After a little over a year of writing here on ‘Baking and Books,’ I feel it’s time to tell you something you probably don’t know about me - a confession of sorts: I love the holidays. Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve. I know some folks are driven batty by the holiday music and bright lights all over the city, but few things fill me with nostalgic glee like walking down the street on a crisp evening surrounded by sights that bring happy memories to mind. The cool winter air reminds me of my mother, who’s a Californian girl that still lives in California and thinks temperatures below 50 degrees are an uncommon delight. And then there are the themed window displays, like the Lord & Taylor display I pass on my way to Grand Central after work. These remind me of those childhood holiday evenings, when my father, mother, brother and I enjoyed good company, good movies, and good old-fashioned mulled apple cider. (Mulled cider recipe below - bonus!)

Ah yes, those were the days - and I purposefully bring hints of them into my life by watching holiday movies, singing holiday songs and baking like crazy in the kitchen. I have already recorded and watched (at least twice) the movies “Elf,” “Home Alone,” “A Christmas Story” and the classic animated version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” This evening I serenaded Oreo with a rousing rendition of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” hoping that she would howl like one of those cool movie dogs. But alas she just wagged her tail furiously and spun around in circles until she fell over, giddy with excitement. In the baking realm, well, over the past couple weeks I’ve been honing my skills for the approaching family visit - making favorite recipes, experimenting with new ones, and trying to answer the question: “What should I bake for everyone?” Questions like this become incredibly complex when you live in Connecticut and write a food blog about scrumptious treats your California-based family has yet to taste. I want to bake them everything, everything I tell you! But clearly that’s impossible, and even if it were possible I don’t think such a show of bottled up baking affection would be right unless it came with a gym membership. Don’t you agree? Thus far I’ve compiled a list of approximately 5 10 15 recipes that may make an appearance in my mother’s kitchen and the scones you see pictured throughout this post are certainly in the running. I mean just look at that texture, at all the berry hued colors, and if only you could taste their buttery-sweet flavor! Truly delightful. Even friends who didn’t know what scones were (”Are these oddly shaped muffin tops?” they asked) were immediately addicted to them. My dad would love them… but the question is, would he like the carrot cake scones better? Will dilemmas never cease?

Both the blueberry-raspberry and the carrot cake scones come from “A Passion for Baking,” by Marcy Goldman, one copy of which I offered to give away in my last post. Many of you entered this contest by guessing what was displayed on a baking tray in the background of my photo, and several of you guessed correctly that the mystery baked goodies were scones. Yet, as they say in “The Highlander,” “there can be only one” - and this time the random number generator hath decreed that Lucy (#60) shall be the recipient of a “A Passion for Baking.” Congratulations Lucy! And to everyone else, stay tuned because there are more books to be given away between now and January 1st.

And now I’m off to search the television listings for claymation holiday classics. Wish me luck!

Blueberry-Raspberry Honey-Butter Glazed Scones
Reprinted with permission from A Passion for Baking, by Marcy Goldman.
Ingredients:

For the scones:

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup, approximately, whipping cream (I used about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen blackberries or raspberries

For the glaze:
Brushing these scones with a syrup of butter and honey as soon as they come out of the oven, and then again about 15 minutes later, prolongs their freshness in a very sweet way. The scones stay wonderfully moist and flavorful for a good four days. This is a trick you can use on any sweet scone.

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Put lemon juice in a 1-cup measuring cup, pour in whipping cream to 1-cup mark, and let stand a few minutes to make soured cream.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Stack two baking sheets together and line top sheet with parchment paper. Arrange oven rack to upper third position.

In a food processor, add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and blend briefly. Add butter and pulse to make a coarse, grainy mixture. Turn out mixture into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add egg, vanilla, and enough soured cream to make a soft but firm dough. Gently fold in berries. (And make sure they are 100% frozen as slightly thawed berries will burst and make quite a mess.)

Knead briefly on a lightly floured work surface, adding more flour, if required, to make a firm dough. Pat out to 1-inch thickness. Cut into wedges or rounds and place on prepared baking sheets. Brush each scone with milk or melted butter. Bake until scones are nicely browned, about 16 to 19 minutes.

Meanwhile, for Glaze, heat honey and butter in a liquid measuring cup in a microwave until mixture is just simmering, about 1 1/2 minutes at HIGH, stirring after 45 seconds.

Brush scones lightly with honey-butter glaze as they come out of the oven. Let stand on baking sheets. Repeat with more honey-butter glaze, more generously, about 15 minutes later.

“A Passion for Baking” is the latest book from master baker Marcy Goldman and is a treat in every sense of the word. With a tempting collection of over 200 recipes that range from muffins & cookies to pizza & savory breads, I had a hard time knowing where to start. Should I begin with the Toronto Blueberry Buns or the Vanilla-Apple-Cranberry Muffins? The French Country Bread or the Cinnamon Toast Bread? As with her previous books, Marcy’s instructions are conversational and easy to follow, with helpful kitchen tips written in the sidebar. In addition to learning how to make some truly scrumptious treats you’ll also learn, for instance, about different methods of making rye bread, what baker’s caramel is, and when to slash your dough for a perfect loaf of bread. Chapters are prefaced by useful explanatory sections, which explain things like the various methods of cooking pizza (oven, pizza oven, cast-iron skillet, pizza pans) or how to bake muffins that truly puff. Most recipes are accompanied by eye-catching photos, which is always a plus, but what really sold me on this book was the inclusion of unique, creative recipes such as Hot Buttered Popcorn Bread, Sticky Cashmere Muffins and Cinn-a-Bun Cheesecake. I own many, many baking books so I appreciate it when authors make an effort to surpass the ye baking standbys by creating recipes that make you think, “Hmmm, I wonder what that tastes like? Let’s find out!”

Chapters include: An introduction; Baking Secrets; Loaves, Large & Small; Rolls, Baby Breads & Buns; Pizza & Other Flatbreads; Scones & Biscuits; The Muffin Shoppe; The Cookie Jar; The Biscotti Bakery; Bars & Squares; Quick Breads & Coffee Cakes; Pies, Tarts & Pastries; Sweet Yeast Baking; Cake Creations; Say Cheesecake; Holiday Baking; Grainy Goodness; and Baker in a Hurry.

Mulled Apple Cider (My Recipe)
Ingredients: Serves 2-3

• 4 cups apple cider
• About 2 tablespoons of orange juice
• About 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 whole allspice berries
• A generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (8-9 grates on the microplane grater, we like nutmeg)
• Pinch of salt

Mix all the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, strain using a strainer or cheesecloth, then discard the solids. Ladle into mugs and enjoy! Garnish with additional cinnamon sticks if desired.

This sort of food may seem like the result of modern, high-tech convenience, but “power bars” (or rather, power cakes) have been around since the Middle Ages. Back then soldiers carried a dense fruitcake called pan forte as their travel food of choice. Made with honey, grains, nuts and dried fruit, pan forte means “strong bread” and for good reason - not only was it flavored with intense spices but it was one of the highest calorie foods of the day, giving travelers the energy they needed to venture forth on… well, adventures. Another old time power food hails from the North American Cree Indians, who ground together buffalo meat, fat, bone marrow and dried fruits to create a portable food called pemmican. Stored in rawhide pouches, the nutritional wallop of this concoction gave American frontiersman Alexander MacKenzie the strength to become the first European to cross the North American continent in 1793. It may not sound appetizing but you have to admit, that’s a mighty impressive resume for ground buffalo.

Compared to commercially made energy bars the homespun variety excels in taste and wholesome value, forgoing all that yucky high fructose corn syrup, sodium and palm kernel oil that plagues many of the “convenience foods” you’ll find at the supermarket. If you ask me, there’s nothing convenient about consuming saturated fats, especially when you’re in a rush and your body needs the best fuel you can find. Next time you feel like experimenting in the kitchen give these a go. For hardly any effort you’ll be rewarded with a flavor-packed, power-punch of an energy bar!

Alton Brown’s Granola Bars
From Foodnetwork.com

• 8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
• 1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
• 3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
• 1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
• 6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
• 1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
• 1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries (or organic dried apples, which is what I used instead of cherries. You could also use dried strawberries, mango, whatever dried fruits you like really!)

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.