Coconut and Cranberry Scones

Today I made Coconut and Cranberry Scones. 

Some mornings it's difficult to face the same old bowl of cereal or plain toast, you need a little something special. These little beauties are perfect for those exact mornings. I normally make these guys on a lazy Sunday morning. They also freeze perfectly so you can freeze some of them in a little plastic container and have them in the freezer for mid-week morning emergencies. Most places I go for coffee are limited to just plain or raisin scones which can become tedious when you go for coffee as often as my family does. A number of years ago I started playing around with making scones myself. The regular plain and raisin scones started to bore me. So I started to play around with different ingredients.

These scones are made with a basic scone recipe spiked with Lemon and Lime zest and packed full of Dried Cranberries, Grated White Belgian Chocolate and Desiccated Coconut. The Lemon and Lime Zest really lifts what could be a heavy and boring scone dough. You don't need much sugar in this recipe as the White Chocolate and Dried Cranberries add to the sweetness. The coconut really gives a great texture to the scones. These scones cook out with a crisp and crunchy outside and a marshmallow-y softness on the inside.An extra bonus to these scones, your house will smell like a bakery for the whole day. 

 Ingredients:

(Makes 12)

• 375g All Purpose Flour
• 125g Unsalted Butter
• 70g Sugar
• 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 eggs - Room Temperature
• 120mls Milk
• 100g Dried Cranberries
• 100g Desiccated Coconut
• 60g Grated White Chocolate
• Zest 1 Lemon
• Zest 1 Lime

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment or silicone mats.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add in the pinch of salt and the sugar and mix. Make a well in the center of the flour and add in the egg. Whisk in one egg and half the milk and work it through, add in enough milk to bring the mixture into a ball of dough. 

3. Add in the Desiccated Coconut, Grated White Chocolate and Dried Cranberries and work in with your hands until everything is mixed together.

4. When it is brought together turn out on to a floured surface. Work the dough a little so it looks smooth and has no cracks.

5. On your floured surface roll out the mixture till it's 11/2 inches in thickness. Using a cookie cutter cut out your scone shapes. When you have gotten as many out of your dough rework the dough back into a ball and roll out again repeat till you have used all dough. 

6. Place scones onto your baking sheets. Whisk the other egg and brush the top of each scone with the beaten egg. I normally like to sprinkle a little Golden Brown Sugar for an added crunch.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 till golden brown. You can check if the inside of the scones are cooked like you would check if bread is cooked, by turning one scone over and tapping the bottom of it. If it sounds hollow then they are cooked.

8. Leave to cool on the baking trays for 7/8 minutes then transfer to a wire wrack. Serve warm with topping of choice, I like just pure strawberry jam, or jam and cream.

"You'll go Coco-nuts over these"

Chewy Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Today I made Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

These cookies like my "Chocolate Chip Cookies" are melt in the mouth. Having problems making your cookies super soft, thick and chewy is a thing of the past. The addition of Cornstarch to your cookies dough is the answer to all your Cookie Woes. Think about it, Cornstarch is often used to thicken sauces and soups, it only makes sense it would do the same to Cookies. The lack of high levels of Gluten will mean the texture of your cookies and cakes are much lighter. The most important thing about these cookies is the Baking Time. Take the cookies out of the oven after 8/9 minutes, I normally don't leave the kitchen while they are baking as one or two minutes over and the cookies will lose the texture you're looking for. The cookies will appear soft and underdone when you take them out but they will continue to cook for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheets. I normally leave them rest of the baking sheets for 8 minutes so they can firm up slightly and start to cool down before moving them to a wire wrack.

There are certain food combinations that are just meant to be and White Chocolate and Cranberries are definitely one of them. Those tangy little berries are truly the soul mates of sweet, creamy White Chocolate. It's a spin off of the typical Sweet'n'Sour combination that we are so familiar with. Each bite hits you with a zingy burst as you bite down on a Cranberry then you are soothed by the sweetness of the White Chocolate. White Chocolate is my favourite add-in to nearly all of my baked goods but especially in cookie Recipes. Cranberries not only add a great texture and flavour but also a burst of colour. I always think of Cranberries as the pretty sister in the dried fruit family. Ardkeen Quality Food Store have an impressive Dried fruit and Nuts section including dried Cranberries, Raisins, Sultanas, Crystalised Ginger and a wide variety of different nuts which feature a lot in my baking.

Ingredients:

(Makes 24) 

• 170g Unsalted Butter
• 150g Light Brown Sugar
• 50g Granulated Sugar
• 1 Large Egg - At room temperature
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence 
• 250g All purpose Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 100g Dried Cranberries
• 100g Callebaut White Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with baking parchment or silicone baking 

mats.

2. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugars together, you can do this by hand with a spatula or whisk or with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla and mix again.

3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when needed. When the egg and vanilla are incorporated you can start to add in the flour, Cornstarch and Baking Soda. I normally put all the dry goods into a sieve together so everything gets incorporated evenly. 

4. Stir in the white chocolate chips and Cranberries. I normally add in half of each first and work that in before adding the remainder. Try to evenly disperse the White Chocolate and Cranberries so that every cookie will get little of everything. 

5. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least half an hour, the dough can also be chilled for up to three days in case you need to make it ahead of time. 

6. When the dough is chilled, take out of the fridge. Take up about 11/2 teaspoons of the cookie dough and roll into a ball in your hands. Place the balls of dough on the baking trays with a 1 inch gap in between them. Press down slightly on each to flatten the top and bottom. 

7. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to go golden brown around the edges. I really recommend not cooking any longer than 9 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire wrack.

"Chocolate Doesn't ask questions. Chocolate understands."