Having spent many years in the commercial food industry, baking is something I have definitely done a lot of. Of course it goes without saying, it is truly one of my passions.

It only seems logical, if you like muffins, you will also like scones. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I took more of an interest in scones. I found a recipe for ‘buttermilk scones’ that only made 6 wedges which was perfect for the two of us. Of course, I could never just leave it at that. From there my addiction to ‘recipe development’ created a whole new section in my recipe file for scones.

Scones are much like muffins in the way that they share many of the same ingredients, but each varies slightly in the way they’re made. With muffins, the wet and dry ingredients are measured separately before mixing them together and then baking. Scones, on the other hand require the shortening to be cut into the dry ingredients. They both fall under the category of ‘quick breads’, because they are leavened with baking powder or baking soda instead of yeast. One big similarity between the two methods though, is that over-mixing will cause them to be tough and dry.

Over time, in North America at least, it seems that the difference between the two has become a little blurred. It all comes down to who makes them I guess which brings me to the blog recipe today. Just for fun I decided to try to create that magical ‘stollen’ flavor in a scone just to see what would happen. Brion and I really enjoyed them and I hoping you will to.

Christmas 'Stollen' Scones

Course

Brunch, dessert

Cuisine

German

Servings

mini scones

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 -1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp EACH mace, anise seed, & cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup margarine
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mixed, candied fruit, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup almonds, toasted & slivered
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp lemon zest
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup almond milk
powdered sugar for dusting (optional)