baking | Leisure Lane

My Elsie’s Rose Water Scones, which are featured in my book, “River Runs Deep: a love story”, are one of my most viewed posts. Since we’re in autumn, I’d like to give you an autumn/winter rendition to enjoy with friends and family. Cranberry Scones! I hope you try them!

If you’d like to make these easy and delicious scones, here’s the cranberry rendition of Elsie’s Rose Water Scones.

Cranberry Scones
Makes 8

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
½ Tblsp baking powder
¼ cup granulated sugar
4 Tblsp cold butter, cut in chunks
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup of fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained.
1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F

*In a medium size bowl add flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar and mix well.
*Add butter and blend with a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly.
*Add vanilla extract to milk and pour liquid into dry mixture. Stir gently a few strokes with a spoon, add cranberries (and nuts if desired) and continue to gently stir until blended and dough forms. The fewer strokes the better.
*Knead gently 2 or 3 times to form a solid ball. Use a little flour if dough seems sticky.
*Place dough on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper lined cookie sheet and use fingers to pat into a circular shape 1- inch thick. Cut circle into 8 wedges and slightly separate leaving some space between the wedges.

*Bake for 12-15 minutes until they begin to lightly brown.

*Ice or drizzle with glaze.

Recipe may be doubled, if desired.

Glaze
Ingredients:

*1/8 cup of confectioner’s sugar
*1 tsp. vanilla extract (or any flavor you desire to compliment cranberries
*¼ tsp. vanilla extract
*1 tsp water or enough make a nice drizzle or smooth glaze.

Directions:

Place sugar into a small bowl. Add extract and water. Stir until glaze is a loose consistency. You may add more water to get the proper consistency. May be drizzled onto scones or spread on top of scones to thinly cover tops.

Enjoy with hot tea or coffee and a friend!

Note: Scones are best used the day they’re made. But, I promise, you will not have any left over. If you do have any left over, you may store them in an airtight container for one more day.

Here’s a tip: When the fresh organic cranberries arrive in the grocery stores, I pick up a few bags and freeze them. Then I have some on hand for scones, muffins, or delicious homemade cranberry sauce (sweetened with maple syrup) on hand throughout the year. If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Until next time…

May happy days abound!

Marianne
author

Bringing Homemade Chocolate Syrup To a Higher Power

Welcome to Leisure Lane today. I hope you’re up for a chocolatey treat.

Yesterday, on Pinterest, I discovered a wonderful 5-ingredient recipe for homemade chocolate syrup. You can find the recipe here. It’s super easy to make, which is why I wasted no time in making my batch, and you can use it on anything – even peanut butter and chocolate syrup sandwiches, which my son ate almost everyday throughout his elementary school years (he never liked jelly). Back then I had to drizzle that store bought stuff with high sugar and who knows what else, but today there are some wonderful alternatives.

Making it yourself takes very little time.

I followed the recipe, but thought it called for way more sugar than I desire, so I used only half of a cup of sugar in the raw. I plan on experimenting with maple syrup, honey and the sugar in the raw. I don’t need things to be too sweet. That’s what I like about making things from scratch; I can always adjust the sugar content and play with the ingredients.

The recipe instructs you to boil the first 4 ingredients for 4 minutes. As you’re boiling the ingredients it may seem lumpy for a while, but keep stirring with the boil and by the time it’s done, it will be very smooth – I promise. Because I used less sugar it made less than the 3 cups recipe claim – mine was about 1-1/2 cups, the same measurement as the water.

I then brought this delightful Chocolate Syrup to a higher power by heating it up with milk to make a yummy-licious and healthy spice drink, as follows:

1. Begin to heat a cup of milk in a saucepan on medium-low.
2. Add as much of the chocolatey goodness as you desire.
3. Add 1/8 tsp. each of ground…cinnamon, ginger, allspice, turmeric, two dashes of ground cloves, and a dash of black pepper.
4. Keep stirring until it’s heated through to your liking and ENJOY!

I stored mine in a reusable glass, cleaned and sterilized, maple syrup bottle. Perfect and Pretty!

If you love chocolate syrup, then I hope you try this recipe. Let me know how it turns out and what exciting and yummy thing you used it for. I will confess, I ate some with a spoon – 😉 – couldn’t resist!

Thank you for strolling by the lane. Find time to create, imagine lovely things, speak lovely words, and…

Until next time, may happy days abound!

Marianne
Author