White Chocolate Cranberry Scones
By Hklbrries
White Chocolate Cranberry Scones
From Nicholas St. Clair, Luna pastry chef. “This is my favorite scone recipe. Enjoy!”
The perfect recipe for holiday gift giving can be almost anything, as long as it comes from your kitchen – and from the heart. A favorite family recipe is a good place to start. A jar of jam or chutney canned when the fruits were at their peak is always welcome. A simple sugar cookie can look elegant with a dusting of sprinkles, especially if it’s tied up in a small bag with a pretty ribbon.
The treats don’t have to be expertly decorated. If you can wield a pastry bag like a pro, that’s perfect. But giving a child a zip-top sandwich bag full of frosting with a snipped corner works just as well. Let them have fun shaking seasonal nonpareils onto the cookies; they’re easy to clean up.
Include the recipe on the gift tag if you like, or at the very least, add a note about how your treat should be stored and when it’s best enjoyed
Ingredients
- 8 ounces all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 ounces granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, chilled
- 1 large egg, plus 1 egg white, reserved
- 2 ounces buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Combine dry ingredients, then sift. Chop butter into small pieces, mix with flour, then chill in freezer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine buttermilk, one egg, vanilla extract and lemon zest, and mix well. Pull dry ingredients out of the freezer. Break up butter into pea-size pieces with your fingers or a pastry blender, making sure to keep the butter cold. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix with hands or in a mixer (with paddle attachment) until almost combined. Add chocolate and cranberries until just combined. Move dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until the dough is moist, uniform and smooth, working as little as possible. Scoop scones with an ice cream scooper, and chill for 20 minutes. Blend egg white with a little water to make an egg wash, brush on scones and bake for 8 to 12 minutes.