#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR DEBRA SENNEFELDER BAKES UP A MYSTERY AND CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

Debra Sennefelder is the author of the Food Blogger Mysteries and the Resale Boutique Mystery Series. An avid reader who reads across a range of genres, mystery fiction is her obsession. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food.Yeah, she’s that person. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

I have a few things in common with Hope Early, the protagonist in my Food Blogger mystery series. One of those things is that we love to bake. Like Hope, I bake for enjoyment, and I also bake to help sort things out. There have been times when I’ve worked out plot ideas while whipping up a batch of brownies or making a big pot of stew. In The Corpse in the Gazebo, Hope has a lot of sorting out to do because she’s a person of interest in her neighbor’s murder. Not only is she at risk of being arrested and possibly facing jail time, but she’s also at risk of losing her career.

 

Hope loves to feed family and friends, and because she’s a food blogger, there’s always something to serve up. Like these chocolate chip scones. They are slightly sweet and crunchy on the edges while soft and moist in the center. 

 

Yesterday The Corpse in the Gazebo released, and as a treat to myself, I baked up a batch of these scones. I may have had two!

 

If you’d like to try baking these chocolate chip scones, here’s the recipe. Enjoy! And thank you for celebrating the release of my new book.

 

Chocolate Chip Scones 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1/2 cup heavy cream (plus 2 tablespoons for brushing and a little extra if dough is dry)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 large egg

1-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups mini chocolate chips

Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on scones before baking

Confectioners’ sugar for sifting on scones after baking and cooling

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

 

Cut in butter, with pastry cutter, two forks or your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse meal but there are pieces of butter throughout. Set bowl in refrigerator while you combine the wet ingredients.

 

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2-cup heavy cream, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.

 

Remove flour mixture from refrigerator. Drizzle wet mixture over flour mixture and add in the chocolate chips. Mix until everything appears moistened, but don’t over mix.

 

Transfer dough onto a floured surface and work into a ball. Dough will be sticky. Add a little more flour to work more easily or add up to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream if the dough is too dry. Gently pat and shape dough into an 8-inch disc. With a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.

 

Transfer wedges onto parchment paper covered baking sheet. Set them 2-3 inches apart. Brush scones with the 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

 

Place scones in refrigerator for up to fifteen minutes before baking. If space is tight, you can place the scone wedges on plates and then transfer to prepared baking sheet just before putting them into the oven.

 

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top.

 

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and then serve.

 

These are best eaten the same day but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

 

The Corpse in the Gazebo

A Food Blogger Mystery, Book 5

 

Food blogging is turning Hope Early into a household name. But the dead body down the block makes her a #1 suspect...

 

It seems everyone loves Hope’s blog these days, and she’s busier than ever volunteering to help other women create their own paths to success. So she’s shocked when a neighbor petitions to run Hope right out of her small Connecticut town! Set in her ways, apparently Birdie Donovan doesn’t like the chaos Hope’s sleuthing creates, the police activity and crime scenes, and it’s happening way too often lately. Eager to make amends, Hope bakes Birdie a batch of her best muffins. The delicious treats might have smoothed things over—until Hope discovers Birdie dead in her gazebo the very next day...

 

Now instead of worrying about holding on to her beloved home, Hope is trying to stay out of jail. Because suddenly she’s the lead suspect in the case. Not even her boyfriend, Police Chief Ethan Cahill, is promising he can clear her name, much less discuss the investigation with her. It’s up to Hope to get to bake new ground on the case before the lifestyle brand she’s created—and her whole life—crumbles...

 

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--AUTHOR KIRSTEN WEISS BAKES UP SCONES AND A NEW TEA AND TAROT MYSTERY

Amazon bestselling author Kirsten Weiss writes laugh-out-loud, page-turning mysteries, including the Tea & Tarot cozy series. Her heroine in that series, Abigail Beanblossom, isn’t perfect, but she’s smart, she struggles, and she succeeds. Learn more about Kirsten and her books at her website.  

Coconut and Apricot Scones from Beanblossom’s Tea and Tarot!

 

Beanblossom’s Tea and Tarot is located in San Borromeo, a mythical town just south of Santa Cruz and loosely based on Capitola, CA. When they’re not solving crimes, part-owner Abigail Beanblossom manages the tearoom and Hyperion Night manages the Tarot side of the business. When Abigail’s not mixing up new tea blends, she’s inventing scone recipes.

 

If you’ve ever stopped in at Beanblossom’s for afternoon tea, you may have had a scone or two. Likely invented in Scotland in the 16^th century, scones fall somewhere between a biscuit and a cookie. Only slightly sweet, they’re designed to complement a good jam, lemon curd, or clotted cream. And because of their mild flavor, they’re the perfect accompaniment to tea, as the Duchess of Bedford discovered in the 19^th century. She loved the combination of afternoon tea and scones so much, she introduced the pairing to her wealthy friends.

 

If you’d like to try baking scones yourself, here’s a simple and delicious recipe:

 

Apricot and Coconut Scones

 

Ingredients:

3-3/4 C bread flour*

1/4 C sugar

3 T baking powder

1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

8 T cold unsalted butter

2 C shredded coconut

1 C chopped dried apricots

1-1/4 C milk

 

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

 

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Cut butter into cubes and mix into the flour mixture with your fingers, crushing the butter, until the mix is coarse and sandy.

 

If you’re using almond extract, mix it into the milk. Add the milk and almond extract mixture to the dry mix and stir until almost combined. Add shredded coconut and chopped dried apricots. You may need to add extra milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the mix is incorporated.

 

Knead dough in the bowl. Roll out to 1” thickness. Cut circles 2-1/2” in diameter, or cut into triangular wedges -1/2 inches at the base. 

 

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet until light golden brown. Circles take approximately 15 minutes. Triangles will usually take 20-25 minutes.

 

* You can use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour, and it will give the scones a denser, more cookie-like texture. Bread flour will “lighten” up the scones, so they’re a bit more like biscuits (but not—they’re still scones).

 

Never Say Chai

A Tea and Tarot Mystery, Book 4

It’s Halloween season in small town San Borromeo, and Abigail and Hyperion are determined to make Beanblossom’s Tea & Tarot spooktacular. But when Hyperion’s boyfriend, Detective Tony Chase, is arrested at Beanblossom’s for murder, the duo is certain someone’s playing a nasty trick. And when the official investigation turns into a witch hunt, the stakes to unearth the truth are raised…

 

But a clever killer has plans to squash their investigation… and the two amateur detectives. If they don’t solve this puzzle—and fast—it will be out of the cauldron and into the fire for them both.

 

Tearoom recipes included.

 

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--EASY SCONE RECIPE FROM ROMANCE AUTHOR JUDYTHE MORGAN

Award-winning author Judythe Morgan has seen a lot of the world as first an Air Force daughter, then an Army wife and a one time-Department of Army Civilian employee.

She’s been an antiques dealer, teacher, former mayor's wife, and sometimes-church pianist, who recently added Sacred Harp singing to her resume. Learn more about Judythe and her books at her website and the weekly blog she writes with her urban farmer daughter. 

 Tea and Scones

Annie Foster frequently enjoys a cup of Irish afternoon tea and one of her soon-to-be mother-in-law’s blueberry scones in my Irish love story, Claiming Annie’s Heart. She is in Ireland, so it’s not surprising.

Plus, scones are one of my favorite treats. Whether with breakfast on Lake Louise, the Europa breakfast buffet in Belfast, Northern Ireland, or sitting at my kitchen table in Texas with my cup of Irish breakfast tea (or afternoon tea, depending on the time of day), I savor a not-too-sweet, not-too-dry scone.

Researching Claiming Annie’s Heart in Ireland, I sampled many a scone. Some I had to load with clotted cream because they stuck like peanut butter to the roof of mouth. Others were so perfect they melted in my mouth.

Once back home, I began a quest to find a good scone recipe. I tried dozens searching for the perfect blend of sweet and moist and biscuit consistency before I came up with the recipe below. It started with a recipe on the Bisquik baking mix box.

You’ll notice many options on the ingredients. That’s because, when I make the scones, I use whatever I have on hand. I also discovered if you grate the cold butter, it blends easier, a tip I now apply anytime a recipe calls for cutting in butter.

Another option I like is to use a biscuit cutter instead of shaping into traditional scone triangles. Most Irish serve theirs as biscuits.

Don’t think the recipe is too complicated to try. It’s not.

If you’ve ever made biscuits with Bisquik or from scratch, these scones will be easy-peasy. I promise it goes together quickly, freezes well, and the scones are delicious.

Once you’ve tasted one, you’ll understand why Annie grabs the pastry whenever she can. I know whenever I take a batch some place, they disappear fast.

Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquik or other brand of baking mix

10 teaspoons sugar, divided 7 – 3

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1/3 cup cold butter

1 cup dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, cherries, raisins, dates, figs, or currants)

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup half-and-half, buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tablespoon whole milk, almond milk, or soy milk

Glaze (optional):

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon orange juice

Orange Butter:

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 to 3 tablespoons orange marmalade

Preheat the oven to 400°

In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix, 7 teaspoons sugar, and orange zest. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the dried fruit, orange juice, cream/buttermilk, and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until soft dough forms.

On a floured surface, gently knead 6-8 times, then pat into a 3/4-inch thick 8-inch square. Cut into 4 squares, then cut each square into 2 triangles. If you prefer, form a circle and use a biscuit cutter.

Separate triangles or rounds and place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with milk; sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees F until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool a bit before glazing.

Combine glaze ingredients, if desired; drizzle over scones. Combine orange butter ingredients; serve with warm scones.

Claiming Annie’s Heart

Annie Foster stays in Ireland after boarding school to nanny a widower’s infant daughter. Five years later, the widower proposes.

Her first love Chad Jones, whom she believes abandoned her, arrives weeks before the wedding on an undercover assignment probing her fiancé’s connection with IRA terrorists. Chad’s determined to change Annie’s mind and her heart because he’s never stopped loving her.

Which man will win Annie’s heart?

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR MOLLY MacRAE WHIPS UP COZY SCONES

Award-winning author Molly MacRae writes the Highland Bookshop Mysteries and the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine since 1990. Learn more about Molly and her books at her website and blog.

Scones are a perfect food for cozy mysteries. They’re the ultimate cozy experience when they’re flaky and buttery and warm from the oven. What more could you ask for on a wintry afternoon than good smells coming from the kitchen, and then a comfy chair and a good book, with a scone and a cup of tea at your elbow? But for some, the whole idea of scones is a mystery. Maybe because they’ve only ever had those heavy, solid, tasteless, dry-as-hockey puck things you sometimes find. That’s almost a tragedy.  

Scones come in a variety of shapes and sizes – large, small, round, triangular and, as in the case of Scottish potato scones, flat as an American pancake. Even the word scone is a bit of a mystery. Does it rhyme with bone or gone? Here’s a link to The Great Scone Map of the UK and Ireland with an entertaining discussion of the pronunciation debate.

And here’s the recipe for the pear ginger scones mentioned (and eaten with relish) in Plaid and Plagiarism, book one in the Highland Bookshop Mystery series. They’re rich and taste completely decadent, made sweet (but not overly sweet) by chunks of roasted pear and bits of crystallized ginger. In book two, Scones and Scoundrels, orange almond cardamom scones are featured. You’ll find that recipe when I’m a guest on the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen blog January 11^th.

Pear Ginger Scones

Makes 6 or 8 scones, depending on how big you want them.

Ingredients:

2 or 3 firmish pears (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch chunks

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

Heat oven to 375°F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange pear chunks on parchment and roast (no need to stir) until they feel dry to the touch and look a little browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Slide parchment with pear chunks onto a cooling rack and cool to lukewarm. Leave oven on. Line baking sheet with another piece of parchment.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt together in a large bowl. Add butter cubes and cut in with a pastry blender until the cubes are about the size of baby green peas. Stir in cooled pear chunks. Give the mixture three or four quick mashes with the pastry blender (to break a few of the pear chunks, but leaving most intact). Stir in crystallized ginger.

In a small bowl, beat cream and egg. Stir into flour mixture with a fork, just until you can bring the dough together in a ball. Don’t overmix.

On a well-floured board, pat dough into a 6-inch circle. Cut either into 6 or 8 wedges. Arrange wedges, two inches apart, on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake scones until firm and golden, about 30 minutes if you’re making 6, about 22 minutes if you’re making 8. Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm.

Unbaked scones freeze beautifully and you can put them straight into the oven from the freezer. They’ll only take a few minutes longer to bake.

Scones and Scoundrels

A Highland Bookshop Mystery, Book 2

The new mystery in the Highland Bookshop series, bringing together a body outside a pub, a visiting author determined to find the killer, and a murderously good batch of scones . . .

Inversgail, on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands, welcomes home native daughter and best-selling environmental writer Daphne Wood. Known as the icon of ecology, Daphne will spend three months as the author in residence for the Inversgail schools. Janet Marsh and her business partners at Yon Bonnie Books are looking forward to hosting a gala book signing for her. Daphne, who hasn’t set foot in Scotland in thirty years, is . . . eccentric. She lives in the Canadian wilderness, in a cabin she built herself, with only her dog for a companion, and her people skills have developed a few rough-hewn edges. She and the dog (which she insists on bringing with her) cause problems for the school, the library, and the bookshop even before they get to Inversgail. Then, on the misty night they arrive, a young man—an American who’d spent a night in the B&B above Yon Bonnie Books—is found dead outside a pub.

Daphne did her Inversgail homework and knows that Janet and her partners solved a previous murder. She tries to persuade them to join her in uncovering the killer and the truth. To prove she’s capable, she starts poking and prying. But investigating crimes can be murder, and Daphne ends up dead, poisoned by scones from the tearoom at Yon Bonnie Books. Now, to save the reputation of their business—not to mention the reputation of their scones—Janet and her partners must solve both murders. And Daphne’s dog might be able to help them, if only they can get it to stop howling. . . 

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