I can be quite fickle at times. In early December last year, I was at my hairdressers sitting under the drier reading a book called ‘The Measure’. One of the characters was at a social gathering where walnut-cranberry scones were being eaten. My first thought was I need to make those scones! Totally random but also partially motivated by the fact that I had bag of dried cranberries that need using up. I paused my reading, switched apps, searched for a recipe and by the time left the building with my newly styled hair, I had a plan of action.
However…
After all that excitement…
I was not best pleased with my results!
Firstly I burnt the first batch (I was engrossed in watching ‘Leave The World Behind’ which had just been released at that time).
Secondly I found the dough more sticky than I am used to and it felt so messy to handle. I didn’t like it!
Thirdly the second batch was too dry. While the taste was actually quite nice the texture was just too crumbly in all the wrong ways. I have the experience and expectation that a scone should be firm but soft inside with an ever so light crunch on the outside. This was nothing quite like that.
Nevertheless they were still acceptably edible and made for some lovely breakfasts and afternoon snacks while working from home.
In the meantime, I will go back to the recipe books, reflect on my baking errors and think about what version two might look like. I still have a big bag of Costco craisins to put out of their misery.
I don’t think I could let you go without briefly touching on the book that inspired this baking adventure.
* Spoiler alert 🚨* of sorts…
‘The Measure’ by Nikki Erlick is a novel that starts with the arrival of boxes at the homes of adults [over 21 years of age]. In these boxes contain strings whose length is an accurate determination of the rest of one’s life. The book then explores what individuals and society did with that information, the impact it had on their behaviours thoughts and feelings.
I loved the beginning and the middle of the story, I was fascinated and gripped with the unfolding plots and twists. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the ending. I don’t know why, because the ending wasn’t a bad one. Maybe I wanted more drama. Regardless of my thoughts about the ending, I loved the fact that it gave me a timely opportunity for me to re-evaluate my life and my choices given I was reading it around the time of my car accident.
My favourite line of the book
The beginning and the end may have been chosen for us, the string already spun, but the middle had always been left underdetermined to be woven and shaped by us.
Nikki Elrick, ‘The Measure’
It just drove home to me that I should not waste a single day. Not a single day…
And no, I wouldn’t open my box 📦
If you want to make these scones the recipe and instructions are below. If you make them less dry than I did and they come out buttery and dense as the author intended, let me know your secret!
Ingredients
10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter
2½ cups (325 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup (108 g) packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons (22g) baking powder
½ teaspoon dried ginger
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
¼ cup (50 ml) whole milk, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (90 g) dried cranberries
½ cup (50g) chopped walnuts
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Position your oven rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the butter into ½-inch (1.5 cm) cubes and place in a freezer for 3 minutes, while you prep the dry ingredients.
Place the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, dried ginger, and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with and S-blade. Pulse for 8 seconds to mix.
Add the butter to the flour and pulse for about 15 seconds, until there are no large chunks of butter, and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork to break up the yolks. Add the milk and vanilla extract, and mix. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts.
Make a small well in the middle of the flour mixture, and pour in the egg mixture.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, work slowly from the sides of the bowl toward the middle. Lightly stir and toss, mixing the flour mixture with the wet ingredients.
Dump the mixture on a clean surface and knead lightly with your hands, about 10 times, to bring it all together into a ball. Press down with the palm of your hands to form an 11-inch (28 cm) diameter disc, about 1¼ -inch (3 cm) thick.
Cut the disc into 8 equal triangles with a knife.
Transfer the scones onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between them. Brush the tops lightly with milk.
Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
BUTTER: You can use salted butter and skip adding the salt.
MILK: You can use heavy cream, half/half or unsweetened almond milk instead of the whole milk.
NO FOOD PROCESSOR? If you don’t have a food processor, you can use two table knives to incorporate the butter into the flour. Cross the knives in the middle like scissors, and pull them away from each other. Keep moving the knives throughout the mixture until all the butter is cut into smaller, pea-size pieces. There’s also a great tool called dough blender that can be used.
SPICE SUBSTITUTIONS: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and/or 1 teaspoon of cardamom.
FRUIT SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use a mixture of chopped dried apricots, dried blueberries, raisins and/or shredded unsweetened coconut. Make sure to stick to the recipe measurements though.
NUTS SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use chopped pecans and/or hazelnuts. I also love using chopped, slivered or sliced almonds. Make sure to stick to the recipe measurements though.
SCONES SHAPE: Feel free to form the dough into a large rectangle or square, and cut into squares. Use a 2-inch (5 cm) round cookie cutter dipped into flour to create round shapes. Gather the scraps, reshape and repeat.
STORAGE: Scones taste their best on the day you make them, but will last up to 3 days in a covered container – reheat them in the oven for 5 minutes at 320 F (160 C) or in a microwave for 15 seconds.
FREEZE: Wrap tightly in plastic bag and store for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature an reheat in the oven (see above).
