Sometimes I forget just how much it rains here in Vancouver. I mean sure, the forecast generally predicts rain straight through from October to February, and the city is often referred to as “Raincouver”, but I always seem to forget just how wet it can get. This past week we’ve been plagued by rainfall warning after rainfall warning, with crazy storms and heavy rains and inevitable flooding.
Figures, the week we adopt a dog, the weather turns to chaos.
If you’ve been following Port and Fin for a while, you probably know that I used to have a wonderful frenchie, Lola, who we sadly had to put down a few months ago. It broke my heart, since I loved her so much she was such a wonderful little meatball, and there’s no way she could ever be replaced.
But there is something to be said about rescuing another dog to help the healing process. I loved having a dog and showering it with tons of love, and even though I still miss Lola every day, I find it comforting to have a new little fur-friend to love and take care of. He’s completely different than Lola, which I think is best, since anything similar to her would probably cause major resentment.
Parker is some sort of cross between a corgi / jack russell / chihuahua and he’s super cute and affectionate. He’s tiring me out though, he’s a little demon of energy! He’s still a puppy, we’re not sure exactly how old – somewhere under a year – so his energy level is off the charts. But, at the same time, he loves curling up on the couch with us in the evenings to enjoy some Netflix.
An active dog will help me get in shape (I’ll miss my gym time though) and Parker will be able to tag along when we go on long hikes in the summer, seawall walks in the spring, and snowshoeing in the winter. He’s one of those dogs that needs a few long walks a day, even in the stormy, rainy weather we’ve been having. It doesn’t matter if the rain is coming down in sheets, he still needs a walk. My rain boots have never gotten such a workout.
I’ll probably do a post in the next couple weeks with some photos of him, but for now let’s talk about these scones.
The combination of cranberry and white chocolate has to be one of my favourites. It just screams CHRISTMAS and the pairing of tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate is just heavenly. I was originally going to make cranberry white chocolate cookies, but the thought of putting them in a scone instead seemed way more yummy.
Imagine curling up with one of these scones, fresh out of the oven on a rainy Sunday morning. Just because there’s chocolate in them doesn’t mean you can’t have them for breakfast. Right? My thoughts exactly.
When you’re making these, don’t be alarmed if you find yourself thinking “what is up with this dough?“. It is difficult to manage, and is pretty crumbly, but I promise, the result is a perfectly moist yet crumbly scone that just melts in your mouth. I’ve made scones with this dough many times, and every time I do, I’m always skeptical about its consistency. Just do your best to shape it into a flat circle, and once it bakes the butter melts in with the dough and the the scones will turn out perfect.
I’ll probably make another batch of these this weekend, they’re just that good!
| Cranberry White Chocolate Scones | | Print |
- 2½ cups flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), frozen
- ½ cup sugar + more for topping
- ¾ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup frozen cranberries
- 1 cup white chocolate chips + ½ cup for drizzle topping
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- In a small bowl, toss cranberries with 2 Tbsp of the flour; set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture with a cheese grater. Using your hands, mix the butter into the flour until it's nicely mixed and crumbly. Stir in sugar, then mix in cranberries and 1 cup of the white chocolate, being careful not to mix too vigorously so the cranberries don't 'bleed' into the dough.
- Add cream and blend until a soft dough forms. It will be very crumbly, but don't worry!
- Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead with your hands, adding small amounts of water if necessary to get all the flour mixed. Shape into a circle and flatten, then cut into 8 triangles. Sprinkle with more sugar, if desired.
- Transfer to an unlined baking sheet and bake 20-30 minutes until nice and browned. Let cool. Drizzle tops of scones with the remaining melted chocolate, if desired.
I tried these out and they got completely burnt, even with 7 mins left to bake. I followed the recipe entirely, do you think that 30-35 mins was too long? Other recipes call for the same temperature but only 15-20 mins. The batter tasted amazing though 🙂
I’m so sorry they came out burnt, Marlee! I’ve made them a few times and the suggested baking time always works for me. I’m not sure why, maybe I need to have my oven checked 🙁 I will look into the recipe and adjust it accordingly!