Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Cranberry~Eggnog Scones


Yesterday, when I was in the grocery store, my eye caught a glimpse of...oh, no--not yet, Egg Nog!
I have come to expect the retail stores pushing the holidays earlier and earlier, but now our grocery store too; what is this world coming too:-))  Egg nog was always a part of my mother's Christmas Eve celebration with family, but it was my dad who was in charge of "doctoring up" this holiday punch.

Egg nog is simply a frothy drink made from milk or cream, sugar, eggs, and spices (usually nutmeg).  It's very popular at the holidays in the United States and Canada and admittedly, has snuck into the Thanksgiving feast, as well.  Some believe it developed from a medieval English drink called posset, which is a beverage made with hot milk.  Also, the word nog is thought to come from middle English, meaning a small carved, wooden mug used to hold alcohol.  The version we enjoy today, though, probably came from the early colonists to America, who mixed up a drink with rum and called it "egg & grog"...later shortened to egg nog.

My dad's addition to the cream and egg mixture was brandy, rum, and bourbon; it made for a very "happy" drink reserved for adults only.  I remember my first Christmas Eve, after getting married, trying a punch glass of his concoction and after one sip, I was definitely loopy!!  So, I reserve egg nog for baking and leave the drinking to the grown ups:-D

Cranberry~Egg Nog Scones
4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/3 + 1 T granulated sugar
2 T baking powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten + egg nog to measure 1 3/4 cups liquid
1 cup dried cranberries

egg wash:
1 large egg
1 T egg nog

glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 T hot water
freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375F-degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, measure all the dry ingredients and the cranberries and mix to combine.  It's important to use cold butter, so either grate it or as I did today, used a cheese slicer.
Set cheese slicer on 1/8-inch setting and slice across the butter.
 Incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse sand.  (Don't worry if you see some small pieces of butter).  While the mixer is running on low, add the egg/egg nog mixture slowly.
After the dough comes together, stop the machine and transfer to a floured bread board.  Lightly knead dough, then use a rolling pin to roll dough to 1-inch thickness.  

You can free-hand cut the scones or use your favorite biscuit cutter (dipped in flour).  I decided to do an oval today; such a pretty shape. Make sure you just press down and pull up with the cutter--don't twist!  It's the secret to allowing the scones (or biscuits) to raise properly.
Place the scones on the baking sheet, re-rolling the scrapes--I ended up with 12 scones.
Brush tops with the egg wash and if desired, you can sprinkle the tops with coarse sanding sugar.  I wanted to glaze mine, so I didn't use sugar.
Bake about 15 to 17 minutes, rotating the pan half-way through the baking time to ensure even browning.
Allow to cool about 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to glaze.

Finally, grate some fresh nutmeg on top and serve warm with a cuppa tea, coffee, cocoa.
The flavor and richness of the scones was perfect on this rainy, chilly day; a great way to start the morning or have with your afternoon tea.  They may even make an appearance on Thanksgiving morn to have a quick bite before the baking marathon begins:-D Enjoy!


 

43 comments:

  1. I'm not an eggnog fan but my Mom loves it so I think she would enjoy these scones! I am a big cranberry fan so I would love them also...sounds like a win win to me!

    Hugs, Linda

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    1. Surprisingly, egg nog flavor is the nutmeg since the rest is just eggs, sugar and cream, so if you don't like nutmeg, you definitely won't like egg nog. I will say these scones had the best texture from the richness of the cream and eggs.

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  2. These look amazing, Susan! I absolutely love scones, love, love, love them. And, I like that you added the cranberries and egg nog! I just may have to make some scones next week to enjoy during my vacation. Lv, me

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    1. I'm a sconaholic too and they make the best morning bite. Enjoy your vacation and I bet they'll be baking involved! How's the vanilla developing? Love, me

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    2. Vanilla is coming along very nicely. I have it stored in a dark cabinet and take it out every so often to shake. I'm always amazed at it's depth of color. I SO can't wait to use it in your vanilla bundt cake! Even got a fancy new bundt pan just for the occation. And, J and I went to a whiskey tasting yesterday with a very nice young Irishman...Needless-to-say, your vanilla will be front and center with our new baking booze: Irish whiskey (Tullamore). Yay! lv, me

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    3. Whoo Hoo...can't wait. Mine is almost ready too and smells heavenly! There's going to be some mighty good cookies this holiday:-D

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  3. These look yummy. I will sure have to try them. Thanks for the recipe.

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    1. Very easy! They were made and baked in less than 30 minutes:-D

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  4. Okay Susan, I must make these wonderful scones soon! How creative to use egg nog. I love the oval shape you chose--and your lovely dishes are just perfect! Have a great day my friend! xoxo ♥
    Martha Ellen

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    1. I actually found those oval cutters at Sur La Table last year and this was the first time I tried them. I thought the shape was so elegant and would go lovely with a holiday tea party:-D

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  5. I cannot even imagine how good these must be fresh out of the oven! I noticed they had egg nog in the dairy case! YUMO!

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  6. oooo...... yum!!! My kids LOVE egg nog, and this recipe looks like a real winner. Love the shape too.

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  7. I would love to eat one of your scones right now. They look incredible Susan. You know, in Germany we sell eggnog only with alcohol in it. Can you imagine how surprised I was when we first moved here and I saw that I could order eggnog from the milk man?

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    1. I guess only adults drink egg nog in Germany? I just can't believe how early I'm seeing it in the dairy case:-D BTW, these are some of the best scones I've ever made!

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  8. These look delicious! My son-in-law is the only one in our family who drinks Egg Nog but I'll bet everyone would eat these scones! YUM! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
    Have a wonderful week!
    sandy :)

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    1. I bet they would and the kitchen smelled so wonderful that you'd have your family with plates in hand waiting for them to come out of the oven:-D

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  9. Your scones look fantastic! We like "Milk Nog" better than egg nog at our house; it's made with skim milk and is a little bit less heavy. We serve it up straight. Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. That would definitely appeal to me to drink, but the richness of the cream in this egg nog really made a mighty nice scone!

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  10. My word, those do look awesomely delicious!

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  11. These look fabulous! I love this post and am printing out the recipe!

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    1. They would go lovely with your marmalade tea cake don't you think!

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  12. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I can veganise these (insert happy dance)!
    Jane x

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    1. That's just what my daughter always says--great minds think alike:-D

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  13. Oh my GOODNESS, Susan. Those look utterly divine. Yummmm. I just made scones last night! Can you believe it? Made raisin scones with orange cream cheese frosting. Gave them all to my daughter and her hubs so I wouldn't eat them. ha!

    Thanks for your visit and comment on my blog today! Love having you come by. Susan

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    1. I love coming by...one day you might even hear a knock on the door:-D

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  14. Scones remain my favorite "food!" And cranberries to boot - next plane I'm on my way....I'll even bring Mom too :)

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    1. Delta flies here...when are you arriving:-D!!

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  15. Oh, Susan...these look so yummy! I think I will use this recipe when my grandchildren come for Christmas. First I must look for a set of oval biscuit cutters....

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    1. Meggie, if you can't find them in your area, Sur La Table is where I got mine and would be happy to pick you up a set:-D I think your grands would love these, I know mine will, XOXO

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  16. Yum! I can definately see me having a cup of freshly brewed tea and one of your delious scones.
    stamping sue
    http://stampingsueinconnecticut.blogspot.com/

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    1. The scones are one of the best I've made...next to the Cinnamon Bun Scones:-D

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  17. Replies
    1. ...and I wish we were close by to share a cup a tea and some knitting:-D

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  18. Hello Susan, I am one of your new followers and I am your new Traveling Susan Apron sister. I look forward to receiving the apron from Marcia. Jane was the first sister to contact me and I just finished reading her posts about the apron and getting to know her and more about the magic of the apron. I will be making a post about the apron tomorrow. I hope you stop by to visit. Your scones look amazing! Before I leave I want to read a few more of your posts about the apron. Joyous Wishes, Linda

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  19. Sending a big hug and welcome to the Sisterhood that Meggie so ingeniously (and unselfishly) thought of to share the apron with talented, creative women in this blog world. I've added your blog to my side bar and will happily follow. Happy Baking, XOXO

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  20. I love scones and your recipe sounds wonderful! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  21. Susan, you have some really cool kitchen tools. ;-))
    I love the combo of flavours of these scones. Irresistible!

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  22. Oh Angie...I've been called the "Queen of Gadgets" by my family for a very good reason! Wish I had invented some of them:-D

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  23. You had me at eggnog! My kids were just talking last night about how excited they were that eggnog is in stores now. :) Have a wonderful week!

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