christmas pudding scones
Recipe Developed by Charlotte White
An ideal solution to your winter afternoon tea cravings, these Christmas Pudding Scones are packed full of festive flavours. They are quick and easy to make from many staple ingredients of a well-stocked festive baking cupboard!
Prep:
20 mins
Cook:
15 mins
Serves:
12
method:
Preheated oven 220⁰C / 425⁰F / Gas Mark 7
1
Sift the flour, salt, and raising agents into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and spices.
2
Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you can see no more lumps of butter and the mixture looks even and sandy.
3
Stir the California Raisins, cherries, peel, and almonds through the mix with your hand and create a well in the middle of the ingredients.
4
Pour buttermilk into the well that you have just made and dollop in the treacle. Form your hand into a claw shape and use this to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until a dough starts to form. The treacle will make this a sticky dough.
5
Once you have a lump of dough, tip out onto a floured worksurface, and knead gently for a moment until it can be rolled out ½ inch thick.
6
Cut 12 scones from your dough with a 7cm cookie cutter and place spread evenly apart on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.
7
Brush the top of each scone with a little milk and bake in a pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden. These scones can be enjoyed as soon as they are cool enough to handle! Top with Apricot Brandy Butter for the perfect festive teatime treat.
Apricot Brandy Butter
1
Beat the butter until pale and creamy.
2
Add sugar and 4tbsp of apricot brandy and beat until light and fluffy. A free-standing mixer makes this job a breeze.
3
You may wish to add more apricot brandy. The aim is to be able to taste the brandy and feel the warmth of the alcohol without making the butter too boozy.
ingredients:
• 450g plain flour
• 1tsp sea salt
• 2tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2tsp cream of tartar
• 1tbsp mixed spice
• scant grating of fresh nutmeg
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 50g unsalted butter
• 100g California Raisins
• 50g glace Morello cherries (halved)
• 50g mixed peel
• 50g blanched almonds (roughly chopped)
• 284ml buttermilk
• 1tbsp treacle
• 3 tbsp milk (for milk wash)
Apricot Brandy Butter
• 200g unsalted butter
• 400g icing sugar
• 4-5tbsp apricot brandy
You will need
• 7cm round cookie cutter
• Baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper (you may need 2)
