a pre-valentine's day treat

since there's no hope in me getting a real valentine, i decided to take matters into my own hands and make myself a pre-valentine's day treat to ward off any gloom i may feel later.

it's friday the 13th, and i was hesitant to turn on the oven for fear that the bad luck would cause my apartment to explode (the oven is temperamental on normal days). however, karma is my friend and not even the unluckiest of days (2009 has 2 more, too!) could ruin these babies.

the bonus about these scones is that they are incredibly versatile! while i used cherries, pink sprinkles, and cut them into hearts, you could easily sub in blueberries, chocolate chips, nuts, etc... and cut them into whatever shape you'd like! they'd even be good with just a dash of cinnamon and a cup of tea.

yum. i'm mailing the extras to val and adam because i'm nice like that.

cherry-vanilla ginger scones

makes 10-12

2 cups flour, sifted

1 tbl sugar

1/4 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup chopped frozen cherries

4 tbl unsalted butter, cold and cut into pea-sized chunks

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp white vinegar

1/4 tsp vanilla

3 tbl milk or cream

sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 450* and line a baking sheet with parchment. Sift the flour into a bowl, and add the sugar, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the 3/4 cup milk, vinegar, vanilla, and ginger. Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine lightly with fingers until it resembles coarse cornmeal (you could break out the food pro, but i don't like to dirty more dishes than necessary). Add in the cherries and quickly pour in the milk mixture. Using a fork, mix until just combined and dough sticks together. DO NOT over-mix! Some lumps and pieces of butter should remain (you also don't want to smush all of the cherries!).

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and work into a 1/2" thick round. Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes (or use a knife), re-rolling scraps. I got 12, but this depends on the size of your cookie cutter. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until tops are golden. Allow to cool completely before serving.

stay tuned. tomorrow is eggs-in-a-heart-shaped-hole for breakfast!

=)

ciao!