The Quarantine Continues
Things are getting a little more intense with this Covid-19 virus. By the time you read this, our county will be under a stay-at-home order. Generally, this just means more caution and limiting leaving the house to necessary supply runs, etc.
However, like most areas now, our supply chain is experiencing challenges. If you can find what you need in the stores, you are likely to find limits on how many of these items you can bring home.
To try to avoid some of the craziness, I placed an order through Instacart for the first time ever. I ordered from Wegmans, one of my new favorite stores. I chose them because not only do I love many of their store brand items, I love that they have chosen to increase their workers’ salaries during this pandemic.
As I type this, I am getting live updates from my personal shopper as he shops through the store. If you wish to try Instacart for the first time, now is a great time. The delivery fee in my area is $3.99, and there is a $2.00 service fee. A small tip is added to your order for the shopper, but you can increase it if you wish. I added more tip, as I think these times call for it. All in all, I paid between $10 to $12 more for some other brave soul to shop for me. Well worth it, if you ask me.
One of the items I love from Wegmans is their store brand chocolate chips. We go through a LOT of chocolate chips between smoothies, cookies and the like. They carry a 32 oz. bag for $5.49. Not too shabby for good quality chocolate.
We generally cook at home a lot anyway, but something about knowing we have to work with what we have on hand just adds another level of challenge right now. Many other food bloggers are sharing recipes for pantry staples, beans, rice, etc. But I thought I would use this time to learn some new things.
I used some of those chocolate chips (which ARE a pantry staple for me) to make scones for the first time and I thought I would share that recipe with you.
I like scones in general, but I prefer ones that are not too dense and not too dry. I like them beside my coffee, not dunked in my coffee. So I analyzed some recipes and selected one I thought looked promising.
Scones really are something you can make with pantry staples, depending on what you wish to use to flavor them. Using flour, a little bit of sugar, buttermilk and butter, making scones is a lot like making biscuits. The secret is cold butter and being sure to not overwork the dough.
I combined some ideas from a couple of recipes I found. One recipe added espresso to the dough to bring out the chocolate flavor even more. What’s not to like about that? Another recipe used a delicious maple butter glaze that was tempting. Sadly, that required 1/2 a pound of butter and butter is a scarce commodity right now, so I decided to create my own glaze emphasizing the coffee flavor.
Adding a touch of instant coffee to the dough as well as the glaze adds a nice, subtle hint of espresso. This recipe makes fluffy, tender scones that are so good served when the chocolate is still melty.
I admittedly have some work to do on cutting perfect triangular shapes, but they taste so good it doesn’t matter.
Please share with me any cooking adventures you have had recently. We will get through this together and we may learn to be better home cooks while we’re at it!
AuthorMelissa JoyDifficultyBeginnerPreheat the oven to 425ºF.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and instant coffee. Set aside.
Chop the frozen butter into cubes and add to the dry ingredients. If you have a pastry cutter, use this to cut in the butter until the mixture is like rough sand and the butter is pebble-sized. If you do not have a pastry cutter, you can do this with your hands, but try not to overwork the dough.
Mix in the chocolate chips.
Reserve one tablespoon of the buttermilk mixture, and pour the rest into the flour bowl, along with the vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, mix until dough just begins to form.
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times to fully combine and form into a circle of dough.
Press out in a round circle that is about 3/4 inches thick and then cut into 12 triangles.
Lay out the scones on a baking sheet and brush the tops of the scones with the reserved buttermilk mixture.
Bake for 11 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned and the tops are just beginning to brown.
Set the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the glaze.
In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and instant coffee.
Add the vanilla and half & half and mix until the glaze is smooth.
Drizzle each scone with the glaze and enjoy! While they are best fresh, you may store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Heat them in a microwave for 8 seconds to soften them back up.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and instant coffee. Set aside.
Chop the frozen butter into cubes and add to the dry ingredients. If you have a pastry cutter, use this to cut in the butter until the mixture is like rough sand and the butter is pebble-sized. If you do not have a pastry cutter, you can do this with your hands, but try not to overwork the dough.
Mix in the chocolate chips.
Reserve one tablespoon of the buttermilk mixture, and pour the rest into the flour bowl, along with the vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, mix until dough just begins to form.
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times to fully combine and form into a circle of dough.
Press out in a round circle that is about 3/4 inches thick and then cut into 12 triangles.
Lay out the scones on a baking sheet and brush the tops of the scones with the reserved buttermilk mixture.
Bake for 11 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned and the tops are just beginning to brown.
Set the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the glaze.
In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and instant coffee.
Add the vanilla and half & half and mix until the glaze is smooth.
Drizzle each scone with the glaze and enjoy! While they are best fresh, you may store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Heat them in a microwave for 8 seconds to soften them back up.
* Recipe adapted from www.realhousemoms.com
2 Comments
Kellie
A substitute for buttermilk can be 1 cop of milk with 1 tsp vinegar to sour it. We had to use this overseas when there was no buttermilk.
admin
Excellent tip, Kellie, thanks!