Drop Buttermilk Scones with currants - and a fabulous caramel sauce

The snow just keeps coming here in New Hampshire.  Buckets and buckets, one foot of snow after another - and now I hear on the news, another foot expected.  What to do, what to do?  

As long as the power holds out, I am perfectly happy baking - cakes, breads - and these delicious scones.  I plump the currants with fresh orange juice for that zing of citrus, and fold them into a batter with butter, buttermilk, and orange zest.  

I use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to form these - much easier than the original plopping of dough with a large tablespoon.

Preheat oven to 375F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment pater or foil.

6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
1/4 cup sifted King Arthur whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup buttermilk
pinch of kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup dried currants

Sparkling sugar for the tops of the scones, optional

Place flours, the tablespoon of sugar, and the cold butter in your mixer bowl and mix until butter is incorporated with the flour.  Add the baking powder, nutmeg, and orange zest and briefly mix.

Squeeze the 1 tablespoon of orange juice into a bowl, then add the currants.  Microwave for a minute, or warm in a little saucepan.  Set aside to plump for five minutes.

Add the buttermilk and the plumped currants and orange juice to the dry mixture and mix until the dough just comes together.  It should not be a dry dough - so add a little water, a tablespoon at a time, if you think it's too dry.  Do not overly beat the dough.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter onto baking sheet.  This should make 8 scones.

Sprinkle the tops of the scones with sparkling sugar, if desired.  Bake 25 to 28 minutes, or until they are slightly golden.  Remove scones to cooling rack, then serve.

I came across a small batch recipe for the most wonderful caramel sauce, which takes all of 15 minutes.  I am in heaven!  You can find it here.

Happy February!

The path to the birdfeeder gets deeper and deeper........

fresh lemon scones with drizzle icing

You know how crazy I am about lemon by now -  nine times out of ten I'll pick lemon over chocolate.  Yesterday was one of those days, when I woke up with a yearning for a tangy lemon scone.  Even better, how about a lemon icing, sticky and sweet-tart?

Oh, my gosh, these were delicious!  I had them with my newest favorite, seltzer with lemon slices and sprigs of fresh mint from the garden, sitting in the shade and listening to the burble of Moose Brook.  Does that sound like summer or what?


Fresh Lemon Scones (with drizzle icing)

Preheat oven to 375F.
Fit a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

zest from one large lemon (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
2 pinches kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

The glaze:
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
sanding sugar

Place the zest, flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in mixer bowl and mix briefly.
Add the cold butter and mix until incorporated well, but you can still see tiny pieces of butter.
Add the lemon juice to the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, mixing briefly again until the dough clumps together. If it's too dry, add a little more buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time.
Remove dough to a clean counter and pat into a circle.  Cut the dough into 8 pieces and arrange on the baking sheet.
Brush each scone with the egg white glaze, then sprinkle on the sanding sugar.
Place in preheated oven on the upper third shelf.
Bake 20 minutes, or until scones are golden.

While the scones are baking, make the drizzle icing:

3/4  cup confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
one drop of vanilla
a tablespoon or so of milk  - enough to make a thick but easy to drizzle icing using a fork or whisk.

Let scones cool completely before icing, then drizzle on as you wish.  You can also serve the icing in little dishes for dunking instead of drizzling on (kids love dunking!).

The blueberries are ripe, peach season coming up, followed by apples -  don't you just love summer?

fresh cherry scones with lemon zest

When it comes to cherries and strawberries, I usually think fresh.  Fresh fruit salads, green salads with a handful tossed in at the last minute,  cottage cheese with mint, basil and cherries or strawberries.  But for some reason I went searching Pinterest very early this morning for a muffin or scone recipe for that last cupful of pitted cherries.  And I found the almost perfect recipe - except I didn't have any sliced almonds nor almond extract.  You know how it is - you plunge ahead merrily anyway, and I'm happy to say it came out just fine, though I would love to try it with the almonds sometime, nice with a little crunch!

I did change a few measurements - a little less baking powder, a little more buttermilk because the batter was so firm, lemon zest instead of almond extract, and a slightly lower temperature since my oven runs a little hot sometimes.  But all in all, a lovely new recipe for those special brunches.  Many thanks to Table for Two!


Fresh Cherry Scones

Preheat oven to 375F
Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

For the scones:
3 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
zest of half a lemon (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes
1 1/4  cups buttermilk  plus a little more if needed
1 cup halved fresh cherries
sparkling sugar

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
few drops of almond or vanilla extract

Place the flour, lemon zest, sugar, baking powder and baking soda, and salt into the mixer bowl and mix briefly.

Add the butter and use a pastry blender to break the butter pieces down before using the mixer - I've found the dough gets too tough if I use the beater blade too much.

Pour in the buttermilk and mix just until the dough comes together - if it's too thick, add another 1/4 cup buttermilk and quickly stir again.
Gently stir in the cherries quickly and without staining the dough too much.

Use an ice cream scoop to space out 7 scones per sheet and sprinkle scones with sparkling sugar before sliding into the upper third of the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes, remove to cooling rack,  then bake the other sheet .  Using a spatula if needed, remove the first scones to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing, then do the same with the second sheet.

When scones are completely cool, mix up the glaze with a small whisk and drizzle quickly over cooled scones, using the whisk or a fork to make zig-zag lines.  Let dry completely before placing on a platter.   This made 14 scones.


I just got a new picture of our Izzie - who has grown SO much I can't believe it!  Minnesota seems to be agreeing with all of them  - and they are constantly biking or hiking, swimming or visiting museums, or taking the Light Rail trains, which Frankie is mad about.  And Noah? Mr. Tractor is finally walking and talking!

drop scones with currants and buttermilk

Holy moly is it freezing!  I know the entire Eastern seaboard is basically in the same boat, but  boy, it is chilly.  Hard to believe yesterday was 40 degrees and raining, and wherever I went, the snow fog made driving pretty, but difficult.  Of course, we knew what would happen today as the arctic air moved in:  everything would turn to ice, and it did.

Blessedly, our plow people came early and sanded, but parts of it are still gleaming with slick spots, wherever you are, be careful.

When the windchill is -12,  the kitchen is my haven ( and warm, too).  As long as the power is on, I could putter there all day, and often do.

This morning I made those Irish scones I like so much, using currants instead of raisins and orange zest and juice instead of lemons, and savoring every bite as I looked out at the fields of snow , dipping the scones into our lovely local honey, or spreading on the Dundee's marmalade .  


Drop Scones with currants and buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375F
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces or grated on a cheese grater
1/4 cup King Arthur whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
good pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup buttermilk
1 T. fresh orange juice (to plump the currants)
1/2 cup dried currants
pinch kosher salt
sparkling sugar for the tops

Place the currants in a small microwave safe bowl with the orange juice - warming very briefly in the microwave and setting aside to plump.

Place flours, the tablespoon of sugar, and cold butter in your mixer bowl and mix briefly.  Add the baking powder, nutmeg, and orange zest and mix again.

Add the buttermilk and the plumped currants and orange juice to the mixture and mix until the dough just comes together.  It should not be a dry dough - add a little water, a tablespoon at a time, if you think it's too dry.  Do not overbeat !

Using a standard ice cream scoop, scoop batter onto baking sheet - this made 8 scones this morning.  Sprinkle with sparkling sugar or regular sugar and bake for between 20-25  minutes.  They should be very slightly golden and craggy looking.

Serve warm with butter, honey and marmalade - or your homemade preserves from summer! Remember summer?  Take care, all....

the best fresh orange and cranberry scones

A second batch of those orange and cranberry scones this morning,  as I wanted to make some fresh ones up for my neighbors, and for a chef friend who wanted the recipe, as well as a taste.  As I pulled the new batch out of the oven, I realized I had overbaked yesterday's scones.  These were gorgeous!  They were both tender and full of that fresh orange and cranberry burst of tangy, but this mornings batch were much prettier.  

I also remembered a trick I had seen somewhere - grating the cold butter on a cheese grater to make it thinner and easier to incorporate with the flour mixture.  I liked that method a lot, so will use it in the future.

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 380F.
Line a baking sheet with clean foil or parchment.

2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
good pinch of kosher salt
2 teaspoons orange zest, freshly grated
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, grated on a cheese grater
1 small egg, slightly beaten with a fork
1/4 cup sour cream (I used Hood's full-fat)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1/2 large orange)
Optional:  1/4 cup water if mixture is too dry
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
sparkling sugar for the tops of the scones

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixer bowl.
Toss in the shaved butter and orange zest and mix briefly with a spoon.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and whisk in the sour cream and orange juice.  Add to the flour mixture and briefly turn on the mixer paddle.  Stop the mixture and add the dried and fresh cranberries and mix briefly until dough forms a ball.  Do not over mix.  If the dough seems dry, or there is still flour at the bottom of the bowl, add the 1/4 cup water and mix until cranberries are blended into the dough.

Turn out dough onto a floured board or counter.  Roll into a 7 inch circle, then slice into 8 triangles, and place on baking sheet.  

Sprinkle scones with sugar and bake for 19 minutes.

These are wonderful for your pre-Thanksgiving dinner company, and would be very pretty wrapped in cello and nestled in a basket or bowl for Christmas giving.  Very Martha:)

We've had brief flurries of snow, oddly mostly at night or very early in the morning, when it's barely light.  My hummingbird bird bath is frozen, and I imagine my little winter birds with tiny skates, taking a twirl....  have a Happy Thanksgiving!

tender cranberry-orange scones

I've been a little disappointed in my favorite scone recipes lately, so when I saw this recipe in  The Boston Globe on Wednesday, I leaped at the chance to try it.  One unusual ingredient was a little sour cream, but the rest was fairly close to my usual scone recipes.  I did mull over what might be the cause of less-fluffy scones the last few batches, and wondered if it was my very old KitchenAid mixer.

So I rummaged through my kitchen oddment basket and came up with the lovely pastry blender I bought as a flea market a long time ago.  This is a hand tool that insures the butter and flour or sugar don't get too warm if you're mixing with your hands;  or too over-beaten when using a stand mixer.  Whether it was the new recipe or the pastry blender, the scones came out light and fluffy and full of the tang of fresh orange juice, orange zest, and fresh and dried cranberries.  This is a keeper, and perfect for the holidays coming up, when hungry company arrives before the table is set  - or wrapped in cello and nestled in a basket for giving.  Just make sure the scones completely cool before packaging.


Tender Cranberry-Orange Scones:

Preheat oven to 380F.
Line a baking sheet with clean foil or parchment.

• 2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• good pinch of kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
• 1 small egg, beaten slightly with a fork
• 1/4 cup sour cream (I used Hood's full fat)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• Optional:  1/4 cup water if mixture is too dry
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• sparkling sugar for sprinkling on top

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixer bowl.

Add the butter pieces and mix with the pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly.  Add the orange zest and mix in with a spoon.

In another bowl, beat the egg and whisk in the sour cream and orange juice.

Add to the flour mixture and use the mixer paddle to briefly mix.  Stop the mixer and add the fresh and dried cranberries, and stir with a spoon.  If the mixer is too dry, add 1/4 cup water.  Mix with the paddle very briefly, then turn dough onto a floured board.

Gently pat the dough into a 7 inch circle, then slice into 8 triangles.

Place the triangles on the baking sheet and sprinkle with sparkling sugar before baking.

Bake for approximately 19 minutes, or until scones are gently toasted on top.

Using a spatula, remove scones to a cooling rack for five or ten minutes before eating.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Honey drizzled apple scones

It's still cold here, and windy for days.  Patiently waiting for the weather to warm up, but Spring is definitely on the way because the daffodils are blooming.  This morning I woke up early with a passionate desire for a hot scone..... but which one?  I wanted a not-too-sweet scone, or maybe, hmmm, apple cobbler?  So I took a little from one recipe (the juicy cobbler) and combined it with my favorite scone dough.  Just before it went into the oven I drizzled them with the beautiful local honey I'd bought a few weeks ago.  The honey baked into the dough, so they weren't sticky, but had that delicious warm honey taste and scent.

So, so good.  So good that I drizzled a little more honey on my plate and dipped the warm scone into it, feeling much like a hungry Winnie the Pooh.

Honey drizzled apple scones

This makes 8 scones.
Preheat oven to 360F. 
Line a jellyroll/cookie sheet with clean foil or parchment.

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped, about 1 heaping cup
1 T. cinnamon sugar (I mix my own to taste) sprinkled on the apples
Toss the apples a little and set aside.

2 cups King Arthur flour
1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4ths cup buttermilk plus more as needed 
  (you don't want the dough to be too wet, so add more 
   buttermilk tablespoon by tablespoon if needed)

Put the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and butter pieces in mixer bowl.  Mix well, making sure the butter is incorporated, though a few bits and flakes of butter are fine.

Add the cinnamon sugar-apple mixture to the flour mix and mix briefly.

Add the buttermilk and mix quickly.  If it's too dry, add a tablespoon or two more buttermilk until it forms a ball.
Remove dough to a floured surface and pat into a circle.
Cut the circle into 8 pieces and place triangles on baking sheet.
Drizzle honey generously on the tops of the scones.

Bake for 25 minutes, cool briefly, then remove and cool further on a rack.
They tend to stick because of the honey so remove carefully.

Enjoy!


What I've been reading:

The Ruth Galloway mysteries by Elly Griffiths
Help Thanks Wow by Anne Lamott

easter leftovers and mexican chocolate scones

Do you still have Easter leftovers?  I'm thrilled that I finished off the the leftover ham yesterday - baked in a little tiny casserole with white sauce and peas and pasta.  Today's lunch was the last of the brightly colored eggs in a classic egg salad with fresh dill and hot relish.  And my dessert?  I sent the carrot cake home with the kids so I had a splendid excuse to make Mexican Chocolate scones this morning, some for me, some for a teenager I know who said this was his favorite recipe of all.  With all the sweets we inhaled on Easter Day, I'm  craving just a little bit more, before I faithfully go back to eating healthy.  ( I can hear my mother as I wrote that last word:  "It's healthfully and healthful, not healthy!" )  Hope you're enjoying the sunshine today!

Mexican Chocolate scones:

2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 stick (4 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup buttermilk ( if the mixture is dry, add another tablespoon or two, but be careful not to make the mixture too wet)

 Preheat oven to 350F.
Place the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in mixer bowl and mix briefly, then add the butter and mix until the butter is incorporated well.  If you can see little bits of butter, that's fine.
Add the milk chocolate chips and buttermilk and mix until it JUST comes together.

Gather dough and pat in a circle.  Cut the circle in half in one direction, then half in the other direction, so you have four large quarters.  Cut each quarter in half, so you have eight triangles.  Place scones on a baking sheet and bake for about 22 minutes, or until the scones feel light and are slightly browned when you pick one up.   

Place scones on a cooling rack to cool.

Irish scones beside the fire

Apologies for the long between-posts.  There is always much to do, and when we had several very cold days, I spent hours wrestling with a cranky woodstove, taking lovely long hikes, picking up pine cones and fallen branches, courtesy of Hurricane Sandy, to add to my basket of kindling for that blue enameled beast that sits in the kitchen.  Early mornings, I run up the hill beside the house and greet the sun, and then?   I'm not quite sure what goes clattering through my head:  I think a lot.  As a sometime poet, I start with a random glance at a photograph of my grandmother-I-never-knew, and end up thinking about the Irish/Welsh/English threads that run on both sides of my family.

Today, instead of falling into a book, I made these charming, delicious scones again, happy to be mixing the dough, and, 25 minutes later, eating those hot, flaky bites, with puddles of melting butter, scented with lemon and nutmeg, juicy raisins, and a swift small sprinkling of sugar on top;  wondering if my grandmother-I-never-knew was as pleased with them as I am.  

To make about 8 scones:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Fit a baking sheet with foil or parchment.

6 T. cold butter, cut in small pieces

1/4 cup King Arthur whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

pinch nutmeg, or 8 scrapings from a whole nutmeg

1/4 t. freshly grated lemon zest

pinch salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup raisins

Place flours and cold butter pieces into a mixer bowl and mix until incorporated. It should look crumbly.

Add the nutmeg, baking powder, lemon zest and salt.

Mix well.

Pour in the buttermilk and raisins and mix until it just holds together.

Using a normal size ice cream scoop, scoop batter out onto the baking sheet. This should make 8 scones. Sprinkle with a little sugar, if desired.

Place in oven for 25 minutes - they should be golden and craggy looking.

Remove to cool on cooling rack.

Serve with soft, sweet butter and marmalade or jam, as you wish. Delicious alone, too.

tiny ginger scones

It's been chilly the last several days - woodstove and hot coffee weather, but also perfect for  walks.  I almost stepped on these beautiful, tiny Princess Pines, not even six inches tall,  but stepped aside just in time.  When I first moved here, I used to dig them up and arrange them in pots with paperwhite bulbs, but they always yellowed and faded away, so now I just admire them where I find them growing naturally, leaving them untouched.

Of course, I needed a little something to go with that lovely cup of coffee, so I made a batch of tiny ginger scones, sprinkled inside and out with diced crystallized ginger.  Not much bigger than 2 inches by 4 inches ( though you can make them even smaller, if you want) they were just the right size for a nibble, and very easy to whip up. Because ginger is such a warming spice, it's perfect for these autumn days.

Tiny Ginger Scones

Preheat oven to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with clean foil, shiny side up.

2 cups King Arthur flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into dice
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
good pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, snipped into small dice with scissors, plus a little more for the scone tops
a little bit of beaten egg for an egg wash

Place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in food processor.  Mix briefly.

Add the cubes of cold butter and process just until the butter is incorporated into the dry mixture, making coarse crumbs.  

Scrape mixture into mixing bowl, and add the buttermilk, the egg, and the snipped ginger, making sure you have some of the diced ginger for the scone tops.  Mix just until the dough comes together.

Pat the dough out on a slightly floured counter into a log shape.  Mine was about 2 inches by I don't remember, maybe 14" or more.  Square it off with your palms, then cut the dough into squares, which you then cut diagonally into triangles.  It just seemed to be easier that way to get nicely shaped scones.  This made 14 little scones.

Remove scones to baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with the diced ginger.
Bake for 18 minutes, or until slightly browned on top.

Remove to a cooling rack then enjoy with unsalted butter.  I just realized these would be wonderful for Thanksgiving Day breakfast or tea time with family and friends!  

grapefruit scones

I have no idea why I never thought of using grapefruit zest in baking - I certainly use enough lemon and orange zest! But grapefruit never crossed my mind, until yesterday, when I was fiddling with a scone recipe and noticed my breakfast leftovers on the counter - half a grapefruit. Hum, why not?

I tried it out and was stunned as I pulled out the baking sheet to find puffy, light, and very high scones. I think it's most likely that the acid in the grapefruit juice reacted strongly with the baking powder, and oh, what a difference it made!

Paired with a new jar of homemade marmalade, this was the most swoonable scone I've ever made - hope you enjoy.

Makes 6 scones.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Fit a baking sheet with clean foil, shiny side up.

2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

1 stick (4 oz) unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 T. grapefruit zest

1 t. orange zest

pinch kosher salt

1 T. fresh grapefruit juice

3/4 cup buttermilk

In mixer bowl, add the flour, butter pieces, sugar, grapefruit and orange zest, salt and baking powder and mix until the butter is well incorporated.

Add the grapefruit juice and buttermilk and mix quickly. It should form a soft but not wet ball of dough. If it's too dry, add more buttermilk or grapefruit juice, a tablespoon at a time.

Scrape the dough onto a floured counter and pat gently into a circle, sprinkling a little flour as you form the circle.

Cut the circle in half with a floured knife, then cut each half two more times so you have 6 pieces.

Place the pieces on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until the scones are firm on top when gently pressed and very light when you pick them up. Remove to a cooling rack until cool, and serve with jam or marmalade, sprinkle with a little confectioner's sugar if you wish.

Have a wonderful weekend!

wordless wednesday: homemade marmalade and grapefruit scones

Two days ago, I made my favorite homemade marmalade ever from my 5 foot Calamondin orange tree. Today, I yearned for a scone. ( I know you're putting this together:)

I've been on a grapefruit spree lately, and the cutting board was littered with grapefruit peelings this afternoon. I was thinking lemon scones, but those rinds just sitting there made me wonder. What about grapefruit?

It worked. Amazingly. I've never seen such fluffy, airy scones EVER. That tablespoon of fresh juices from my breakfast bowl of grapefruit had the most astonishing reaction to the baking powder, resulting in lightly flavored, but a most definite citrus/grapefruit scone that defied gravity.

If this was a Twitter hashtag, I think it would be #bakingmiracles. Happy Wednesday!