Smiling from Ear to Ear!

Foodie Friday, and I am oh so very glad it is here - let me tell you.  I have been looking forward to this particular Friday due to the fact that the majority of my big projects came to an end yesterday at work, and this weekend one of my best friends, Alex, is coming into town to join a handful of us as we head out and partake in the annual Spring Release weekend in Walla Walla Valley wine country. 

So as a way of ringing in the weekend, I'm treating myself this morning to a lovely pastry, hot tea and Friday's Oregonian.  Very simple, I realize, but so often, while I want to do this for myself before I head to work, I always seem to never have enough time to actually do it.  Well, not today!

One of the frustrations I have come across living where I do is that melt-in-your-mouth pastries are hard to find, and what I have discovered is as long as I have a fail-safe recipe, why not make my own?  So, while I was living in Portland, I came across a simple, yet so very dependable scone recipe in the Oregonian's FOODday entitled "Wednesday Breakfast Scones".  Today, however, they are my "Friday" scones, and I'd love to share them with you.  By now, I know this recipe by heart, but I have dug out the original recipe, which I realized was printed in 2004 and now has flour here and there (actually almost everywhere), but it truly is my favorite simple scone recipe.

Whether the end of your week is today, or you are just getting to the middle of your work week, all you will need is ten minutes to mix this batter up and twenty-five minutes as you wait for the oven to do its job, and viola!  Warm, puffy scones begging to have honey or jam drizzled on them.

Then proceed to get cozy, whether it be in bed, at your kitchenette table, or at work.

Grab your favorite reading material, and forget about the time for a bit.  What a wonderful way to begin the bustling work day that is knocking at your door.

"Friday" Breakfast Scones

Ingredients:

-Yields - 8 scones

*3 cups all-purpose flour

*1 Tablespoon baking powder

*1/2 teaspoon baking soda

*1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling (divided)

*3/4 teaspoon salt

*3/4 cup cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into small cubes

*1 cup buttermilk

*zest of 2 medium lemons or to taste

*1 tablespoon whipping cream (optional)

KEY STEPS TO REMEMBER!!

*the butter must be cold - frozen preferably.  This is the key to light, fluffy scones.


*I have always mixed it by hand or with a large fork.  If you have a pastry cutter, this works well.  I find it adds I'm not sure what, but I love it. You'll notice the large chunks of butter in a few of my pictures - clearly I didn't use a food processor, but nonetheless, they always taste fantastic.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set aside an ungreased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/3 cup sugar and salt.  Process with 6 to 8 1-second pulses.  Remove the cover and distribute the butter over the dry ingredients.  Cover and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. 16 to 20 1-second pulses.

3. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.  Add the buttermilk and half the lemon zest; use a wooden spoon to stir until mixture begins to form a dough, about 30 seconds.

4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide into 2 equal balls.   Use a rolling pin (or hands) to lightly roll each ball into a circle about 7 inches in diameter.  

Sprinkle half of the remaining lemon zest over the circles, then fold each circle into a half circle. 

Sprinkle the remaining zest on top and use the rolling pin to lightly press the zest into the dough.  Cut each circle into 4 wedges. 

Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet.  If desired, glaze the scones by brushing with the 1 tablespoon cream and sprinkling with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

5. Bake until the scone tops are golden brown, 18-32 minutes.   Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes to firm.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bon appétit!  And I must send out a sincere thank you for the comments I have received this week.  I love catching up with readers I have been communicating with for awhile now, as well as getting to know new lovely readers as you have stopped by this week to say hello.  I hope each one of you has the weekend you've been looking for.

Images: (1)-Simply Luxurious (2) We Heart It (3) Source (4) Source

Lovely Decadence

Friday has arrived and with it hopefully something sweet for you to enjoy – a date, time to unwind and relax, a quick weekend getaway, spending time with family, or dressing up for a special gathering.  Rest assured, if you don’t know where your “sweet” is coming from this weekend, I have just that certain something for you.

After all, it is Foodie Friday, and while chocolate chip cookies seem to be the most favored of all cookies, I thought I’d share something different with you that takes it up a notch.  How does a decadent cookie with not two, not three, but four different chocolates sound to your ever weakening sweet tooth?

Last year, while flipping through The Oregonian, I came across this recipe in Tuesday’s FOODday section. It originates from Sara Perry’s cookbook Deep Dark Chocolate: Decadent Recipes for the Serious Chocolate Lover, and it immediately became one of my favorite cookies.  These particular cookies are so rich that I honestly can only have one, but one is enough because you will savor each lush bite of chocolate upon chocolate as it overwhelms your palate.


Chocolate Cookies With All the Chips

Ingredients

• ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ¾ cup white chocolate chips
• ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ t. baking soda
• ¼ t. salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 t. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave it ungreased.
2. In a small bowl, mix semisweet, white and milk chocolate chips, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
3. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Add brown and granulated sugars an beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla until blended.
4. On low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended, again scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat or fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
5. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake until set and the tops have lost their sheen, about 12 minutes. (Because the dough is dark, the first batch will be the key to when the cookies are done.)
6. Let the cookies firm and cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

You must be warned.  This is a special cookie.  Meant to be savored, relished and, if you’re feeling generous, shared with someone special. 

But you must have on hand either cold milk . . .

. . . or something warm.

To my readers, thank you for coming by.  Your comments this week have been very much enjoyed and seeing simple reactions to each posts says just as much. I hope each of you is able to find something sweet in your every day life.  Because if these treasures can be found, the extraordinary events will be all the more special. 

Images:  (1) We Heart It (2) We Heart It