LUCY BURDETTE: I am completely thrilled to announce that A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS hits bookstores next Tuesday! I hope you will indulge me in a repeat recipe after I explain why... In A SCONE OF CONTENTION, Key West food critic #11, Hayley and Nathan head to Scotland for their honeymoon, with Miss Gloria in tow. As you might expect, there is a murder, and Hayley and her pal get drawn into solving the death of Violet Booth's son (also Bettina's nephew.) In A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS, the Scone Sisters visit Key West to headline a baking competition. Many of the contestants produce almost inedible baked goods, so I thought you would prefer the Scone Sisters' prizewinning cinnamon scones!
I crave the prize-winning recipe that the Booth sisters shared with Hayley—as you may crave it by the time you're finished reading as well! This recipe is my closest approximation. I cannot vouch for how close it comes to the prize-winner, but it’s awfully good. There seem to be several secrets to making light scones. Freeze and grate the butter. Work the dough as little as possible. And keep it cold in between steps.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (don’t skimp on quality here—I used Penzey’s)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen (I like Irish Kerrygold)
1/2 cup heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the icing:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons freshly-brewed coffee
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Grate the frozen butter onto a plate. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the butter is the size of peas.
In another bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, the vanilla, the egg, and the brown sugar. Mix this lightly into the flour butter mixture. On a piece of parchment paper, shape the dough into a disk, and with a floured knife cut the disk into eight triangles. Put the scone dough back into the refrigerator while the oven heats to 400. Move the parchment with the scones onto a baking sheet.
Paint the scone tops with the remaining cream and sprinkle them with sugar.
Bake the scones for 20-22 minutes until they begin to brown. You could serve them as is, but why leave off the killer icing?
For the icing, whisk the confectioner’s sugar with coffee and vanilla until smooth. If you don’t like the idea of coffee, you could substitute milk. But honestly, that hint of coffee was amazing! When the scones have cooled, drizzle them with icing. (You will probably have leftovers which can be used on your next batch.) (Or eaten with a spoon, just saying…)
We froze the extras that weren’t eaten on the spot, and they were delicious once defrosted.
A Clue in the Crumbs
In bookstores August 8!
Food critic Hayley Snow and her pal Miss Gloria are overjoyed to welcome Violet and Bettina Booth, aka the Scottish Scone Sisters, to Key West. The sisters will host The UK Bakes!—Key West Edition. But the same day they arrive, the bed-and-breakfast the sisters are staying in gets torched.
The contest begins the next morning featuring three local bakers. One is the inn owner’s wife, Rayna, who is not only the most talented chef of the group but now a person of interest in the fire. The next night, a dogwalker discovers a body near the bed-and-breakfast. The victim appears to be Rayna’s husband, and the murder weapon points directly to the Scottish Scone Sisters.
But the show must go on. In between filming sessions, the three elderly ladies and Hayley must search for clues to the brutal murder in order to find out who wants to force them out of the kitchen. But as they draw closer to the answer, the threats from a murderer grow closer too. Are they now in danger of getting baked off?
And take a look at this adorable book trailer, designed and executed by my good friend Hank Phillippi Ryan!
