Blueberry Chocolate Chip Scones with an Almond Drizzle

 
 Today was a nasty day. Lately we have enjoyed warm, Spring days wth unusually mild winds. The birds have been making nests and my garden has been flourshng. But today, I would have sworn it was still winter. It was cold, so windy that it nearly knocked me over, and the dark clouds covered up any rays of sunshine that might have been shining. It was a nasty day to be outside. (I even abandoned my daily run today, which later proved to be a poor decision when I inturn chose to eat 6 of these scones).
   It might have been awful outside, but on days like this I love to be in the kitchen. It's the perfect day to bake some scones and curl up with a warm cup of herbal tea. (Today is similar to the day that I created my Strawberry Scones with a Vanilla Glaze. Bad weather days are good scone making days.) :)
   I love knowing that with just a few ingredients and a little bit of time, my family and I can enjoy something that is warm, moist, crunchy around the edges and just enough sweetness to make me forget about all the ugliness outside. I hope my kids grow up to see bad weather days as good baking days too. :)

Here's how these scones start:

3 cups of all-purpose flour.

2/3 cup of sugar.

5 tsp baking powder.

1/4 tsp salt (I just eye-balled this).

2 sticks of cold butter (I prefer salted butter), cut into rough cubes.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture wth a fork, or a pasty cutter (or even your hands).

When the butter chunks have been broken down and are about the size of large peas it's done.

Now it's time to add the first "mix-in." Today I chose to use some of my homemade, low-sugar, blueberry preserves. I used about 1/2 a jar so that would translate to a rounded 1/2 cup.

Next, to keep the scones unbelievably soft and moist, add 1/2 cup of milk, (I used 2 % milk today, but anything you have would be fine. I've used non-fat milk as well as cream - both with success.)

and 1 beaten egg.

Mix everything lightly with a fork and then add the last "mix-in." I thought chocolate would be a nice addition (when is it not?). So about 1 cup (3 small handfulls) of semi-sweet chocolate chips went into the mix.

I continued mixing everything with a fork until it just started to come together. Then I lightly floured my counter and dumped out the loose batter.

I then folded the mixture over on itself 5 or 6 times - just until it came together as a solid mass, and then I flattened it out into a rough rectangle that was about 1/2 to 1 inch thick.

I like to cut my scones with a pizza cutter. I think it goes quicker, but you can cut your scones how you wish. You can even use a biscuit cutter, if you want them all uniform - but I think part of why scones are so appealing is because they are rustic looking. I made 12 squares (or rectangles rather).

I cut them into triangles (because that is my prefered scone shape), by cutting each square (rectangle) in half, corner to corner. I wanted to make them "mini" so I made 24 total. They grew in the oven, so they ended up not being as "mini" as I was originally thinking, but that didn't stop me from eating them one after the other. ;) If I had cut a 4x4 grid and made 32 scones instead of 24 they would have remained more "mini." If you choose to make yours smaller, make sure to reduce the cooking time so they don't burn.

The scones get placed gently onto a parchment lined baking sheet

and then brushed on top with milk (or an egg wash, or cream. Whatever you have. You just want something to make the sugar stick.) - The sun came out for a second! See how much prettier food is in the sunlight?

I sprinkle the tops with sugar (just about 1 Tbsp total for all the scones). -This was the last shot before the clouds covered the sun again. :(

Then the scones get put in the fridge to firm up while the oven preheats. When the oven is @ 350F the scones go in, middle rack please, for about 15-20 minutes (until lightly browned and cooked through).

This is what mine looked like when they were done - after 20 minutes. I could have taken them out a minute or two earlier, but I was busy with my little angels. And the taste wasn't hurt at all. In fact, the crunchy parts are probably my favorite. :)

I like to tranfer them to metal racks to cool, and then drizzle them with the Almond Drizzle. (I don't have any "cooling racks" so I just use the racks from my toaster oven. I put the racks on top of the parchement lined baking sheet that I cooked the scones on. This way the parchment paper will catch any of the glaze/drizzle that falls through. (The less clean-up the better!) See the racks under the scones in the back?

The Almond Drizzle is nothing more than 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp pure almond extract, and 2 tsp of milk. Mix it all together with a fork and then use the fork to drizzle it on over the scones. (The warmer the scones are the thinner the glaze will be.) This is only meant to be drizzled lightly over the top of the scones, but if you want more of a glaze - to cover the tops completely, or even the whole scone, you will want to double the recipe.

All that's left to do is pour your warm drink of choice (today mine is vanilla herbal tea), enjoy the warm baked goodness you've just created and forget about the nasty weather outside.

Then maybe you could share. Family first and then friends. ;)

I tried one more shot, with the flash on, since the clouds have made it so dark in my house. I don't know if it's any better, but you can see the color a little better:

I hope you enjoy these as much as we all did!

Blueberry Chocolate Chip Scones with an Almond Drizzle

3 cups of flour (always all purpose)
2/3 cup sugar - plus more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp salt
5 tsp baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cubed
a rounded 1/2 cup whole fruit blueberry preserves (I used my homemade low-sugar kind)
1/2 cup milk (or cream)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, until the butter is the size of large peas. Add the blueberry preserves, milk and egg. Combine with a fork lightly and add in the chocolate chips. Mix just until it comes together. Dump out onto a floured work surface. Knead (fold over on itself) a few times until it's a solid mass and then flatten it out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut in any shapes you wish. (I cut mine into 24 triangles.) Place on lined cookie sheets. Brush each scone with melted butter, cream or an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bake @ 350F for about 15- 20 minutes (this will depend on how big your scones are). They should be golden brown around the edges and firm.
Cool on cookie sheets and then transfer to a cooling rack. Drizzle with glaze.

Almond Drizzle

1/4 tsp pure almond extract
2 tsp milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Whisk until smooth and drizzle over cooled scones.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

 

Are you looking for an easy weekend breakfast or brunch item that can also impress a crowd? This Sour Cream Coffee Cake is sure to fit the bill. It's moist, and sweet and a little crunchy. I make this all the time, but especially for holidays and family morning get togethers.
   The first time I had coffee cake was when I was little. I spent the night at my friend Erica's house and the next morning her mom made a 9x13 of coffee cake. I was very hesitant to try it (to say the least) because I was brought up to stay away from coffee in all forms; but with much convincing and repeated reassuring that there is no actual "coffee" in coffee cake I tried it. I immediately fell in love with the moist, sweet cake and the crumbly crunchy topping. I still remember that day fondly and coffee cake has always held a special place in my heart. Enough so that for my first Thanksgiving breakfast as a married woman I made this coffee cake for my hubby and my in-laws. It was such a hit that I don't even mess with any other recipes.
   I usually make it in two loaf pans, but today I opted for one bundt pan instead. You can make it with only one layer each of cake and topping (like in one 9x13) or in two layers (like I do with 2 loaf pans) or in three or four layers. I chose to do 4 layers today, but it's really up to you. The less layers you do, the more crumbly and crunchy the "topping" layer will be.

The first step is to make the "topping" layer. Brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans.

Mix them all together (I just use my hands) and set the mixture aside for later.

The next step is to combine all the dry ingredients. I just do this in a small mixing bowl. Flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

You can sift them all together, but I usually just whisk them together instead.

In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) add in the eggs, sugar and vanilla.

The butter (softened) also goes in now. (If you have the time and you want a lighter cake, you can beat the butter and sugar together for a good 10 minutes and then add the vanilla and eggs, but it's optional. Part of why I love this recipe is because it's mostly a dump cake. Just dump the ingredients in, stir and your done.)

Mix the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until completely incorporated.

When you have a smooth mixture, you will add the dry ingredients a little at a time. Start by adding 1/3 of the dry ingredients.

Then add 1/2 of the sour cream.

Next comes another 1/3 of the dry ingredients.

And then the other 1/2 of the sour cream.

Finally, the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients goes in and everything is mixed until thoroughly combined.

Grease your vessel of choice (mine is a bundt pan today), and put down a layer of batter. I'm making 4 layers today so I just put down a little. - Enough to just cover the bottom.

Then sprinkle on some of the "topping" mixture. Make sure the batter is evenly coated.

Then more batter.

And more "topping"

More batter - get the picture?

Add more "topping" (sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this one) and then the last of the batter.

The last of the topping goes on, and then it all gets baked. 350F for about an hour (until a skewer or cake tester comes out clean).

When it's done it will look something like this:

Let it cool until you're able to touch it with your bare hands (and not burn yourself of course), and then turn it out onto a plate, or cake platter.

The last step is to make a vanilla glaze. It's just powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.

Whisk it all together and ta-da! You have your glaze. :) (At this moment I hear Ina Garten in my head saying, "How easy was that?" Ah, the Barefoot Contessa herself. Sometimes you can't say it any better than her.) :)

When the cake is cool, drizzle on the glaze and serve it up! I like to add a little more glaze on each piece also, but that's totally optional.

Isn't it beautiful? And the hardest part was layering. My Baby girl does that with her colored blocks. ;)

I tried to get a shot of all the layers, but the first piece is always a little tricky.

Ah. Just take a deep breath. Breathe in the smell of warm vanilla and a hint of cinnamon.

It's to pretty, it's hard to dig in . . . . but not that hard.

After we had devoured 1/2 of the cake I took another shot so you could see all the layers. A masterpiece! Or at least a pretty cake. ;)

I'm sure you're going to love it as much as we do. Make it, drop a comment and let me know if this coffee cake has changed your life like it has mine. :)

Here's the recipe:
adapted from Betty Crocker

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Brown Sugar Mixture "topping":
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter, softened
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup sour cream

Vanilla Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 to 3 tsp milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease either 2 large loaf pans or 1 bundt (12 cup) pan. Mix together the Brown Sugar Mixture and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla, sugar and butter until smooth. Slowly add in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Then add 1/2 of the sour cream. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, and then the last of the sour cream. Finish mixing with the last of the flour mixture until just combined. (Do not over mix.) Batter will be thick. Cover the bottom of your pan with a layer of batter. Sprinkle on a layer of the Brown Sugar Mixture. Continue to layer alternately, the batter and the Brown Sugar Mixture until both are gone. (The loaf pans will have 2 layers of each and the bundt pan will have 4 layers of each.) Finish with some Brown Sugar Mixture on top. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Cool completely before cutting and serving.