More Cook-Books

These two are on their way to my eager hands right now... :)

I've loved making biscotti since my very first attempt - not to mention how much I love eating them, dunked in hot milky tea. YUM!

And I'm sure you all know by now that I adore scones. A friend has this book, and I've had a couple of different scones from it - so good.

Loving pastries as much as I do is NOT a good thing, and yet I don't do much to discourage it... other than forcing myself not to make them very often. Trust me, I would be very happy to have scones for breakfast every day.

Chocolate Raspberry Scones

I'm not a huge fan of raspberry flavored chocolate, but raspberries and chocolate are a totally different story. We have a bumper crop of our own raspberries stored in our freezers, and I'm forever trying to think of something different to do with them. When a sweet ingredient needs to be used up, I generally look to scones for the answer. The results this time are amazingly delicious.

Chocolate Raspberry Scones

2 C all purpose flour

1/3 C sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp butter, cold and cut into pieces

2 ounces dark chocolate chunks* or chips (about 1/2 cup)

3/4 C fresh or frozen raspberries**

1/2 C plain yogurt

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk or sift the dry ingredients together, then cut in the butter until it looks like coarse crumbs, letting some of the butter remain in small pieces. Mix in chocolate and raspberries. Make a well in the center. In a separeat bowl, beat together yogurt, vanilla and egg. Pour into the well in the flour mixture, and using a fork, quickly but gently incorporate the yogurt into the flour. Don't over mix. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead a few times till the dough comes together. Pat into a 7" round, about 1 1/2" thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on a pan with about an inch between each scone. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool for a few minutes, then drizzle with a glaze made of 1/2 C powdered sugar and 1 tbsp milk.



* I roughly chopped 2 ounces of semi-sweet baking chocolate. I actually like this a lot better than chocolate chips, having the varying sizes of chocolate pieces. Also, chips have a way of turning hard soon after the scones are out of the oven. The chopped chocolate didn't seem to do this.

** If you want to use frozen raspberries, like I did, don't defrost them first. Bust them up with a knife and throw them in as frozen as possible to prevent them from bleeding and dissolving into the dough.

Maple Walnut Glazed Scones

I meant to take pictures earlier as I was making these, but I forgot to until they were mostly eaten! Oh well, they still look incredibly yummy.

Now, when it comes to pancakes, I'm a stickler for real maple syrup. I wouldn't be caught dead with Aunt Jemima in my house. However, I believe that using maple flavoring in baked goods is excusable, because you can't appreciate real syrup in baked goods, and maple extract is cheap in comparison.

This recipe was actually for pecan scones with molasses glaze. I changed the nut and the flavor, and I personally think they are wonderful.




Maple Walnut Scones

2 C flour
1/4 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs chilled butter, cut into cubes
3/4 C chopped walnuts
2/3 C buttermilk
2 egg yolks
1 tsp maple extract

Glaze:
2 tbs cream
4 tbs butter
1/2 C brown sugar
2/3 C confectioner's sugar
1/8-1/4 tsp maple extract

Preheat oven to 400*

For scones, mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until pea-sized. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, yolks and maple together. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour milk into well. Toss with a fork until it comes together in moist clumps. Gather into a ball and press into an 8" round. Cut into 6 (for large) or 8 (normal sized) wedges and place 1/2" to 3/4" apart on an ungreased pan. Bake about 16 minutes. Place on a rack.
While scones are slightly cooling, heat and whisk butter, brown sugar and cream together in a heavy sauce pan until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and maple. Spread over warm scones and let set 30 minutes, or until glaze is set to the touch.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Coconut Scones with Orange Curd

Orange Curd

1 C sugar
1/4 C cornstarch
2 C orange juice
1/4 C lemon juice
3 eggs beaten until smooth
1/4 C butter
1 Tbs orange zest

Bend together sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Whisk in juice and beaten eggs. Bring to a boil and cook 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in butter and zest. Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill.

Coconut Cranberry Scones

2 C flour
1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbs chilled butter, cubed
1/2 C coconut, shredded

1/2 C chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 C coconut milk, or milk

Preheat oven to 400* F

Mix dry ingredients, then cut in butter until mixture is a coarse crumb texture. Leave some pea-sized chunks of butter. Mix in coconut and cranberries.

Make a well in the dry mixture, and pour in the milk. Use a fork to pull the dry ingredients inward into the milk, just until combined. Do not over-mix.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface and form into a flat 8" round.

Cut into 8 wedges and place on a baking sheet 1/2" apart. Bake 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Serve warm with orange curd and a sprinkle of coconut. Don't forget your cup of hot tea.