You’ll never guess who we have guest posting on this day of looooove.
It’s our mom! (Would you have guessed that?)
Really, on a day about love, we can’t forget how much love exists in the world that isn’t romantic love. What is stronger than a mother’s love? I’d wager on nothing, personally. I would chew off my own right arm rather than see one of my kids suffer, and I can’t say I’d do that for Carl, or anyone else I can think of. So who better than a mother, OUR mother, to bring us heart-shaped scones on Valentine’s Day?
Sadly, my mom lives halfway across the country and can only share her scones with me virtually, but I am thankful she has passed on her passion for baking as well as her recipe…I just hate having to do my own work sometimes ;)
My mom helped me with my homework all through elementary school , highschool, interior decorating school…and she was always happy when “we” got an A+, and she continues to edit all my papers now that I’m back in university.
Here she is, doing my homework for me once again since my not having a kitchen (or any capacity for forethought) prevented me from having anything pink, red, or heart-shaped for you this Valentine’s Day. She’s done me proud.
Thanks Mom, I love you and your scones!!
There are times when one’s obsessions and pride can come back to bite them in the butt. This is one of those times.
First of all, my obsessions. I admit to having a few and, I must also admit, most of them revolve around food. I love to cook it, bake it, read about it and, of course, eat it. So much so, in fact, that I have often wondered why, and actually even been asked why, I don’t weigh 300 lbs. And while I am not svelte by any stretch of the imagination, I am also not rotund…300 lbs really would not look good, and would be difficult to transport, on my 5 foot tall frame.
So, while I am obsessed with food, I have also developed the policy that what I eat must be worth the calories. Rather than hindering my obsession, this policy has actually fed it. For example, I have been known to try repeated recipes to find the perfect molten lava cake…one worth all the calories. (Did you know that most recipes tell you to make 4 lava cakes in order to serve 8 people? How can you possibly cut a molten cake in half and still have it look nice on a plate? Crazytalk.)
Now, you may (reasonably) think that I am going to follow this with a recipe for Molten Lava Cake, but I’m not. But my daughters do have the elusive perfect recipe so, if I were you, I’d ask them to share it with you some time.
Now, my pride…there are countless things that I cannot do at all, another set of countless things I cannot do well, and a set of quite countable things I can do not too badly. But there is one thing I can do very well, and that thing is bake.
I should be more specific here, because my mother could bake a pie that would make mine look sorry and sad, but, boy oh boy, do I make the best scones. I have done the research to prove it. Every tea room I have gone to, or bakery that sells scones, I sacrifice the body (in the name of scientific research), looking for a scone that is better than mine. And it just isn’t out there. When I had a baking job in a tea room for more than a year, I would even be called out of the kitchen so happy customers could meet the lady who made the scones…those of us with limited talents have to enjoy our small moments of recognition :)
But as you know, pride comes before the fall, or, in this case, before the job. I was talking to my daughter Anna and she was wondering what to do on her blog for Valentine’s Day. I mentioned that I had just made heart-shaped Empire Cookies but she had already put those cookies on her blog (try them heart-shaped, they are so pretty!).
Then I said I was also going to make heart-shaped Cranberry White Chocolate Scones, so would she like to cheat and I could take a picture of them for her. That was when she calmly asked me to do the whole post and send it over. I called her a fazy lart (I am not a nice mom).
Not to be put off so easily, she then appealed to my vanity and pride, pointing out that I am always saying that I make the best scones. So, easily swayed, here you go, the best recipe for Cranberry White Chocolate Scones you will ever find! Whether you cut them into hearts, circles, squares, or triangles, the loves in your life will love you even more after eating them (maybe that’s how I have managed to stay happily married for over 30 years :))
Thanks for sharing your secret recipe, Mom! And really, you all know I couldn’t have passed these off as my own…I would’ve used dark chocolate ;) Either way, I have tried these, and many others, and these are truly the best scones ever. Enjoy!
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup cold butter, cubed
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 1-2 tsp orange juice
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Using pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly.
- Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
- In separate, smaller bowl, whisk buttermilk with egg; pour over flour mixture. Stir with a fork to make a soft, ragged dough.
- With lightly floured hands, press dough into ball. On lightly floured surface, knead gently about 10 times or until smooth. Roll dough out to about ¾” thickness and cut with heart-shaped cookie cutter or 2½ ”-3” biscuit cutter, re-rolling dough as necessary. Place shapes on prepared baking sheets about 1” apart.
- Bake at 400º until bottoms are light golden, 15-18 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool.
- In small bowl, combine icing sugar with just enough orange juice to make an icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm scones.
looks delicious will try soon thanks for sharing recipe.
These are so good and so easy to make. I don’t even put the icing on. I do use fresh cranberries and cut them in half. I love the tart flavour with the sweet of the white chocolate. I also use bakers white chocolate and just cut it up.
My husband says these are really close to crack. That’s a good thing! I used cream as I didn’t have buttermilk & I add orange zest or dried orange peel to the batter. They are crunchy, chewy, sweet goodness! Thank you for sharing!
Glad you liked them Jen. Hope yours turned out good too.
I enjoyed one of these scones at a friends son’s birthday party last week. I had never had a scone before and these are delicious! I had underestimated a scone, that’s for sure. I had always thought they were dry, powdery ‘blecghy-ness’. Finally got my hands on some white chocolate chips last night. These puppies are in the oven baking right now. Hopefully they turn out:)
I’ve been making these at least once a week since my mom raved about them – they’re so good! A friend tried them the other day and said they were the best scones she’s ever had in her entire life! :)
Glad you and your friend liked them Arenda. They are still one of my absolute favourite reasons for getting up in the morning. I almost always have some in the freezer, ready to zap for about 38 seconds so they taste fresh, warm and yummy. Try them in other ways too. Plain is great with butter and jam, especially if it is homemade…yummy! But also try adding lemon zest and poppy seeds instead of cranberries and chocolate and then add a little of the fresh lemon juice to the icing sugar to make the drizzle. Or add cinnamon and raisins, then add some cinnamon and a bit of milk to the icing sugar for the drizzle. Any way, they really are the best scone! :)
And here I am again ’cause I just finished my newest blog entry and you two deserve an Award! … http://stepbystepinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/02/santa-fe-salmon-and-award.html
I’m writing again to reassure you that I rate your scones with 5 stars, but somehow it stalled on two on my previous comment. Yay, it got it right this time!
I love scones, Kim, and will be making these. I can see where your girls get their cooking and writing talent. Thanks for guesting. Really enjoyed it.
Thanks Kathleen for your kind words and the 5 stars :)
I love everything about these scones! White chocolate and cranberry sounds amazing with an orange glaze….mmmmmmm.
Happy belated Valentine’s Day!
These scones look amazing (I love that they’re made with buttermilk!)
A huge thanks to you and your mom, for sharing the recipe. :)
These do look fabulous! White chocolate and cranberry were made for each other. Not sure why I have not seen a recipe for scones like this before. However, with all the recipe testing, I am sure these are a winner. Saving this recipe and thanks to you and your mom for posting this!
So happy you and your mom posted this! I just made scones yesterday (that I actually really liked), but I have an idea sort of bobbing around in my head and I’d like to try some different flavor combinations. Love that your mom has tried so many recipes and feels that this is a winner. I will certainly give it a try!
These scones look wonderful. I think the orange glaze would take them completely over the top! Thanks to your mom for an awesome Valentine’s Day post.
These look amazingly delicious! I will have to try them soon.
You two are totally amazing!! I am so glad I found your blog, you always put a smile on my face. I think it’s awesome that your guest poster is your Mom and on all days it’s Valentine’s Day of all days. A Mother’s love is the first love we find!
To cute! The scones look to die for!!!
Thanks so much, Jennifer!! We always appreciate your comments, and love your blog too :)
These look amazing! I love the cranberry/white chocolate combo and I love that this is your mum’s recipe. :.)
This made my morning!!! :) Love you, Mom. And your gf scones are also the best ever!
Anna has taken the liberty to add instructions in case you don’t have buttermilk. I left those out on purpose, knowing that when you make them you will never stop and buttermilk will become a regular item on your grocery list :) Thanks girls for the invitation to contribute to your great blog. Love you…but hope I never have to chew off my right, or left arm for you…although you know I would if I had to .:)