Hellobee

With the holidays just around the corner, I often find myself digging through the pantry for treats to serve surprise guests. Nothing fancy, but it’s nice to have a little something to go with a cup of coffee. Around Christmas, I can usually rustle up some frozen cookies, but in a dream world, the treats I serve would be fresh from the oven.

When I worked at a bakery years ago, I developed a scone recipe that has been a stand-by in my repertoire. There are two great things about this recipe. First, you can make a big batch of dough ahead of time and freeze the unbaked scones – that way, you just need to pop half a dozen in the oven for 15 minutes when company shows up at your door unannounced. Second, since it is a ‘base’ recipe, you can mix in just about anything. One dough can turn into an unlimited number of scone flavors, and you can play around until you find the perfect combination.

Anything Scones (makes 12-15 scones)

2 cups flour (you can use a combination of white and whole wheat if you like)
1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup white sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk (or milk alternative)
approx. 1 cup ‘add ins’

In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs (bigger chunks of butter are okay). In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk, and stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Divide dough if you are making two flavours, otherwise, stir in mix-in ingredients. Scoop the scones (about 2 tbsp at a time) onto a cookie sheet. You can either bake these right away for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, or freeze them until solid, then transfer to a Ziploc freezer bag. The frozen scones bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Add-ins that I like:
Raspberries and white chocolate chips
Apples, cinnamon and nutmeg
Bacon and cheddar cheese
Bacon and maple syrup (add 1 tsp flour for 1 tsp maple syrup)
Blueberries and lemon zest
Raisins, currants, or dried cranberries