It’s universal, all kids love gifts. Believe it or not, they like giving them as much as receiving them. You know what I mean – hand-painted mugs; Popsicle stick picture frames; and all sorts of cookies, bars, and candies.
One holiday gift my kids like to make is cinnamon chocolate scones. You can prepare the scones with your young chefs and deliver them while they’re still warm, or you can assemble the dry ingredients in fun packaging, using the instructions below.
To give a scone-making kit, get a large clean jar (a Mason jar works well) and gather the following ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
One sheet of parchment or wax paper
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
Make the parchment or wax paper into a funnel, and carefully pour in each of the dry ingredients in layers (do not add the chocolate chips). Close the jar and put the dry mix aside. Pour the chocolate chips into a decorative plastic bag or medium jar, close it and set it next to your dry mix.
You have all the basic ingredients ready for your gift.
RECIPE CARD FOR CINNAMON CHOCOLATE SCONES
INGREDIENTS:
One jar of scone mix
One bag chocolate chips
One stick of butter (8 ounces) cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups milk
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), mix the dry ingredients. With the mixer running, add the butter and mix until coarse and sandy. You should still be able to see small lumps of butter. Add the milk and mix until almost combined. Next, add the chocolate chunks and mix just to distribute them evenly through the dough. Do not overmix; there may still be some flour not mixed in.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough 10 times to bring it together and smooth it out. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of one inch. Using a biscuit cutter (or a two-inch cup) cut out circles. Using a spatula, transfer the scones to an ungreased baking sheet. Knead the scraps together just until combined, then roll out again and continue cutting out circles until all the dough is used. Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve with honey and jam.
Once you have gathered your scone mix, chocolate chips, and other fun additions, write or type the recipe on a card. If your young chefs are school age, let them do this. Use a plain piece of paper or a large recipe card; regular-size recipe cards are too small for kids’ handwriting. Put the recipe card with your gift, and it’s ready to go!
If you are making the scones to give as gifts, follow the instructions on the recipe card. When the scones are ready, put them in a basket lined with a new kitchen towel and maybe add a little jar of honey or jam. Your friends and neighbors will love your homemade gift!
Other great touches include:
Small jar of honey (lavender blossom is tasty)
Small jar of preserves
2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter
Decorative towel
Fun box or container (to put the pieces of the gift together)
Bridget O’Boyle is a parent of two lively kids and teaches kids and grown-ups to cook at Cooks of Crocus Hill.
