4. Drop the batter by heaped tablespoons (or larger wedges) onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving an inch or more of space between each one. Bake one baking sheet at a time in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, reversing the baking sheet front to back halfway through, until lightly browned.

Yield: 20 3-inch scones or 8 regular size scones.

Nutritional information per 3-inch scone: 113 calories; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 20 milligrams cholesterol; 17 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 113 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein.

Butterscotch Drop Scones

Turns out that I really do delight in a scone for breakfast. Upon returning home to the Cubby I found nothing suitable for breakfast but some old bagels in the fridge which is definitely Robber-only fare. So, tired as I was, I scrounged these together with my butterscotch chips I brought with me from Rochester. (Yes, I brought them across country from Rochester.) I had low expectations, but these were surprisingly delicious and the butterscotch flavor came across with much greater clarity and satisfaction than when embedded in the pumpkin. The scones were crisp on the outside and deliciously soft in the inside. I used some vanilla Greek yogurt instead of whipping cream and that perhaps made the scones a bit sweeter than they ought to have been so in the future I will use a plain, unsweetened liquid (see note below).

From Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butterscotch-Drop-Scones-230911

Note: The Epicurious reviewers all reduced the salt, so I have written the recipe here with reduced salt.

Note October 2013: The original recipe calls for heavy whipping cream. I initially made it with vanilla yogurt, which didn't work for me. I made them again in October 2013 with buttermilk, and this produced the best product with a flaky texture and a satisfying taste that is likely less fatty than the heavy whipping cream. I've updated the recipe below to reflect this so when I make it again in the future I will know to use buttermilk.

Ingredients:

2 C. all-purpose flour

1/3 C. packed golden brown sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 C. chilled unsalted butter, diced

1 C. butterscotch chips

1/2 C. chilled heavy whipping cream buttermilk

1 large egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Sift all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Add chilled butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Mix in chips. '

3. Whisk buttermilk and egg in small bowl to blend. Gradually add cream mixture to dry ingredients, tossing with fork until dough comes together in moist clumps. Add more cream by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry.

4. Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto large rimmed baking sheet, spacing apart. Bake scones until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 7-8 scones

Pumpkin Scones

I previously posted a pumpkin scone recipe on this blog from the NYTimes, but didn't do it justice as I lacked some key ingredients. Annie had her own recipe for pumpkin scones, and it has been waiting in my lineup of recipes to try now since April. Now that the raisin scones are gone, I needed a new breakfast meal which for me means another new batch of scones. After this one, only one more new recipe to go! (Ok two. I just found another one.)

These scones were good but not as good as I think they could have been, perhaps the glaze ups the oomph a bit? I think they were better than my other pumpkin scone recipe. Perhaps they are competing for my attention with the pumpkin cornbread, which just keep getting better, and my sudden urges for dark dark chocolate every evening which I think it just a manifestation of my missing of the Robber. The butterscotch and pumpkin combo is interesting, but not life changing. At any rate, I think I might make this pumpkin base again, but put in toasted pecans or walnuts or chocolate chips instead.

Adapted from the Joy of Baking by Annie:
http://annies-eats.com/2009/12/07/pumpkin-scones/

Notes: I never make the glazes/washes/toppings but I did sprinkle some Demarara sugar on the top of the scones right before baking. I doubled the cinnamon as I do in any cinnamon recipe and doubled the butterscotch chips as I double every scone add-in. And I sliced up the scones before baking. Whatever.

Ingredients:

For the scones:
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/3 C. packed brown sugar
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
8 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3-½ C. butterscotch chips
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 C. powdered sugar
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground cloves
2 T. milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk just to combine. Add the cold butter chunks to the bowl and stir with a fork to combine. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and the largest butter pieces are no bigger than peas. Mix in the butterscotch chips.

3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together gently just until the dough comes together. If necessary, knead a bit with your hands, but be careful not to overwork the dough or you will end up with a tough scone.

4. Transfer the sticky mass of dough to the prepared baking sheet. Pat the dough into a 8 or 9-inch round. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Slice the dough round into 7 or 8 wedges.

5. To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and spices in a small bowl. Add the milk and whisk to combine, until a thick glaze is formed. (If necessary, add a bit more milk to achieve a consistency good for drizzling the glaze.) Use a whisk to drizzle the glaze over the finished scones (I use a plastic baggie with a tip cut off). Allow the glaze to set before serving.

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.

Nectarine Shortcakes

Shortcakes/scones. Whatever, these were delicious. I'm really loving fruit in scones. The scone base here isn't anything really interesting, but the texture is a good fit for the nectarines and the overall effect is just warm and not too sweet and comforting. I would definitely make these again (not true of all scones recipes which eventually I will blog about). Don't look too much at the other recipes on the slide show though or all you will want to do is bake with fruit.

Note: I don't know what kind of nectarines they are using, but 4 is way too many if you use nice large ones. I cut up two and thought that would be just right but since the recipe said 4.... after the third nectarine I knew I had to stop, and even then the cakes were overloaded and I'm even usually a more is more girl when it comes to jazzing up scones but not in this case. Two nice big nectarines should be sufficient.

From Martha Stewart, of all places:
http://www.marthastewart.com/315190/nectarine-shortcakes?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/summer-produce-recipes&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/nectarine-recipes#slide_12

Ingredients:

1/2 pound nectarines (about 4), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 C. plus 2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 C. all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 C. heavy cream, plus more for brushing (used light whipping cream)

Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine nectarines, lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture forms small pieces. Stir in cream. Fold in nectarine mixture.

3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into an 8 1/2-inch round. Using a 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut out 8 rounds, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with cream; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Remaining shortcakes can be stored in an airtight container up to 1 day.

Note: I just globbed these out onto parchment paper without patting and using a cutter, it was fine.

Mary Hearty Bye's Scottish Scones

My second batch of these are in the oven right now, per request of the Robber who at 6 out of the 8 in the previous batch. There's a debate as to whether these should be cooked on the stove griddle-style (per the reviewers, the true-to-the-poor-Scotchman's-way) or baked in the oven (only if you are rich and oppress the poor.) Being both poor and rich I tried some both ways for my first batch. I would cook these on the stove if I were going camping and making a morning biscuit, but I found that they puffed better and had a more satisfying texture when baked in the oven. You can go either way, but the oven is faster.

These are much less sweet than my previous scones and more truly like a biscuit, with a texture that is a cross between a biscuit and what we think of now as scones. The Robber toasted his in the toaster oven and ate them with butter and honey; I ate mine with a spread of Greek yogurt and some rhubarb-plum puree and we both had a grand old time.

From Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mary-Hearty-Byes-Scottish-Scones-241465

Ingredients:

2 C. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 T. cold unsalted butter

1 C. well-shaken buttermilk

1 large egg, beaten

Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a large bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk and egg with a fork just until a soft dough forms.

2. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, divide dough into thirds and knead each piece 3 or 4 times. Pat each piece into a 6-inch round (1/2 inch thick), then cut each round into 4 wedges. (I just turned everything out together, this worked just fine.)

3. Heat griddle over low heat until hot, then lightly oil.

4. Working in 2 batches, dust each wedge of dough with flour, patting off excess, then cook over low heat, undisturbed, 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-low and cook until puffed and undersides are golden-brown, 3 to 5 minutes more. Turn scones over and cook until undersides are golden-brown, 6 to 8 minutes (watch closely; move scones and adjust heat as needed so they cook through without burning). Turn scones on edges and cook until golden-brown, about 1 minute per edge. Cut one scone open to check for doneness.

5. Transfer to a rack and cool to warm. (Lightly oil griddle between batches.)

Notes: Can also bake at 375F for 18 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones

Ohhhhh yes! Another scone recipe! This one actually came to me from my dear friend A., who, knowing of my recent scone obsession, was thoughtful enough to send me this one. And unbeknownst to her, it just so happens that the ingredients languishing in my dwindling pre-move fridge are yes: whole wheat flour, raspberries, ricotta cheese, and heavy cream! Does the baking world get more cosmic than this? I would argue: it does not. Thanks A!

I broke with my scone habits and baked these fresh. I didn't have quite enough raspberries, but I did have an arbitrary pear. So I mashed up the raspberries so they were throughout the whole dough, not in pieces, and used the pear for the "chunky" fruit. So for me they were really more pear scones than raspberry but I think the raspberry would be delicious too in larger quantity. Pear really should be used more often! I loved these warm with the pear. And the ricotta cheese was wonderful with the wheat, unlike buttermilk-wheat which I have turned against.

This recipe comes from the Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/07/whole-wheat-raspberry-ricotta-scones/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+smittenkitchen+%28smitten+kitchen%29

Ingredients:

1 C. whole wheat flour

1 C. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder, preferably aluminum-free

1/4 C. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. table salt

6 T. cold unsalted butter

1 C. fresh raspberries

3/4 C. whole milk ricotta

1/3 C. heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together.

With a pastry blender: Add the butter (no need to chop it first) and use the blender to both cut the butter into the flour mixture until the biggest pieces are the size of small peas. Toss in raspberries and use the blender again to break them into halves and quarter berry sized chunks.

Without a pastry blender: Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Roughly chop the raspberries on a cutting board and stir them into the butter-flour mixture.

Both methods: Add the ricotta and heavy cream together and stir them in to form a dough with a flexible spatula.Using your hands, gently knead dough into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl. Don’t fret if the raspberries get muddled and smudge up the dough. This is a pretty thing.

With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch tall. With a large knife, divide the dough into 9 even squares. Transfer the scones to prepared baking sheet with a spatula. Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. It’s best to cool them about halfway before eating them, so they can set a bit more.

Do ahead: Scones are always best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on your parchment-lined sheet and freeze them. If you’re prepping just one day in advance, cover the tray with plastic wrap and bake them the day you need them. If you’re preparing them more than one day in advance, once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Bring them back to a parchment-lined sheet when you’re ready to bake them. No need to defrost the froze, unbaked scones, just add 2 to 3 minutes to your baking time.

Classic Scones

So basically I'm addicted to scones.

These are from our friend Mark Bittman and they are rich and creamy and biscuity and sooooo good with some Greek yogurt and a little apricot puree spread on the top. Kind of like clotted cream and jam, only my version. Thank you once again Mr. Bittman my friend.

Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/dining/13minirex.html?ref=dining

Ingredients:

2 C. cake flour, more as needed

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

3 T. sugar

5 T. cold butter, cut into pieces

1 egg

1/2 - 3/4 C. heavy whipping cream, more for brushing

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the flour, salt, baking powder and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

2. Add the egg and just enough cream to form a slightly sticky dough. If it’s too sticky, add a little flour, but very little; it should still stick a little to your hands.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice, then press it into a 3/4-inch-thick circle and cut into 2-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or glass. Put the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet. Gently reshape the leftover dough and cut again. Brush the top of each scone with a bit of cream and sprinkle with a little of the remaining sugar.

4. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the scones are a beautiful golden brown. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8 to 10 scones.

Lemon Cream Scones

The second of my apricot scone recipes. I used fresh lemons straight off the property lemon tree so I think these will be quite tangy and flavorful. The reviewers on Epicurious pretty much make this as is and all rave about it, so I'm excited to try these scones out tomorrow at breakfast! The only change I made to this recipe is using about 1 1/4 C. apricots instead of 3/4.

From Bon Appetit May 1996, by way of Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Cream-Scones-1923

Ingredients:

2 C. all purpose flour

1/4 C. plus 2 T. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 C. chopped dried apricots (or more!)

1 1/4 C. whipping cream

3 T. unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 425F. Mix flour, 1/4 C. sugar, baking power, salt, apricots, and lemon peel in mixing bowl. Add whipping cream and stir until dough just forms.

2. Turn dough out and lightly knead on floured surface. Form dough into 10" diameter 1/2" thick round. Cut into 12 wedges.

3. Transfer wedges to baking sheet. Combine remaining 2 T. sugar and 1 tsp. lemon peel in small bowl. Brush scones with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar mixture. Bake scones 15 min. until light brown.

4. Note: Can be prepared 1 day ahead, cooled, wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature.

Apricot Sour Cream Scones

You can never have enough scones, right? I'm actually in California and on a hiatus from my scone-per-day diet, but in planning a little breakfast triple date-o for Saturday scones came up as an option and could I resist an opportunity to try out a few new scone recipes? I could not! Of course I made the lemon blueberry scones, they are the best. I also had two new recipes that wanted apricots, so even though three types of scones is excessive for six people, I figured I could make both and freeze the leftovers for the Robber to enjoy after I'm gone back to NY.

Practically every Epicurious reviewer stated that the recipe as written is too dry and they added extra liquid. I took the advice of one reviewer and added an additional 1/3 C. whipping cream and found that was sufficient. I also didn't have quite enough sour cream for 2/3 C. and topped that out with perhaps 1/4 C. buttermilk. I will tell you: the dough was delicious. So sour and yet sweet with the brown sugar. I, along with most reviewers, also doubled the apricots. Other reviewers substitute in any old dry fruit that they want with these. There was controversy as to the need for the glaze, I of course froze mine and didn't try the glaze out but I include it below.

Originally from Bon Appetit November 1997 by way of Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Apricot-Sour-Cream-Scones-4412

Ingredients:

2 C. all purpose flour

1/4 C. packed light brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

5 T. chilled unsalted butter

2/3 C. sour cream (+ 1/3 C. additional liquid)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 C. chopped dried apricots (I doubled this.)

1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)

Additional light brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Mix the first 5 ingredients and chopped apricots in a large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender (or you can freeze it first and then grate it with a cheese grater ala Annie).

2. In separate small bowl, combine sour cream, additional liquid, and vanilla. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in liquids. Mix just until wet. Turn out on to a floured surface and knead gently until dough coalesces into formed ball.

3. Flatten dough into 8-inch round. Cut into 8 wedges. (Or you can drop the scones in rounds onto a baking sheet instead.) Transfer wedges to baking sheet. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

4. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes (or less, watch them closely). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cranberry-Orange Scones

Not being 100% happy with my Annie's cranberry scone recipe (although it is delicious!) and still having frozen cranberries left over I chose to use the rest of my berries by making 1 1/2 of this recipe. I didn't make any major changes except using frozen vs. dried cranberries, but did add a few more cranberries than it recommended just to use them all and because I always want more than the recipes writers. The reviewers love this recipe and don't mess with the base much, but do add whatever they want in it. The dough by itself had a lovely texture and a good flavor and I'm excited to try one of these sometime soon.

Here's the link, originally from Bon Appetit 1998:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cranberry-Orange-Scones-15682

Ingredients:

3 C. all purpose flour

1/3 C. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 T. grated orange peel

3/4 C. chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 C. dried cranberries

1 C. chilled buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into large bowl. Mix in orange peel. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in dried cranberries. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form.

3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns. Form dough into 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.

4. Bake until tops of scones are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet 10 minutes. Serve scones warm or at room temperature.

Scottish Oat Scones

Never mind me, just stocking up on more scones to last me through the PICU. These are from Epicurious, and per the reviewers, I doubled the sugar and only used about 1/3 C. of melted butter and omitted the cream of tartar and they were still plenty sticky. Most of the reviewers omitted the raisins, but I had them so I threw a whole cup in. We'll see how they turn out!

From Epi-land, oh so grand:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Scottish-Oat-Scones-1585

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. all purpose flour

1 1/4 C. old-fashioned oatmeal

1/4 C. sugar (I doubled this)

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. cream of tartar (I omitted this)

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 C. unsalted butter, melted (I used about 1/3)

1 egg, beaten to blend

1/2 C. raisins (I doubled this)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease cookie sheet.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Mix together butter, milk and egg in another bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Mix in raisins.

3. Shape dough into ball. Place on lightly floured work surface. Pat out to form 3/4-inch-thick circle. Using sharp knife, cut into 12 wedges. Transfer to prepared cookies sheet.

4. Bake until light brown, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly on rack. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Store in airtight container.)

(I of course froze these after the mixing step in individual scones without patting out.)