Dried Cherry and Chocolate Chip Scones

It's my birthday week and a sweet friend from Australia mailed me the darling tiered tray because she thought it would look pretty with my birthday month teacup.  Wasn't that so thoughtful?
I'm using a pretty cloth that belonged to my late Great Aunt Kitty.  She also painted the pretty violets plate and matching teacup, on the left.  My local nursery sent me a coupon for my birthday and I bought a pretty violets plant to match my pretty pieces.

 

My friend's hubby drilled the holes in the plates and then they sent it with the gold pieces to put it together.  I was so honored by this beautiful gift.  

 

I filled the tiered stand with some cookies and scones.  For the cookies, I colored my sugar cookie dough and then formed balls and rolled them out with my rolling pin and cut them out.  This was really a fun process, and I will do it again in the Fall.

The tiered stand looks so pretty with my Royal Albert February teacup, don't you think?

Can you see the teacup/teapot design that my rolling pin left on the cookies?  My sister sent me that a few years ago. 

Another sweet friend sent me this darling card and tea.  

Cissy and Riley brought over candy and flowers to me on Valentine's Day, and I forgot to take a picture of the both of them.  Cissy is taking an elective floral design class and she wrapped the flowers and made the pretty tag.  Later I went to my daughter and son-in-law's house for Valentine dinner. 

My youngest son and daughter-in-law went skiing this past week and I went to be with Harper and Hayden.  We made pine cone bird feeders, had slushies from the Ice Cream Truck that came down their street, made skiing teddy bear cupcakes, and pretzel treats with Hershey Kisses and M&M's. 

Yield: 12

Author: Kitty, but adapted from Epicurious

Dried Cherry and Chocolate Chip Scones

These are so tasty with the combination of dried cherries and chocolate. You could try other flavor combos, like dried apricot and white chocolate chips.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
• 1 teaspoon (packed) grated orange peel
• 3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (I only used 1/2 cup of mini chips
  
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried tart cherries
• 2/3 cup chilled buttermilk (I used 2 1/2 T. powdered buttermilk and 2/3 cup cold water)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• Milk (for glaze)

Instructions

1. Whisk 2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add butter and grated orange peel; rub in with fingertips until coarse meal forms. Mix in chocolate chips and dried cherries. Whisk buttermilk, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract in small bowl to blend. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; stir with fork until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Press out dough on lightly floured surface to 3/4-inch thickness. Using 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out scones. Gather scraps, press out dough and cut out additional scones. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush scones lightly with milk; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar (I used purple colored sugar). Bake until scones are crusty on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes (or up to 20 minutes if refrigerated). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thank you for your visit!  xo

I am sharing this with:

Love Your Creativity Link Party

Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Encouraging Hearts and Home