Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Vanilla Bean and Cardamom Scones with Dried Cherries


A few weeks back, I saw an Instagram post from King Arthur Flour that had me salivating: vanilla and cardamom scones studded with dried cranberries. I love both vanilla and cardamom - just the smell of them makes me weak in the knees. The image was a total tease as there was no shared recipe just yet from the creator, By Guess and By Golly.  In my impatience, I decided to search the internet for a substitute until the original was available.


Fortunately, I find a delightful little recipe from Savory Simple for Vanilla and Cardamom scones. All that was missing was the dried cherries which was an easy enough addition!  Game on!




These scones are soft with a slight crumble, a delightfully sweet biscuit with a whisper of cardamom to brighten your day! They are fantastic with a cup of chai tea or a medium roast coffee! Additionally, you can keep them uncooked (sans the Cardamom Sugar) and wrapped tightly with saran wrap in the freezer for about two weeks. Pop them in the oven at your leisure!

Vanilla Bean and Cardamom Scones with Dried Cherries
recipe slightly modified from Savory Simple
makes 6 scones

Scone

1 1/2 cups (7.5 ounces) all purpose flour
1 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup dried cherries
1 vanilla beans
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup light cream (half & half may be substituted)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cardamom Sugar Topping
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom mixed together

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place cherries in a heat-proof bowl and cover with hot to boiling water. Set-aside to soak - this will help soften the cherries - for 10 minutes then strain.

Slice the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and use the flat side of a paring knife to scrape out the seeds.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, vanilla seeds, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the cold butter pieces and, using your fingers or a pastry blender, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few larger pieces scattered around.

Add the cream and vanilla to the bowl and use a spatula to mix the ingredients until they are just combined. Sprinkle in the cherries. The dough will look like it’s barely coming together. Kneed the dough in the bowl until it comes together. Divide the dough in half and flatten into two round discs, about 7 inches in diameter. Cut each disc into 6 pieces. Brush melted butter on top of each piece and sprinkle with cardamom-sugar mixture.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until both the tops and bottoms are golden. Serve warm.