Get your bake on

My little part of Northamptonshire seems to have its own microclimate. While my friends on the south coast upload piles of pictures of them on the beach in glorious sunshine, the weather here has been more hit and miss. Cooler, wet, stormy, bit windy as Effy would say.

Visits from friends and left over clotted cream called for scones... You'll know that D is the baker in this household and he loves baking with Effy, but this time it was my turn to get mucky... Ish. Not going to lie, I made my dough in the KitchenAid, but the rest of the making was (mostly) left in the capable hands of my two year old.

Recipe - makes a lot of smaller scones perfect for smaller hands, tummies and YumBoxes. And you can obviously eat twice as many as they're half the calories.

Ingredients

350g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
85g margerine/butter (I used marg)
175ml milk
Dash of vanilla extract (I used Dr Oetker) 

Extra flour for dusting surfaces
Trex for greasing
Baking parchment is desired

Copeous amounds of jam and clotted cream to serve. Bon.

Method - using a blender but this could be done by hand with a little more time

• Preheat oven to 200/Gas 7
• Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and marg until you have the consistency of breadcrumbs.
• Warm the milk slightly in the microwave and add to the dry mix along with the vanilla until a sticky dough forms.
• Dust the work surface with flour. Turn out dough and fold in until the dough becomes a smoother consistency and holds itself together.
• Because we were making little scones, we rolled to about a 1cm-1 1/2cm deep.
• Cut shapes and lay out on a baking tray that you've greased well.
• Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, watching them closely and remove as the tops are turning golden. Allow the cool on a wire rack.
• Eat soon after.

My little baker was thrilled with her efforts, she loved watching the oven (usual conversations of careful, hot apply) and eating some of her freshly made "making".

Easy peasy. All cleared up before the baby woke up.

You're welcome!