Progressive Christmas Tea Party: Orange-Poppyseed Scones

While I love lemon, orange seems more like Christmas to me. Each year at Sunday School, every kid received a Christmas gift of a little box of candy and an orange. I always buy extra special oranges at Christmas and put one in the toe of my husband's stocking.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly flour heavy large baking sheet. Mix 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, poppy seeds, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in 2 teaspoons grated orange peel. Whisk egg and 2 tablespoons orange juice in medium bowl to blend. Add to flour mixture; stir just until blended.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; knead gently until smooth. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into 3/4-inch-thick round. Cut each round into 6 wedges.
Arrange wedges on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 12 scones.

Progressive Christmas Tea Party: Cherry Pistachio Scones

Don’t use the pistachio nuts in the red shell because they’ll bleed into the dough. Use the tan shell nuts.

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup butter
¾ cup dried cherries
½ cup chopped pistachio nuts
½ cup milk
1 egg, separated
4 teaspoons coarse white sugar

Heat oven to 375º. Line baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, mix flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and cinnamon. With pastry blender cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cherries and pistachios.

In small bowl, blend milk and egg yolk. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

On floured surface, gently knead dough several times. Divide dough in half; place on cookie sheet. Pat each half into 6-inch round. Cut each round into 6 wedges; do not separate. In small bowl, beat egg white, Brush tops of each round with egg white and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake 17-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Teacher Appreciation Tea: Apple Scones

Photo used under Creative Commons Licensing

Use a firm baking apple for these scones. Braeburn, Gala, Granny Smith and Haralson are all good choices. Soft or super juicy apples will add too much moisture to the recipe.

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
½ cup finely chopped, peeled apple
1 egg
½ cup whipping cream
½ teaspoon grated lemon peel
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat oven to 400º. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; mix well. With pastry blender or fork cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in apple.

Beat egg in small bowl. Stir in cream and lemon peel. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened.

On floured surface, gently knead dough 5 or 6 times. Place dough on cookie sheet; press to form 8-inch round, about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Separate wedges slightly.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.

In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and lemon juice; blend well. Drizzle warm scones with glaze. Yield: 8 scones

Going Green Tea Party: Blueberry Scones

To keep this recipe green, use only organic butter, sour cream and milk. Pick the blueberries yourself if they are growing in your area of the world.

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter, cold
1 cup fresh blueberries
½ cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Fold in blueberries. Combine sour cream and milk. Blend into blueberry mixture and mix lightly until dough masses together. Divide dough into two pieces. For each piece, turn dough onto floured surface and roll out or pat into a 6-inch circle. Cut into wedges. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

A Bridal Shower Tea: Dried Cherry Lemon Scones

2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup firm butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/3 to ½ cup buttermilk
½ cup dried cherries
Milk

Preheat oven to 425º. Mix flour, sugar, lemon peel, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process in butter until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add enough buttermilk so dough leaves the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Stir in cherries.

Drop about 1/3 cupfuls of dough about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush with milk. Sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 10 scones.

Cream of Tartar

This scone recipe calls for Cream of Tartar. Fortunately I had some in my cupboard this morning when I was mixing up the scones. I realized though that I had no idea what Cream of Tartar is. I turned to the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion for the answer. Here’s what they say: “Cream of Tartar is a natural ingredient, a fruit acid that accumulates on the inside of wine casks as the wine matures. It’s one of the ingredients that, along with baking soda, goes into baking powder. Cream of Tartar is often used to stabilize meringue, as its acid helps strengthen the proteins in the egg white, allowing them to trap more air as they’re beaten.”

Tea and Poetry Tea Party: Orange Scone Wedges with Cream Cheese Filling

Ode to the Orange
Pablo Neruda
...
May the light
of each day
be
orange-colored,
and the heart of humans,
piquant-sweet sections--
a spring
capable of preserving
the mysterious simplicity
of the Earth
and the impeccable unity
of an orange.


These scones come out so perfectly. With the cream cheese filling, there is no need for any toppings. That makes these scones perfect for the Tea and Poetry Tea Party.

Filling:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Scones:
1 ¾ cups flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons firm butter
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
¼ cup whipping cream
1 egg
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons coarse white sugar

Heat oven to 400º. Beat all filling ingredients with mixer until smooth; set aside.

In a bowl, combine flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in 1 tablespoon orange peel, whipping cream and 1 egg.

Place dough on lightly floured surface; gently roll in flour to coat. Knead lightly 10 times. Divide dough in half. Pat or roll each half into 9-inch round, about ¼ inch thick. Spread filling over half of each round.

Fold each dough round in half over filling. With sharp knife, cut each half round into 6 wedges. On ungreased cookie sheet, place wedges 1 inch apart. Brush tops with beaten egg; sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. 12 scones.

Winter White and Spring Green Tea Party: Frosty Apricot Scones

The scent of apricots baking in these scones perfumed my whole house yesterday. It smelled so good that my husband, dozing in his Lazy-Boy to watch the 13-hour pregame, actually got up and came to the kitchen. Scones—the new Super Bowl food!

3 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
1 cup dried apricots
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
¾ cup milk
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 450º. Combine sugar and apricots in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until apricots are in small pieces. (Use a floured knife if you don't have a food processor.) Add the rest of the dry ingredients.

Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the bowl. Process in pulses until the mixture has the appearance of fine cornmeal. Add lemon zest. (Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter if you don't have a food processor.)

Whisk the eggs and milk together. Add to the processor bowl and pulse just enough to combine.

Dump dough out on well-floured surface. Knead a few times, adding more flour as necessary. Pat or roll the dough to about 1” thickness. Cut into circles with pastry cutter. Place on parchment paper on cookie sheet or grease the sheet.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on rack. Mix the confectioners’ sugar and milk to form a glaze, adding more milk if the mixture is too thick or more sugar if it is too thin. After the scones have cooled, drizzle with the glaze.

A Christmas Tea: Gingerbread Scones

Gingerbread always says Christmas to me. This year I'm giving these scones, along with jars of lemon curd, as little tea gifts.

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter
1 beaten egg yolk
1/3 cup molasses
¼ cup milk
1 slightly beaten egg white

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

Stir together egg yolk, molasses and milk in a small bowl. Add all at once to center of the flour mixture. Stir with a fork till combined.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough for 10-12 strokes till nearly smooth. Pat or lightly roll dough into a 7-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange wedges about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with egg white.

Bake in a 400º oven for 12-15 minutes or till light brown. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Halloween/Harvest Tea: Pumpkin Scones

Here’s an alternative to the Maple-Nut Scones posted yesterday. This recipe uses some whole wheat flour and applesauce helps to keep the scones moist and sweet. If you like, you can add 1/3 cup dried cranberries and 1/3 cup chopped walnuts along with the applesauce.

1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ cup butter, cut up
½ cup canned pumpkin
½ cup applesauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Stir together flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter till mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add pumpkin and applesauce and stir just until moistened.

Transfer dough to a greased cookie sheet. Use floured hands to pat dough into an 8” circle. Use a long knife to cut the dough into eight wedges, but do not separate the wedges. Sprinkle dough with brown sugar.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or till browned. Cool slightly; cut into wedges.

Halloween/Harvest Tea: Maple-Nut Scones

Topping:
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped nuts
2 tablespoons cold butter

Scones:
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter
½ cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg
About 2 tablespoons milk
Additional milk

Heat oven to 400º. In small bowl, mix the topping, 3 tablespoons flour, the sugar and 2 tablespoons nuts. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter using pastry blender or fork, until crumbly; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix 2 cups flour, the brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in ½ cup butter, using pastry blender until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in ½ cup nuts. Stir in maple syrup, egg and just enough of the 2 tablespoons milk so dough leaves side of bowl and starts to form a ball.

Place dough on lightly floured surface; gently roll in flour to coat. Knead lightly about 10 times. Pat or roll into flat 8” square. Cut with 2 ½” biscuit cutter and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Reroll scraps. Brush with additional milk. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Immediately remove from the cookie sheet. Makes about 8 scones.

Ivy and Lace Tea: Pineapple, Coconut and Macadamia Scones

I’m always eager to try any scone recipe. When I saw that this one was made with Bisquick, I wasn’t so sure how good it would be. Was I ever surprised! These scones have a great taste; all of the elements shine through individually and the background flavor is a perfect compliment.

I hate to admit this but I had a problem figuring out how to cut the scones to make 12. This is obvious from the photo. Geometry was never my strong suit. Cut the dough into thirds vertically and then in half horizontally. Then cut each of those sections into triangles. So simple after my husband showed me. You might want to draw it on a piece of paper before the scone dough is in front of you.

2 ½ cups Bisquick
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup cold butter
½ cup flaked coconut
½ cup macadamia nuts, chopped
¼ cup whipping cream
1 egg
1 can (8 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained

Heat oven to 425º. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In the bowl of a food processor, mix Bisquick, sugar and butter. Combine well. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until just combined. (You can do all this by hand if you don’t want to use the food processor.)

Pat dough out on the prepared pan into a 10” x 7” rectangle. Cut into 12 triangles but do not separate.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Separate scones and serve warm.

The Firefly Tea: White Cheddar and Chive Scones

These are the best savory scones I make. They taste a bit like Red Lobster’s Cheese Biscuits, only these are lighter, more delicate. The dough is a big sticky mess so put down a generous amount of flour before dumping it out. Flour your hands and the cutter too.

2 cups self-rising flour
½ cup butter
¼ cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
1/8 cup fresh chopped chives
½ cup buttermilk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350º. With your food processor or a pastry blender, cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cheese and chives. Whisk together egg and buttermilk. Add to flour mixture. Stir enough to combine ingredients loosely.

Pour out onto floured surface and pat together in a circle to about ½ inch thick. Cut with a round biscuit cutter and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes only 8-10 scones so make several batches in order to have one scone per person. Serve with Chive Butter.

Chive Butter

1 stick of butter, softened
2 Tablespoons chives, chopped

Combine with a fork or whirl in the food processor. For a butter log, put the chive butter onto plastic wrap and form into a log. Refrigerate. Cut pretty round pats to serve. OR simply put the chive butter in a pretty container and refrigerate until ready to use.

The Second Course: Raisin Scones

4 ½ cups flour and some for dusting
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, cold, cut into pieces
1 cup raisins
2 ¼ cups heavy cream, divided
1 large egg yolk
Sugar for sprinkling on top

In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With a pastry blender cut in the butter until mixture resembles cornmeal. Fold in raisins. Pour 2 cups of cream into the flour. Using your hands, mix until the dough just comes together.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Press the dough into an 11 x 7-inch rectangle, 1 inch thick. Cut the rectangle into 16 triangles. Place the triangles onto parchment-lined sheets, cover with plastic and freeze for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 375º. Mix the egg yolk with the remaining ¼ cup cream and brush over the tops of the scones. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

The Scones Course

These scones are great with Devonshire Cream and fruit preserves. I'm using my own peach preserves but you can make or purchase whatever you like best. Scones can be made up to two weeks ahead and frozen. To reheat, thaw and bake in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes just before serving.


Cream Scones

3 cups flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
¾ cup heavy cream
Extra cream for washing
Cinnamon sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 450º. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces. Add to the food processor and pulse several times to mix until well incorporated. Whisk the eggs and milk together, add to the flour and pulse to form a smooth dough.

Divide the dough into 3 pieces and using your hands, pat each into a 5-inch disk. Using a sharp, floured knife, cut each disk into 4 pie shaped wedges. Place the wedges apart on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Brush with cream, allow to dry several minutes, then brush again. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar.

Bake the scones for 10-15 minutes.