Sweet Reading: Cookies and Cream Scones Recipe and a Giveaway for The Secret Ingredient by Laura Schaefer

Reading is totally sweet. We all know that. But novels are even sweeter when they involve baking recipes! A few years ago, I was charmed by Laura Shaefer's young adult novel The Teashop Girls, about three friends who are trying to save the main character's grandmother's tea shop in Madison, WI; now, there's a follow-up novel entitled The Secret Ingredient, which is a sweet but not saccharine continuation of the tale of Annie and her friends growing up and learning their place in the world--this time centering around a scone-making blogging competition.

So, they're super cute books for young girls to read, but happily, Paula Wiseman books has offered a copy of The Secret Ingredient for giveaway! Just add a comment to this post (or comment on the CakeSpy facebook page) with your favorite type of scone. 

and--bonus! Here's a recipe for one of the scones from the book.

Cookies and Cream Scones

Adapted from The Secret Ingredient

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup chopped sandwich cookies (I used about 8 coarsely chopped berry oreos, because they were pink in the middle)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup milk

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together first; cut in the butter. Stir in the beaten egg and the cookie pieces. 
3. Slowly add the buttermilk to form a thick dough. Knead the dough on a board, roll to a 1-inch thickness, and cut the dough into 2-inch rounds or triangles.
4. Place each piece on a greased cookie sheet and brush the tops with the milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Comments

[Anna]

Blueberry! DELISH! :)

[Jackie]

My alltime favorite scone is a pumpkin scone sold at the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison, WI!

[ladywild]

I love scones made with any kind of dried fruit. Blueberries, raisins, apricots, anything.

[Keziah Kate]

My favorite scone would be.....an orange scone(:

[Claire]

I love maple scones. yum yum!

[Awesome Music Videos]

Scones that involve cherries, definitely! Hope I win!
And thanks, Cakespy!

[Charlotte]

with butter! doesn't really matter what type of scone...

[Janelle]

I love a good sweet scone with Devonshire cream and lemon curd. So totally yum!

[Tara @ Chip Chip Hooray]

My favorite scones are definitely chocolate chip--the buttery, crumbly scone and the pockets of almost-but-not-completely-melted chocolate sweetness? Throw in a little sugar sprinkled on top and I'm a happy camper. :)

[Londra Fleming]

Cranberry-Orange, Blueberry, Pumpkin, the list goes on and on. There isn't a scone that I don't love!!!

[sara]

Sounds like a really cute book! My favorite scone recipe is a recipe for blueberry scones I got from a family I babysat for in college...so fluffy and good!

[Amy]

Either my Mocha Chip scones or Snickerdoodle scones. Yum!

[Tara]

My favorite scones were these plain, buttery ones in Ireland. I wish i had the recipe - they were simple, but with this unique taste to them that made them very different than American scones. SO good.

[Julie Dyer]

How lovely! I love a light-as-air scone dotted with plump raisins.

[Christine S]

my owen creation of white chocolate apricot; or my smore's scones i make w/chocolate graham cracker crumbs, mini chocolate chips and marshmallow fluff...soooooo decadent!

[Heather Johnson]

I love raspberry white chocolate. Yummy!

[Molly]

Lemon Poppyseed, please? :)

[Amanda S]

Blueberry! Nothing like it when they're still warm!

[Christina]

White chocolate raspberry scones are soooo delish - perfect sweet/tart balance!

[Rebecca M.]

I love the Peach Pecan scones they sell at my local Whole Foods Market.

[TK]

Raspberry & chocolate scones! But I would definitely try these cookies and cream scones too!

[marira]

the book is amazing and i would love to try this recipe