Comfort Scones: Gingerbread with an Eggnog Glaze #CooktheBooks #FoodieReads

This time around, Simona of Briciole is the host for our bi-monthly book group Cook the Books. For our October-November 2020 pick, she selected The Secret, Book & Scone Society (A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel 1) by Ellery Adams*; you can read Simona's invitation: here.

On the Page

photo from amazon.com

I finished The Secret, Book & Scone Society earlier this month and I am still undecided about whether or not I would recommend it. Don't get me wrong: I like a good mystery and did enjoy the book. But I didn't love it though I really wanted to.

I loved the concept of the book - that the right books can soothe our souls, improve our lives, and teach us things that we desperately need to know. 

"Becoming a reader is a change for the better. Trust me. No one has ever lost by becoming addicted to stories—to the lessons learned by those who possess enough courage to put pen to paper."               

Set in the town of Miracle Springs, Nora Pennington is the proprietress of Miracle Books, a store where people come and get exactly the right book to help them with their problems. The mystery begins when a visiting businessman asks for Nora's assistance and she agrees to help him. But before the appointment, he is found dead and it is ruled a suicide. Nora doesn't believe that and sets out - with three other women - to uncover the truth.

Of the characters, Hester is my favorite and I loved how she would bake comfort scones that would help people: "They’re called comfort scones. The baker, Hester, makes custom scones based on what she thinks her patrons will be comforted by. You should pay her a visit."

But the book leaned a little too saccharine for my tastes. Still this was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

On the Plate

There was a remarkable number of passages about food in this book. Here are just a few that I enjoyed. And, naturally, scones are mentioned quite a bit. Not just scones, but all sorts of bready goodness, including fried green tomato grilled cheese sandwiches that I will have to try soon.

"Nora said. 'I prefer cinnamon twists over scones because they’re easier to eat while I’m reading. That’s my main priority when it comes to food. Other people are obsessed with calories, nutritional value, antioxidants. I look at food and wonder: Can I eat that without having to put my book down?'"

               

"'Oranges and cream.' The woman’s face broke into a broad grin. 'The first bite brought me back to my grandmother’s house in Florida. She had orange trees. During my visits, we’d bake the most delicious things. Her kitchen was filled with clutter and sunshine. I loved every minute I spent with her.' Nora came out from inside the ticket booth.  have several cookbooks with scone recipes. The best anyone can do is to create a scone of their own.'"

  

"To avoid responding, Nora bit into her [fried green tomato grilled-cheese sandwich]. The blend of buttery bread, fried tomatoes, gooey cheese, and a hint of paprika was heavenly. As she chewed, Nora felt infused by warmth and comfort. The feelings allowed her to put aside the memory of how she’d never seen paperwork when she and her husband had bought their home. Nora’s husband had used money bequeathed by a relative for the down payment and had handled the loan process without consulting her."

   

And about Hester's peanut butter cup scone, "Nora popped a bite of scone into her mouth, reveling in the smooth, rich blend of melted chocolate and peanut butter and the springy texture of the dough. The warmth traveled down her throat, spread through her chest, and stretched to the tips of her fingers. 'You were born to do this,' she told Hester. 'To make food that seems so simple, but has an incredible complexity of taste and an ability to stir the heart? That’s a gift.'"

               

After this passage, I was almost inspired to make a batch of croissants. "Nora was too hungry to protest. She opened the box lid and a rush of tantalizing aromas escaped from within. The scents of melted cheese, buttery dough, and cooked ham caused Nora’s stomach to gurgle, and when she scooped up the croissant resting on a sheet of wax paper, she found that it was still warm. After biting into the stuffed pastry, she had to suppress a moan. The Gruyère cheese that had escaped from the hole at one end of the croissant had been baked a golden brown and broke off in Nora’s mouth. It wasn’t ham, but prosciutto, which shared the pastry’s interior pocket with the cheese, and the flavor combination was heavenly. Nora could have easily devoured a second."

But, in the end, I decided that gingerbread scones would be my comfort scones! I am a gingerbread fanatic. No, seriously. I really love gingerbread. And I can't wait to dig out my gingerbread scarf.  Look at my Bison Gingerbread Coffee Cake; Piernik, a Polish Gingerbread Cake; Kruidnoten; and maybe my favorite - Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread. So it's surprising to me that I've never made gingerbread scones. 

I fixed that for this post. And, while my husband is not usually a scone fan, he texted (as he was eating his scone after I had left for work): "These are red book worthy!" Awesome. He's coming around. Wait! That means fewer scones for me...let me re-think this conversion.

Ingredients

Scones

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cups packed organic dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 7 Tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
• 1 large egg, separated
• 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
• 5 Tablespoons eggnog (you can use milk if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup candied ginger flakes
• 1/2 cup raw pecan pieces
• 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar

Eggnog Glaze

• 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon eggnog (you can use milk if you prefer)

Procedure

Preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a large mixing bowl to combine.

Cut in butter until incorporated with no chunks of butter larger than a pea. Add egg yolk, molasses, eggnog, candied ginger flakes, and pecan pieces to the bowl and then press together to form a thick dough.

Press dough into a disc and cut into 8 wedges and place on baking stone or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake until set, approximately 19 minutes. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before drizzling.

While the scones cool, make the drizzle: Stir powdered with eggnog until smooth. Using a pastry bag fitted with a small tip, or a spoon, drizzle icing over cooled scones. Let set in a cool space for about 30 minutes.

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.

In addition to submitting this to #CooktheBooks, I am adding it to #FoodieReads.
Click to see what everyone else read in October 2020: here.