The twelve tastes of Christmas - Juliet's festive scones
Juliet Sear continues her journey to find her favourite tastes of Christmas.
She's made her way to York's most famous tearoom Betty's, to try some of their award winning bakes.
Then it's back to her Christmas kitchen to make some delicious festive scones!
Christmas scones
Serves 8-12
Ingredients
For the scones
350g self-raising flour, plus more for dusting
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
50g golden caster sugar
90g butter, cut into cubes
175ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
squeeze of orange juice from the zested orange
120g dried xmas fruit – (30g mixed peel, 40g sultanas, 40g currents and 10g glace ginger)
Zest of an orange
Beaten egg to glaze
For the eggnog cream
1 tub clotted cream
25ml Rum or brandy
1 tablespoon icing sugar
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Festive jam of your choice
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180c
2. Tip the flour into a large bowl with the salt, spices and baking powder, then mix. Add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar.
3. Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 secs until warm, but not hot. Add the vanilla and orange juice, then set aside for a moment. Put a baking sheet in the oven.
4. Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and fruit and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife – it will seem pretty wet at first. Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it’s a little smoother. Pat or roll gently into a round roughly 2.5cm deep (about an inch)
5. Take a Christmas cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have used up all the space. Bring the scraps lightly together and cut out some more shapes
6. Brush the tops with beaten egg, then carefully place onto the hot baking tray.
7. Bake for 12-15 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking. You can toast them the next day if they are a little hard and spread with brandy butter. If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a low oven about 160C for a few mins to refresh.
8. Meanwhile make the cream by mixing all the ingredients and serve on the side with your favourite festive jam.