Strawberry Chocolate Scones

I am and probably always will be a romantic at heart. Many people may not initially think that upon meeting me, but deep down inside, I love the sweet, thoughtful gestures that can, in a sense, define the love and nature of a relationship between two people. Be they between lovers, friends, or family, gifts and gestures genuinely from the heart speak louder than words ever can.

Needless to say, I love Valentine's Day. I get all kinds of giddy inside as I start to plan how I will surprise all those who are near and dear to my heart. Chris's all-time favorite dessert is brownies... plain, simple, fudgy brownies. So, I planned to get up early Tuesday, make him a fresh batch of brownies after he left for work, and then deliver them to him on my way to work so he could have them to enjoy all to himself throughout the day. He beat me to it... He got a craving on Sunday night and decided to make his own. They were delicious, by the way, and I thoroughly enjoyed them!

Either way, that sent me back to the drawing board. I decided I would come up with something more breakfast-like to make fresh for him Tuesday morning to take to him at work. I had been wanting to try scones for some time, but for one reason or another, I had never got around to making them. I was excited to try something new, and I remembered seeing all kinds of amazing-sounding scone recipes on Annie's Eats during my food blog perusing. I took another peek and immediately knew that her Strawberry Yogurt Scones were the scones for me. I already had all of the ingredients, and it just so happens that strawberries are one of his favorite fruits.

I must say, I don't know why I had never tried making scones before, but I am SO glad I did. I really enjoyed the flavor, consistency, and ease of this recipe, and I look forward to experimenting more with my new-found breakfast food.

I did adapt this recipe ever so slightly, but all in all, the recipe is basically the same as what you find in the link above. I believe she mentions that her recipe originally came from Cooking Light, so that ought to clue you in, too, that these are a somewhat lighter recipe.

Strawberry Chocolate Scones 

- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup diced fresh strawberries
- 2/3 cup strawberry yogurt
- 3 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- cooking spray for pan
- more sugar for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine both flours, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine strawberries, yogurt, butter, orange peel, vanilla, and egg white. Mix into the dry ingredients, then add in chocolate chips. (This is some THICK dough- I just used my hands to knead everything together.)
3. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. If you have not already done so, knead the dough four times. Using your hands, pat into an 8" circle. Cut into 8 wedges and place onto baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle each wedge lightly with sugar, then bake 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Enjoy! These scones were so moist and flavorful- they were dense, yet still light and fluffy. The strawberry pieces and chocolate chips complimented each other perfectly without being overly sweet, and they added diverse elements to the overall texture. If you haven't ever given scones a try, I highly suggest that you do! I am pretty sure you will be seeing some more recipes coming from me in the future...

Grams' Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies are one of my favorite go-to treats for pretty much any holiday. They are fun, delicious, and can be so darn cute when you spend a little extra time with the frosting and sprinkles. One of my favorite childhood memories is helping my grandma bake sugar cookies (okay, well really bake ANYTHING), and then helping frost and decorate them, too. We did these mostly for Christmas, but she was also known to make them for Halloween and Valentine's Day on occasion, too. She was, by her very essence, the quintessential embodiment of everything that a grandma should be: warm, loving, full of good advice and wisdom, and ALWAYS baking or cooking something delicious for her family whom she adored. Between her, my fantastic mother, and my wonderful aunt, I had some of the most amazing women role models to look up to as I was growing up, and still to this day, they are pretty much everything I aspire to be as a mom and wifey now, a grandma someday, and an all-around good human being every other day of my life. So here is a little thank you to them! My grandma, my mom, and my aunt will always be three of my special valentines.

Grams' sugar cookies are practically famous. Anyone who has ever had them fell in love with them instantly, including me! I have made them quite a few times for coworkers and friends, as well as for holiday celebrations, and everyone always graciously and excitedly devours them. They are really just a very basic sugar cookie, but I think that my grams' addition of grated orange peel is what sets her cookies above the rest.

It may seem like sugar cookies are too much of a process- too much time and hassle to make the dough, roll it out, cut the shapes out, re-roll the dough, and so on, only to spend another good hour or two decorating the baked cookies, but in my opinion, it is totally worth every extra ounce of effort it requires. I mean, seriously, who doesn't love getting a sweetly decorated sugar cookie, knowing that the person who gave it to you spent that extra time making something special just for you? For me, at least, it really is "the thought that counts." I would rather get a homemade gift of any sort any day over something fancy and store-bought that I may never use. Gifts from the heart, people, that's where the love is at!

So here, make THIS recipe for someone special next week, and rest assured that they will be pleasantly satisfied with your homemade and delicious gift to them!

Can you tell these get used A LOT?!?!



Grams' Sugar Cookies

- 2/3 cup shortening (I like butter-flavored Crisco)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. grated orange peel (this can be fresh or from the spice section at the grocery store)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 4 tsp. milk

In my grandma's words: "Cream shortening & sugar. Add egg, beat until light & fluffy. Add vanilla, grated orange peel; mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture together w/milk. Roll dough 1/8" thick. Cut; put on greased cookie sheet; Bake in moderate oven (375) 12 min."

(She was so good at keeping it short and sweet! Maybe I have something to learn from her there....)

After the cookies are COMPLETELY cool, make the following icing recipe to frost the cookies.

Grams' Icing

- 2 cups powdered sugar
- dash salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tbsp. melted butter
- Milk

Mix together powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and melted butter, then add milk till you reach the desired consistency.

I, personally, like to lean more on the side of a thick frosting so it doesn't completely drip/run off the cookie once you start frosting it. Trust your instincts - you will know when it's right! And if you end up adding a little too much milk and it's too runny, just add in some more powdered sugar. This is pretty much a no-fail icing recipe.

Decorate the cookies to your liking! Sprinkles, candies, whatever floats your boat! Let the kids help, too. They will have a blast, even it means a little bit more extra clean-up time for you. :) Trust me when I say they will appreciate these kinds of things, now and much later down the road.

Simple. Perfection. Share some love...