Cranberry Scones

After some time off for a summer staycation, I returned to work refreshed and also ready for a coworker's surprise bridal shower! I had volunteered to make heart-shaped scones, perfect to get in the mood for wedded bliss. Allrecipes.com came to my rescue again with a recipe for simple scones. I needed a recipe with sour cream instead of buttermilk since I couldn't find it in any of my go-to grocery stores this time of year (June--I guess buttermilk tends to be holiday seasonal). I also attempted self-rising flour once again, though you can definitely make them with all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour. Finally, I substituted Craisins (dried cranberries) for the raisins or currants, since I've had them in scones before and the bright red color is another great symbol of love. Thus, my Cranberry Scones were born!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (or self-rising flour)

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder (omit if using self-rising flour)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda (omit if using self-rising flour)

1/2 teaspoon of salt (cut back to about 1/4 teaspoon if using self-rising flour)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (the original recipe recommends it being frozen, but just keeping it at the back of my fridge worked fine for me)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup sour cream (I used lowfat Tillamook brand)

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda if using, and salt. Use a cheese grater to grate the butter into flakes, then slowly add it in with your hands. Stir in the cranberries.

2.) In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream and egg with a fork until smooth. At this point, you can also add in the almond extract for extra flavor. Then slowly add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture until the dough starts to form. Use your hands to get the dough fully formed and shaped into a ball (if too sticky, add a little more flour).

3.) Shape the dough into hearts (I made two elongated lumps and squished them together in a "V" to make a heart shape) and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake approximately 15-17 minutes or until golden but not too brown. Cool slightly (about 5 minutes), then remove from the sheet and serve warm.

The directions on Allrecipes.com give options for making Cranberry-Orange Scones, Lemon-Blueberry Scones, or even Cherry-Almond Scones, which gave me the inspiration to add almond extract--and I think that's what really makes these scones pop! The bride-to-be loved the treat and took the extras home to her groom, who ate about six in a row. I'd say that's a success!

Banana Donuts

While I admit I'm a bit behind on my baking blog posts, I certainly haven't been behind on my baking. I made these delicious Banana Donuts on June 27, during my summer staycation off from work. I can't remember the exact motivation for donuts--perhaps I had browning bananas at the time, perhaps I just wanted to make something delicious to deliver to my mom. Either way it was a fun endeavor with a pleasing result.

In attempting to make my banana donuts, I knew I wanted to find a recipe where I could use self-rising flour. I still had some leftover that my mom had given me after making Jamie Oliver's deliciously easy pancakes for Valentine's Day, and I wanted to put it to good use. A quick search found me a great recipe from King Arthur Flour with directions on how to adapt it for self-rising flour. I cut the baking soda, lowered the amount of salt, and included the cinnamon since I was using bananas and they pair well together. I then borrowed a quick cinnamon-sugar recipe from the website Kitchn, and had the donuts ready in no time.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 and 1/4 cups white sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups mashed bananas
2 cups self-rising flour

For the topping:

1/4 cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the bananas.

2.) Slowly stir in the self-rising flour until the batter is smooth but still has some lumps of banana. Pour the batter into a donut pan (sprayed liberally with nonstick cooking spray) until nearly full.

3.) Bake approximately 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the donut comes out clean or with a tiny bit of crumbs attached. Remove from oven and loosen the edges with a plastic knife. Wait 5 minutes, and then transfer the donuts to a wire rack.

4.) While the donuts are warm, dip them into a bowl filled with the cinnamon-sugar mixture topping. Coat thoroughly, then turn over and coat the other side. Serve while warm, if possible, though the donuts taste good at room temperature as well.

Perfect Pancakes by Jamie Oliver

My mom sent me this Tweet from Jamie Oliver (celebrity chef extraordinaire) months ago, along with a care package of self-rising flour. Turns out it is the easiest way to make pancakes when you're craving them, and they always turn out fluffy and light! Try adding blueberries, chocolate chips, or other additions to customize to your tastes. Perfect!

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk (I use fat-free or 1%, lactose free milk by Lactaid)
Pinch of salt

Directions:

1.) Whisk ingredients together. Pour onto a hot griddle that's been lightly coated with canola oil (you can tell it's ready when a drop of water placed on the pan starts to sizzle). Allow the edges of the pancake to harden and then flip it. Cook another minute or so, checking the underside for doneness.

That's it!

I saved this recipe for Valentine's Day (I had a lot planned and didn't want to lose time on an extensive, complicated endeavor), and poured the pancakes into a silicon heart-shaped mold for a breakfast filled with love. And chocolate chips. It worked great and gave me plenty of time to set up gifts, make bacon (another way to show your love), and get ready for a date at Gameworks. But really, you can use these pancakes for any occasion!