September 27, 2009

Scones – Cranberry & Almond



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Some recipes become an immediate favorite just from the sound of it. This scone with almonds & cranberries happened to be one of them.

Right from the time I started making them to shaking the empty tin we have enjoyed this 😀 I love using almonds in my cooking, ( a lot of you might already know this) – & ‘am really glad that I added the nuts to this scones; the ground almonds give a wonderful crumbly flaky feel to the scones & the little bites are such a delight. Some Darjeeling tea steeping in the pot, & the warm scones, along with company is bliss!

“The scone is a small British quickbread (or cake if recipe includes sugar) of Scottish origin. Scones are especially popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada, but are eaten in many other countries. They are usually made of wheat, barley or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent. The scone is a basic component of the cream tea or Devonshire tea.” (Wiki) Originally the scones were griddle baked but today they are more flour based, baked in the oven  & are usually savory or sweet.

There are two ways to pronounce scone; “Skon” is usually used in Scotland and Northern England and “Skoan” is used in the South parts.

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Scones – Cranberry & Almond


Ingredients:

  1. 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
  2. 5 tablespoons sugar, plus more for topping
  3. 1 tablespoon baking powder
  4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  5. 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  6. 2/3 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) Milk or Half & Half
  7. 3/4 cup dried sweetened Cranberries
  8. 1 tablespoon orange/lemon rind
  9. 1/2 cup Almonds
  10. 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract



Preparation:

Process the Almond. ( I put all the nuts in the blender to chop. Some of the almonds were powdered, the others were coarsely chopped, which really worked out great).

Preheat oven to 4oo degrees F.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the almond extract & 2/3 cup of milk/half-and-half until just moistened. Fold in cranberries, orange/lemon rind & the nuts.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently, 5 to 10 times or for a minute. Pat into a 1-inch-thick round.

Cut into desired shape. I used a cookie cutter to make cookie rounds.

Place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Brush tops with remaining tablespoon of milk/half & half. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack.



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Mmmmmm – Mmmmmm Good!  Can you say? Loaded with nuts & the cranberries with every bite & a burst of flavors of almonds & rinds, these were delightful treats. I did not serve them with any clotted cream, or jam & preserve as they are done in England, they were good just by themselves.


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“Scones became popular and an essential part of the fashionable ritual of taking tea in England when Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788 – 1861), one late afternoon, ordered the servants to bring tea and some sweet breads, which included scones. She was so delighted by this, that she ordered it every afternoon and what now has become an English tradition is the “Afternoon Tea Time” (precisely at 4:00 p.m.). They are still served daily with the traditional clotted cream topping in Britain.” (Source)

Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen is Hosting Meeta’s Monthly Mingle this time. The theme is High Tea. These scones are being sent over for the Tea Party.

The recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart.




Related Posts:

Onion Crackers

Chocolate Chip Ginger Cookies

Speculaas – Dutch Cookies


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Filed Under: Cakes, Cookies, Muffins etc, Starters & Snacks
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