St. Elizabeth Scones // liturgical living {yum}

Happy Feast of St. Elizabeth! Today is my feast day (did you know my name is Elisebeth?), so we had a little liturgical living celebration here at our apartment.

We don't know too, too much about St. Elizabeth, but we do know she was John the Baptist's momma, and Mary's cousin. {We learn about Elizabeth in Luke 1.} Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah conceived when she was "advanced in years." Mary came to visit and stay with Elizabeth when she was newly pregnant with Jesus.

"During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, 'Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.'" {Luke 1:39-45}

How amazing this experience must have been for Elizabeth! I cannot even begin to imagine.

In celebration of this beautiful saint, I'd love to share a new recipe with you:

St. Elizabeth Scones

{with cherries and almonds}

{ingredients}

4 c. plus 1/4 c. flour (I used 2 1/2 c. all-purpose and 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour)

1/4 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. kosher salt

rounded 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

1 c. cold heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp., plus 1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 c. dried cherries

2/3 c. toasted sliced almonds, chopped

1 egg beaten w/ 2 Tbsp. water for egg wash

1/2 c. confectioners' sugar

3 tsp. milk

{how to}

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix 4 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in the bowl of an electric mixer, using a paddle attachment.

Add cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until butter is pea-sized. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream and 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour mixture. Mix until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine the dried cherries with 1/4 cup flour. Stir toasted sliced almonds into the cherry and flour mixture.

Add the cherry/almond mixture to the dough and mix on low speed until blended.

Pour the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead into a ball. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to 3/4-inch thick.

Flour a 1 1/2 inch circle cutter (or the top of a jar or juice cup work great, too!) and cut circles of dough. Collect the scraps, re-roll them out on the floured surface, and cut more circles until all the dough has been used.

Place scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until the tops are browned and the insides baked. They should be firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow scones to cool about fifteen minutes.

While the scones are cooling, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/4 tsp. almond extract to make a glaze. Drizzle over scones. 

Enjoy in honor of St. Elizabeth, or just as a special treat. These go great with your morning coffee or an afternoon cup of tea. 

Also! This recipe makes about 42 scones. Feel free to freeze some! To store in the freezer, wrap each scone individually with plastic wrap, and then place them in a freezer bag. When you're ready to enjoy, remove the number of scones your heart desires, and allow them to sit at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes. Unwrap each scone and place on a baking sheet. Warm scones in the oven at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. 

St. Elizabeth, pray for us! 

P.S. Coming soon! A final update on our birthday gift for Thomas Gianna, and sharing about our babymoon to Vermont {preview pictures on instagram}.

{recipe inspired by this one}

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