I have an extreme and enduring love for scones, but that also makes me very picky about them -- there are some very bad ones around. We made these for Easter brunch last weekend, and they are definitely a favorite; they're tender and flaky and not that sweet, but with a sugary top crust. I've made them several times before as well, and I find the recipe to be pretty fool-proof.  You can make these into larger scones, but I love the mini size.

Adapted from the Ovenly cookbook (which is all-around great!)

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ROSEMARY CURRANT SCONES

• 1 stick (112 grams) chilled, unsalted butter
• 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar (62 grams), plus more for the tops
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (18 grams) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (130 grams) dried currants
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream, plus more for brushing

Cut the butter into 1/4" chunks and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the chilled butter until butter is in small pieces (smaller than pebbles). Add the currants and rosemary, and stir with a spatula to combine. Pour in the heavy cream, and stir with the spatula until the flour is almost fully incorporated; don't mix this more than you need to.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, and divide into two even portions (if making mini scones). Working with one piece at a time, form into a rough round of dough; if it's really crumbly, you can cut the dough in two pieces, and stack them together, sandwiching the dry bits in between. Smush it back down into a small round, about 3/4" thick. Wrap well with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about an hour. Repeat with second round of dough. (If you'd like to make larger scones, just form the dough all into one round.)

Once chilled, take the dough out and cut into 8 wedges like a pie. Wrap well and freeze.

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange scones on baking sheet with at least an inch between. Brush tops with heavy cream, and then top each with a generous amount of sugar. Bake, turning once, until golden brown, 22-28 minutes. Makes 16 mini scones, or 8 large.

I've been making these cookies every Christmas since I was about 12, and came across them in an old Martha Stewart holiday cookbook. They're a favorite in my family, with perfect Christmas-y flavors. These keep well, but are especially delicious the day they're baked, when the sugar tops are nice and crunchy. Adapted from the original Martha Stewart recipe here.

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GINGERBREAD CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (188 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick (112 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (106 grams) packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 ounces dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, 3/4 teaspoon of the ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cocoa powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (you really need the power of a stand mixer for this dough), beat butter well. Add brown sugar, and beat until lightened in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add molasses and mix well.

Place baking soda a small bowl, and pour 1 1/2 teaspoons of boiling water over to dissolve. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and mix until just combined. Mix in baking soda, followed by the rest of the flour mixture. Again, mix just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix granulated sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of ginger together in a small bowl. Roll cookie dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, then roll in sugar mixture to cover. Place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart, and chill for 20 minutes. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until the surfaces are just starting to crack. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

These are such awesome peanut butter cookies..... super peanut butter-y and melt in your mouth. They also hold up really well for several days without getting dried out because there's so much peanut butter in the dough, so they're definitely a good contender for mailing or giving. And I love that they look like cute little ice cream scoops of cookie.

Adapted from NY Times

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SALTED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

• 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 75 grams (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 85 grams (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) dark brown sugar
• 255 grams (1 cup) natural unsweetened creamy peanut butter (I like Whole Foods brand)
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 120 grams (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
• coarse sugar and flaky salt for the tops

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Cream until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the peanut butter, egg, and kosher salt, and mix well. Add the flour, and mix just until you can't see any more dry flour. Cover and refrigerate the dough until well-chilled, about 2 hours (or longer).

Preheat oven to 350° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a small ice cream or cookie scoop, form cookies - these are made with a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop. (You can also just roll the dough in little balls, but you won't get that nice craggy top.) Roll the tops of the cookies in coarse sugar, and then sprinkle the tops with a little flaky salt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are nicely browned. (I often pull cookies out of the oven when they're just barely done, but you can leave these in a little longer, until they're nice and golden; since they're so thick, it takes a while to bake them all the way through.)

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

*This dough also freezes really nicely; I usually form the cookies (don't roll them in sugar yet), and then freeze them well-wrapped. You can bake them directly from frozen - they just might take a minute or two longer in the oven.

We made these scones last weekend for Easter brunch, and they tasted like springtime. They're cream scones with a nice delicate texture, and roasting the strawberries first with a little balsamic vinegar concentrates the strawberry flavor.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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ROASTED STRAWBERRY CORNMEAL SCONES

for the roasted strawberries:

• 1 ½ cups hulled strawberries, halved or quartered if large
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400°. Toss together the strawberries, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt on a baking sheet lined with foil, and roast for about 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the berries are shrunken and the juices thicken.  Make sure you pull them out before the edges of the juices burn.

Leaving behind any excess juices, lay the roasted strawberries individually on a piece of parchment on a plate or baking sheet, and freeze for half an hour or so, until solid.

for the scones:

• 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (28 grams) cornmeal, medium or fine grind
• 1 tablespoon (12 grams) baking powder
• ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2” pieces
• roasted strawberries, frozen (recipe above)
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing tops
• coarse sugar for sprinkling

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 425°.

Combine flour and cornmeal in the bowl of a food processor, and run for about 10 seconds or so to grind the cornmeal a bit finer. Add the baking powder, sugar, and salt and pulse to mix. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal with tiny pea-sized bits of butter. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. 

Gently stir in the frozen strawberries, so that they are coated in dry ingredients, then stir in heavy cream. When you’ve mixed it in as best you can with the spatula, go ahead and knead it once or twice in the bowl, to create one mass. Do not worry about getting the dough evenly mixed, but be careful not to overmix.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment and gently roll or press the dough out to a long log, about 3 inches wide and ¾ inch thick. Cut into squares, and then each square in half to make triangular scones. (Alternatively, you can roll out to ¾ of an inch and use a biscuit cutter for round scones.) Place scones on prepared baking sheet, brush the tops with cream, and top generously with coarse sugar.

Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes, until well-browned at the edges.

*If you’d like to make these ahead, they freeze well; shape the scones, but don’t top with cream and sugar yet, and freeze them well-wrapped on a baking sheet. You can bake them directly from frozen – just add a couple minutes to the baking time.

Makes 12 medium-sized scones.