Winter has been fickle so far this year in the Northeast– while neighboring states have been seeing blizzard-like conditions, our state hasn’t seen much snow yet- but I’m confident that the chill is about to set in and before we know it, our winter wonderland will arrive. One of my favorite things to bake during the winter months are scones. The variety possibilities are endless with a good basic recipe, so that is what I am going to share with you today, plus my Chocolate Chip Cherry Variation! I like sweet scones and savory scones equally. They’re easy, quick, freezer friendly and delicious with your morning or afternoon cup of tea or coffee. They’re perfect for pulling out when a guest pops over and they make a great care package addition. So here’s to scones– now go make some to enjoy when the cold weather hits!
Okay, here’s your Basic Recipe Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup whole milk plus a couple tablespoons set aside for brushing
Variety additions
Preheat oven to 450.
Now, today I made the Chocolate Chip Cherry variety, so on top of having chocolate chips and dried cherries set aside, I also added a teaspoon of vanilla to my basic recipe when mixing it.
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Cut your butter into cubes and, using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is incorporated in pea-sized chunks or smaller.
Add your milk, and in this variation, vanilla, and stir till combined. At this point, you want to make sure your scone dough is not too sticky. If you find that it is too moist, add a little flour, a tablespoon at a time till you are able to turn the dough out and shape without too much moisture. I only had to add a couple tablespoons.
Next, knead in your variation ingredients…mine were half a cup of chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of dried cherries.
Roll the dough in a ball, press to flatten in a circle to about 1 1/2 thick/ 2 inches thick. You can use a rolling pin, but I just used my hands to shape it.
Once the dough is shaped into a circle. Slice it into 8 wedges and place each wedge onto a non-stick baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk, sprinkle with sugar and bake at 450 till golden brown.
Cool on wire racks.
While the scones were cooling, I went ahead and melted some chocolate chips with a little coconut oil in the microwave and drizzled the chocolate on the tops of the scones.
Don’t they look yummy? (They make your house smell awesome too!) Enjoy with a hot cup of something!
*Once cool, you can store these in the freezer for about a month and in an airtight container for about a week. They rarely last that long in my house unless they are in the deep freezer!
Here are some variations I have tried and loved in the past :
*dried cranberry and pistachio, add a splash of almond extract
*Apple/sharp cheddar/bacon, omit the sugar
*apple/walnut, use brown sugar instead of white
*lemon/blueberry
*candied ginger/orange zest, add 1/2 cup of orange juice and increase flour by 1/2 cup or so
*Cinnamon/oatmeal, use 1/4 cup of oatmeal and increase milk by 1/4 cup
*garden herb/ cheese, omit sugar, add herbs of choice and shredded cheese of choice
*Green onion/Monterey jack cheese and ham- omit the sugar
The possibilities are only limited to what you can’t think up, so play around with it– I love me some scones!
Completely His, Nicci
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