Sunday, June 20, 2010

Cinnamon Scones!



I love scones. They are so delectable and awesome...someone should write a song about them. They just make waking up totally worth it : ). I like a variety of scone flavors, currant, cranberry white chocolate, blueberry, maple pecan, oh so many options...but in the end I always return to my cinnamon scones. When I first started making these I would use the cinnamon chips from Hershey. I really wanted a different and more rich cinnamon flavor so I searched around until I found a great alternative on the King Arthur website. They make their cinnamon goodness by mixing cinnamon with butter, brown sugar, and butterscotch chips. I ultimately want a cinnamon scone recipe that calls for no chips of any kind, but for now, this one is pretty darn awesome.

You can make your scones into any shape you want. Some people prefer triangles, some into perfect circles. I consider my scones to be more the plop and bake shape, each scone different from its sibling. I usually make these ahead of time, scoop them and then freeze, then pull them out of the freezer put them on a pan and bake. The key to a moist scone is to NOT OVER MIX! Be gentle with your dough and it will reward you with a perfect bite.

Cinnamon Scones

In large mixing bowl sift together:

6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 TBS granulated sugar
1 3/4 tsp salt
4 TBS baking powder

Cut butter into small dice sized pieces and mix in blender with dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. See picture above.

1 pound butter (4 sticks)

In small bowl whisk together and then add to butter/dry ingredients until just combined:

1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In food processor or blender mix the following until smooth and paste like:

3/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 1/2 TBS butter
1 1/2 TBS cinnamon

Once smooth mix the cinnamon mixture into the scone batter just until swirled together. Do not over mix.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes depending upon size of the scone.

Enjoy!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

A wedding and a Cookie Buffet



Success! My sister finally got hitched to the man of her dreams! The wedding was insane, crazy, and wonderful. I was so busy running around trying to be a hostess greeting all the friends and family that I think I missed most of the events of the evening. Overall it seemed as if everyone had a good time, lots of dancing, eating, and drinking. My little sister did a great job planning everything. She looked absolutely stunning, and was beyond happy tho marry her best friend.

My gift to the happy couple was a cookie buffet at the reception. Judging from the line and all the empty platters I think people liked it. I made all the doughs during the weeks leading up to the wedding and then baked them all off days before the wedding. We actually hired a few people to do the baking for us which was a huge help and they did a great job! Plus it cut down on my stress levels leading up to the big day.

It was so great celebrating the love of my sister and her husband with so many family and friends present. We had a good time planning everything and can't wait until someone else in my family gets married...which judging from the love status of us all it will probably be a while. : )

Cookie Buffet Menu:

Chocolate Hazelnut biscotti
Almond biscotti
Currant Shortbread
Diamants
Heaven bars
German Chocolate cookies
Oatmeal raisin cookies
Kitchen Sink cookies
Ginger spice
Chocolate chews
Mexican Wedding (provided by the Grandma of the Groom)

We hosted a brunch the morning after the wedding for out of town family and friends and a lot of people requested my cinnamon scone recipe...so, I plan on posting that soon.