Twelve Days of Baking - Day 12

Well, I made it through 12 days of baking. It was hard work and my kitchen looks like a war zone, but I fun. My last recipe is for Bacon Date Scones. These are perfect for a Christmas morning brunch or a  Christmas Eve breakfast, like I had this morning. It is the perfect combination of salty and sweet.

 

This recipe comes from Epicurious.com. 

 

Bacon Date Scones

10 oz bacon

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup chopped dates

1/ 2 cup butter, chilled

2/3 cup buttermilk

turbinado sugar

 

Cook bacon until cooked through but not crisp. Reserve drippings. Whisk together dry ingredients. Coarsely chop bacon. Add bacon and dates to flour mixture. Toss to coat. Grate butter into flour. Stir in butter with a fork. Add buttermilk. Stir and knead until dough forms. Pat into an 8" round. Cut into 8 wedges. Cover and chill 2 hours. Brush with reserved bacon drippings. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Notes: I cooked my bacon until it was crisp because that's the way I like it, and I didn't chill the dough for 2 hours, but I did stick it in the freezer for about 20 minutes before baking. 

Birthday Scones!

My sister's birthday was this past Thursday. In her honor, even though I knew she would never eat them, I baked her birthday scones.

I can't remember how the tradition of birthday scones started, but I like to make them for people who are near and dear to me on their birthdays.

Here's the recipe. I believe it originally came from Sunset magazine where they were called Coconut Scones. I changed the name.

Birthday Scones

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold butter, cut in chunks
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

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jam, any flavor

In a large bowl, mix flour, coconut, oats, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, beat eggs and milk to blend. Stir all but about 1 tablespoon egg mixture into flour mixture just until evenly moistened. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured board and pat into an 8-inch round. Slide round onto a buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheet and cut into 8 wedges, leaving wedges in place. Brush top of round with reserved egg mixture and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Make a 1-inch-diameter depression on top of the wide end of each wedge and fill each with about 1/2 tablespoon jam. Bake at 375° until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Recut scones to separate and serve warm, or transfer to a rack to cool completely.

I used a homemade jam that I made a couple weeks ago in the scones. It's really yummy, but didn't set up as much as it should have. As a result, it kind of spread as the scones baked. 

If you want an easy and tasty jam recipe, try this one. It's sweet, and tart, and kind of reminds me of the strawberry-rhubarb jam my grandma always made. Isn't it pretty?

Cranberry Jam

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1 orange, peeled and divided into sections

16 oz package frozen strawberries, thawed

3 cups sugar

3 oz liquid fruit pectin

5 half-pint canning jars & lids, sterilized

Coarsely grind cranberries and orange sections in a food processor; spoon into a heavy stockpot. Add strawberries and sugar. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly for one minute. Remove form heat and stir in pectin. Skim off any foam and immediately pour into hot, sterilized jars; secure lids. Process jars in a boiling water bath.

Notes on the jam: I put the zest of the orange into the jam also, for more flavor and also chopped up the strawberries into small pieces. I'm not sure why mine didn't thicken like it should have, but after I made it, I read the directions in the pectin package, and they were slightly different than those in the recipe. When I make it again, I will follow the package directions instead and see if there is a difference. Oh, and I also got more than five jars out of the recipe. I can't remember how many exactly, but I suggest having three or four more ready just in case.

Bon Appetit

A week ago my sister was here for a visit. We had a fantastic time together. I'm still sad that she had to leave.

Because she lives two time zones away and daylight saving time ended the day she came and the fact that we are Weltons, we got up really early while she was here. Like between 3:30 and 4:00 in the morning early.

One of those early mornings, we watched the movie Julie and Julia. All that cooking got me in the mood to bake, so I headed into the kitchen and mixed up a batch of apple cheddar scones. They were quite yummy and made a nice breakfast for us that morning and the next couple of days. 

Give these a try, they would be perfect for a Thanksgiving morning breakfast. Now, in the words of Julia Child, "Bon Appetit."

Apple Cheddar Scones

 

3 cups flour

1/2 cup + 1 tsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

6 Tbsp cold butter, cut up

1 cup buttermilk

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

4 oz grated, sharp cheddar cheese

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until it becomes coarse crumbs. With fork, stir in buttermilk, apple, and cheese just until mixture forms a dough. Knead 6-7 times. Pat into circle and cut into wedges. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with remaining tsp of sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown but not soft in center.

 

Notes: I used granny smith apples and Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar. It seemed like a perfect combination. They got better the longer they sat, so don't be worried by the fact that this recipe makes A LOT. Also, the scones were huge. If you want them smaller the dough could easily be made into two smaller circles to make smaller scones. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly.