baking | The Fresh Princess

Guys, I’m bored. I’ve lost my Sunday companion to books. Even the slightest noises – banging spoon loudly against bowl, talking on speakerphone or even discreetly vacuuming can prove to be disruptive to the student. So, I’m quietly trying to keep busy. I went to a spinning class this morning, whipped up eggs benedict, cleaned the sink and then hit a wall. It was only noon! That’s when blueberry scones popped into my brain. I went out to the store to get the ingredients, slaved away baking, aaaand it’s only 1:00 pm. Maybe I’ll hit the farmers market later for more inspiration (activity).

These scones are quite delicious and dare I say healthy? They’re made with whole wheat flour, just 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and some other questionably healthy ingredients…quiet down butter! They’re the perfect summer studying fuel. Antioxidant-rich blueberries (some even call them brain berries) and high-fiber whole wheat flour is just what the mind needs to ace that exam. Eat up, Oliver. This exam will be a piece of cake – or scone.

Blueberry Scones

From Smitten Kitchen

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup blueberries
2/3 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon (or packet) sugar in the raw

Heat oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, mix flours, lemon zest, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add cold butter and mix into the flour mixture until mixture resembles a course meal. Stir in blueberries, then milk, mixing until large clumps form. Knead dough a bit, but not too much.

Place dough on a floured board and shape into a 1-inch tall disc. Cut into 8 to 10 wedges. Place wedges on a large parchment-lined cookie sheet. Brush the tops of each with the egg and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until scones are golden brown on top.

These are not your grandmother’s hamantaschen. In fact, these are nothing like your grandmother’s dry, sugar cookie dough-filled triangles. These are my grandmother’s hamantaschen; made with sour cream, butter and yeast. Three ingredients that scream deliciousness. More flaky breakfast pastry than dry, prune-filled biblical villain cap, this recipe is a family classic. Every year, my mom, my brother Micah and I would roll up our sleeves and make these. While my mom and I produced perfect three-cornered pastries, Micah’s resembled unidentifiable shapes more octagon than triangle. But, he turned out OK, despite his baking deficiency. While this recipe requires a bit of forward thinking and planning (the dough needs to rise overnight), it is well worth the time and effort and the results will blow your friends and family away. They will never feel the same way about Purim again with these hamantaschen in their lives. I went with the classics on filling; apricot, cherry and poppy seed (the Justin Bieber of filling and my personal favorite), but feel free to get creative and use whatever filling you love. This recipe makes A LOT of hamantaschen, which is slightly problematic as my hamantaschen to friend ratio is pretty disproportional. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to eat more… Happy Purim!

Grandma Rosen’s Hamantaschen

3-1/2 cups flour 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 tsp salt 

1 cup room temp. butter (2 sticks) 

3 egg yolks (save whites) 

1 cup sour cream 

3/4 oz cake yeast OR 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast

1/4 cup warm water

 Eggs whites mixed well

 Fillings of your choice (I used apricot preserves, poppy seed and cherry pie filling)

Chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix flour, sugar, salt and cut in butter until crumbly. In a separate bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (air on the hotter side water temp wise) and set aside for about 5 minutes until frothy. In a bowl, separate the whites from the egg yolks and put the egg whites in the refrigerator. Mix the yolks with sour cream and combine and add in the yeast mixture. Now add that to the flour mixture. Knead dough until spongy and springs back. You can knead by hand (Punch it for like 20 minutes, great rage reducer) or you can use the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer on speed 2 for about 10 minutes. Dough should not be super sticky. Cover with a piece of parchment of wax paper and refrigerate overnight.

Next day: take dough pieces about the size of a walnut and roll out into little circles with a floured rolling pin. Fill with about a teaspoon of filling. Dip in egg white and then chopped walnuts if you want. Or just brush with the egg whites for a nice sheen. Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Filling hot tip: My Grandma Marge added a little honey, golden raisins and a touch of milk to the poppy seed filling and a little bit of lemon juice and golden raisins to the apricot filling. #grandmaknowsbest #littletouches