Can you believe that before I made these, I’d never had a scone in my life. Which is pretty lame considering a majority of the blood running through my veins is Scottish and English. When given he opportunity I always go for the muffin, or the doughnut – and pass over the scones without a second glance.

I was watching an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” last weekend, a show which every time I watch it, I swear I’ll never watch it again – because after every episode I have a list of things that I need to make, like – right now! Anyway, this guy was on there making nectarine scones that looked absolutely fabulous. It made me sad that I’d never had one! So, I decided then and there to make them for breakfast on Sunday morning.

A few weeks ago, Brookside Chocolate contacted me asking if I’d be interested in trying some of their products. Free chocolate? Well, that’s a no-brainer! They sent along the nicest little kit that included three bags (Blueberry with Acai, Pomegranate, and Raspberry with Goji) of their chocolate covered fruit juice pieces. Which, I promptly devoured most of. They’re so good. The fruit pieces inside are just sweet enough to really let the flavors in the chocolate come through. The chocolate is high quality too, just as rich and smooth as can be. I had pulled a recipe for blueberry white chocolate scones, but thought adding some of the dark chocolate blueberry-acai pieces would be fun! So, that’s what I did.

I’m proud to announce that I am now a scone fan! I’d say the best way to describe them is halfway between a cake and a biscuit. Fluffy, and creamy – studded with delicious blueberries and chocolate. I honestly can’t think of a better way to start the day! Oh wait, maybe I can – the good people at Brookside have offered to give away a tasting kit to one of my fine readers! It includes:

1 pkg. Brookside Dark Chocolate Pomegranate
1 pkg. Brookside Dark Chocolate Açai with Blueberry
1 pkg. Brookside Dark Chocolate Goji with Raspberry
Crate & Barrel 3-part server with central loop handle
Crate & Barrel stainless steel cheese server
Crate & Barrel porcelain cheese board
2 stemless wine glasses
Grocery gift card ($30)
Gaiam exercise headband
1 year subscription to Fitness Magazine

All you need to do is leave one comment telling me which flavor you’re most looking forward to trying! Contest runs through next Thursday (2/7) at 12 PM EST. Winner will be chosen using a random number generator.

Congratulations to Meryl, with entry 37! She’s looking forward to trying the Dark Chocolate Pomegranate. Thanks to Brookside for sponsoring such a great giveaway!

 Print

Blueberry Chocolate Scones

2 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup Brookside dark chocolate blueberry acai pieces, chopped
3/4 cup buttermilk + 2 Tbsp
2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Mix on low to combine. Add the butter, and mix on low speed until the butter pieces are the size of a dime.

Slowly add in 3/4 cup buttermilk and mix until it forms a stiff dough. Add in the blueberries and chopped chocolate, and mix until just combined.

Turn out dough to a floured work surface and pat down to a 9×9 inch square. Cut dough into thirds. Then, cut each third into three triangles and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the 2 Tbsp of buttermilk, then dust it with sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until starting to brown on the edges. Serve warm with butter or honey.

Source: adapted from Food.com (user Just Call Me Martha)

Last year when Meyer lemons turned up in my local grocery store, I might as well have done back-flips right there in the produce department. The previous year, I’d driven 2 hours to go to the nearest Whole Foods – mainly to find these little beauties. I do that occasionally, take a trip up to the “fancy” grocery stores to stock up on things that I can’t find here. What can I say? I’m a crazy foodie.

Meyer lemons are a cross between a standard Eureka lemon and a mandarin orange. Thin skinned, and a gorgeous rich yellow color. They originated in China, and were brought to our country in 1908 by an agricultural explorer, Frank Meyer, who was an employee of the US Department of Agriculture. Their popularity surged in the 1990’s when they became popular in the California cuisine front, and then gained more notoriety from Martha Stewart – who used them in virtually everything from spaghetti to ice cream.

And, I love using them just as much as Martha. From a glass of lemonade, to shrimp scampi, lemon bars, and even a simple pound cake with glaze. I love pound cakes, they take virtually no time to put together. And, they’re great for breakfast in the morning – or a sweet treat later at night. The flavor of the lemon really shines through in this cake, from the addition of the zest to the cake batter. The glaze is delicious, with just enough of a pucker from the lemon juice. If you’re fortunate enough to find these little beauties in your grocery store, do yourself a favor and pick up a bag. They really are wonderful!

 Print

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

For the pound cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest
1 cup granulated sugar plus 2 additional tablespoons
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten

For the syrup:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk the sour cream and lemon juice together in a small measuring cup.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the lemon zest and sugar. Rub together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter to the bowl and beat the butter/sugar mixture on medium speed until very pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the eggs in 3 additions, beating well after each addition until the mixture is smooth (stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary). With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the sour cream mixture in 2 additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Once all the ingredients have been added, scrape down the bowl then beat on low for another 30 seconds to fully combine. Use a rubber spatula to make sure the batter in the very bottom of the bowl is uniform.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the top then tap the pan on your work surface to release air bubbles. Bake the cake for 55-65 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted near the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then turn it out.

While the cake is in the oven, make the syrup. Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Once you’ve turned the cake out of the pan (cake will still be warm), brush the top and sides with the lemon syrup. It seems like a lot of syrup, but make sure to use it all. Let the cake cool completely, about 2 hours.

To make the glaze: Combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake, covering completely. Let the glaze set for at least 15 minutes before serving.

This cake keeps well. Store at room temperature tightly wrapped for up to 5 days, or freeze (unglazed) for up to 1 month.

Souce: Cook’s Country, April/May 2006 via Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

In the past couple weeks, I’ve seen fresh cranberries popping up in my neighborhood grocery stores. I love fresh cranberries – their color, their tarntness, stringing them with popcorn to make tree garland! I couldn’t resist picking up a couple bags.

Cranberry and orange has always been one of my favorite flavor combinations. So, I thought it would be fun to incorporate those into a muffin. Muffins are one of our favorite go-to breaksfast item around here.

With the morning rush of getting the boys up and dressed, lunches made, and Drew off to school – something that we can just grab and go with is a sheer savior sometimes. I think these would be a great easy treat to have on Thanksgiving morning as well. Enough to fill you up, but light enough to leave plenty of room for an early dinner!

 Print

Cranberry Orange Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
zest from 1 orange
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cranberries, coarsley chopped

For streusel topping:
3 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.

To make the streusel topping, combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix to combine. Using two forks, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in sliced almonds.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

In another bowl combine egg, milk, zest, orange juice, vanilla, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir to combine until just moistened, batter should be lumpy. Fold in cranberries.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Sprinkle streusel topping over muffin batter in cups. Bake in preheated oven, for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes before removing.

Makes 12 muffins

Source: adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook