WHITE CHOCOLATE APRICOT SCONES: National Apricot Day

A storm is brewing. It's a perfect day for scones right out of the oven! I've posted many scone recipes over the years, but since today is National Apricot Day, here's a great recipe for White Chocolate Apricot Scones. There are no fresh apricots this time of year, at least not growing in my local area, so this recipe is perfect since it calls for dried apricots. I always have dried apricots in the refrigerator or pantry. I serve these scones with clotted cream (or unsalted butter if I don't have the cream) and a nice pot of tea!

WHITE CHOCOLATE APRICOT SCONES 

Ingredients
2/3 cup unsalted butter
3 1⁄2 cups flour
1⁄4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2⁄3 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1 cup white chocolate chips (make sure it's 'real' white chocolate!)
2 eggs
2⁄3 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla
Optional (sugar for sprinkling)

Directions 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In large bowl cut together butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt using pastry blender (or use 2 table knives crisscrossing ingredients in opposite directions)until mixture is crumbly.
Stir in apricots and white chocolate chips.
Add eggs, half & half, and vanilla so dough separates from side of bowl and forms a ball.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead lightly 10 times (don't overwork).
Divide dough into two equal portions.
On greased baking sheets pat each portion of dough into an 8" circle, and cut each circle into 8 wedges.
Optional: Sprinkle with sugar
Bake about 15 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.

CREAMSICLE WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: National Creamsicle Day

Today is National Creamsicle Day. I haven't had a Creamsicle in years, but I did occasionally buy one from the Good Humor Truck when my cousin Herbie was a Good Humor Man in the summers.  Pretty exciting for us kids! When we heard the Good Humor bell, we all went running.

What exactly is a Creamsicle? A Creamsicle is a frozen dessert with a vanilla ice cream core and a fruit sherbet coating. The classic Creamsicle flavor combination is orange and vanilla. Officially, the term “Creamsicle” is a registered brand name owned by Unilever, and similar products cannot be labeled as Creamsicles. However, the original Creamsicle® is such a perennial best-seller that the term is often used generically, and the branding rights may eventually be lost due to trademark dilution. 

But since this is a chocolate blog, I thought I'd post a recipe for Creamsicle White Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies are soft and moist. With the addition of orange zest and orange extract, you'll taste the tartness of the citrus as it combines with the sweetness of the white chocolate chips. These cookies definitely have the flavors of a Creamsicle.

Creamsicle White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
2 Tbsp orange zest
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (I like Guittard)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and orange extract until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and white chocolate chips.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies.
Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes (do not skip this step). This will prevent spread, and that's important to these cookies which are soft and puffy.
Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not overbake! Cookies will be fat.
Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely.

Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Today is Blueberry Pancake Day. I've posted many recipes for Blueberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes, but for today's holiday I would suggest using White Chocolate Chips. My favorite white chocolate chips are from Guittard.

BLUEBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES

Ingredients
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup wild blueberries (fresh or frozen--I love Trader Joe's Frozen Wild Blueberries)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (Guittard)

Directions
Preheat your griddle on the stove on medium or medium-low.
Crack egg into bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium until light yellow and frothy, about 2 minutes. Add flour, buttermilk, sugar, oil, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to mixer. Beat on low until just combined.
Fold blueberries and white chocolate chips into batter.
Drop batter in rounds (about 1/4 cup per pancake) onto hot griddle and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides.

https://www.guittard.com/our-chocolate/detail/choc-au-lait-baking-chips