comfort food

Today I really felt the need to spoil myself, so I decided to do a little baking. Just to have the comforting aroma wafting around my kitchen was enough to really lift my mood. The scones are my own recipe ...Raspberry and Almond Scones. They are fresh tasting and delicious and really easy to make. The muffins are Ina Gartens ...Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins from her book "Family Style".To get her recipe look here. The muffins are light and absolutely full of blueberries really good for breakfast or with a cup of coffee,or as an afternoon snack for your children when they come home from school.

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  To make my Raspberry and Almond Scones.......1. Sift 225g self-raising flour into a large bowl 2. Rub-in 50g of butter till you have fine breadcrumbs 3.  Add 50g ground almonds and 50g caster sugar, mix with a knife 4. Add 100g of frozen raspberries 5. Stir in buttermilk until you have a soft but not sticky dough (its difficult to specify the amount as it varies).You will need to use your hands to bind it together. 6. Place on a floured board and shape into a circle about 3-4cm. thick, cut out circles using a 6-8cm fluted or plain cutter. You will need to re-shape dough once or twice. (This mix will make 6 or 7 medium sized scones) 7. Place scones unto a greased baking tray into a pre-heated oven 200 C and bake for around 10 minutes until golden brown. (You will find that these scones spread out a little when cooking) 8. Cool on a wire tray 9. Serve warm or cold with butter. (They are best eaten on the day you make them, but will freeze really well) I don't add baking powder to my scones as I don't like the bitter taste it leaves, but you could add a tsp. if you like to.