Cranberry Scones

Cranberry Scones

May 30: National Scone Day

Highlander’s Mum, a first generation Scottish-Canadian, often takes her tea with shortbread biscuits (cookies) or scones. The latter are a traditional Scottish teatime treat that is actually a sweet or savory quick bread and have become a popular snack at coffee shops as well. We usually make homemade scones for breakfast but also prepare them when Mum visits so we can relax together over a cup of tea or coffee. Although we have baked a variety of scones (recipes will appear in future blog posts), we chose to feature a simple sweet scone containing dried cranberries for National Scone Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Taste of Home)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • ¼ – ½ cup dried cranberries
  • coarse sugar to sprinkle on top of the scones

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and pinch of salt. Cut in the cold butter pieces and mix until it has a crumb-like texture.

Cranberry Scones

In a small bowl, beat the egg. In a measuring cup, measure the milk. Then add two tablespoons of the beaten egg to the milk. Mix the egg and milk and pour into the crumb mixture. Blend until moistened. Add the cranberries and combine well.

Cranberry Scones

Place the dough onto a floured surface. Knead gently to form a 6-inch round. Slice into four wedges for large scones or eight wedges for mini scones. Separate the wedges. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush the top of the scones with the remaning beaten egg.

Cranberry Scones

Sprinkle the tops of the scones with coarse sugar. Bakes in a preheated oven at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until brown, being careful not to burn the underside of the scones. Remove from the oven and serve warm with fruit preserves/jams or clotted cream.

Cranberry Scones

Notes

  • Australia celebrates National Scone Day on May 30. But we think this food holiday should go global!
  • Search our blog for other scone recipes.

 

Royal Scones

Royal Scones

April 29, 2011: The Royal Wedding Day of HRH Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton

The royal wedding is scheduled for 11 a.m. British time, which means it is even earlier in the morning to watch it on television or the Internet in most parts of America. While our friends in Europe may be having their lunches then, here we are having a basic breakfast of tea and scones. Highlander and Islander have had various scones before (search our blog for recipes), but the one we are featuring is Royal Scones from a royal chef’s cookbook to commemorate the historic day Wills marries Kate!

Recipe

(Adapted from Eating Royally by Darren McGrady)

Ingredients

  • 3 ¼ cups self-rising flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ¾ – 1 ¼ cup milk
  • 1 cup raisins or currants

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the beaten egg in the center.

Royal Scones

Pour in ¾ cup of milk. Mix until it becomes a sticky dough. If it is too dry, add a little more milk 1/8 cup at at time. Add the raisins or currants and combine well. Press the dough into a greased scone pan or shape by hand into a traditional triangle shape.

Royal Scones

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, being careful not to burn or brown the edges too much. Remove from the oven. Transfer from the scone pan to a wire rack.

Royal Scones

Notes

  • If not using self-rising flour, use 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour mixed with 4 teaspoons baking powder.
  • For a more muffin-looking scone, roll out the dough onto a floured surface to an inch thick. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter or rim of a glass to cut out the scones. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet about an inch apart. Brush the tops with one beaten egg yolk. Bake as above.
  • Serve the scones warm with butter, jams or clotted cream.
  • We bought our mini scone pan from Williams-Sonoma.