I made Cranberry Walnut Scones for the Redskins win in Sunday's game against the Cowboys. I was planning to do blueberry, but was disappointed with the Cowboys. The game ended a holding penalty against them. Blueberry will have to wait for a Cowboys win. According to one of the Redskins, the holding technique was being used all throughout the game by a defensive player for the Cowboys. The referee finally called the action a penalty at the worst time. The player underestimated the referee. I do not imagine that he had as nice of a breakfast as me, in the aftermath of the loss. So for those of you that did not misbehave and cause problems on Sunday night, the recipe is below.
Please note that taste and texture of scones vary. These scones are closer to being a cookie rather than bread, so they do not require any added butter or jam.
Cranberry Walnut Scones
adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine/Nov 2005
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs grated lemon peel
1 tbs salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold butter
1 tbs lemon juice
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chilled half and half (depending on dryness of dough you may need more)
4 tbs sugar (for glaze)
2 tbs lemon juice (for glaze)
First, prepare your cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper and preheating your oven to 375 degrees.
Since the glaze is put on the scones prior to baking, it needs to be made first. Whisk the 4 tbs of sugar with the 2 tbs of lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl until combined. The lemon zest and 1 cup of sugar goes in next. Then add the chilled butter to your flour mixture by using a pastry cutter or your hands. Continue to mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Put the cranberries and walnuts in the crumb mixture, using a wooden spoon to make sure all is evenly distributed. Lastly, pour in the half and half as well as 1 tbs lemon juice. Continue to stir until dough comes together in moist clumps. The texture should be like a stiff cookie dough. If you still have extra flour that will not blend in, add half and half by tablespoons (mixing after each addition).
Once you reach the right consistency, divide dough into two balls. Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball into a flat circle, 6 inches in diameter. Cut each circle into 6 wedges and place each wedge on a cookie sheet. Then take your glaze and brush over the top of each scone. This glaze is not like icing and will not be seen on your scones. However, if it spills over the edge of your scone in the process of brushing it on, the overage will turn into a dark syrup that you will have to cut away from your baked scone. The cut away is just an extra step, so be careful with the glaze if you do not want to do that step.
Then bake until golden and tester comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
With a twist: You probably can use any dried fruit of your liking along with different types of nuts.
