PRODUCT REVIEW: Vanilla Chai Scones Mix from Sticky Fingers Bakeries

scone mixWhere to Buy:  Sticky Fingers Bakeries

Product Description:

A lightly sweet scone bursting with fragrant spices like cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. Perfect with tea.

Taster’s Review:

It’s been a little while since I’ve reviewed a scones mix, and the reason why is that it’s been a while since I’ve made scones!  And it really should not have been so long since I’ve made scones!  My daughter loves them, I love them … it’s a perfect treat for the both of us.

Sticky Fingers Bakeries makes some of my favorite scones mix, and I really enjoyed this Vanilla Chai flavored scones mix!  As I’ve said before, what I love so much about this scones mix is that it’s so easy to prepare!  Just add water and mix, and then either roll out and cut into wedges, or just drop by large, rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheet.  It really is that simple.

Instead of using water when I prepared this mix, I used milk.  I find that the flavor is just a little bit richer, and I like that.  It’s still really delicious prepared with water, but the milk just adds a little more richness to the scones.

The scones come out fluffy and a little moist.  They aren’t overly dry or too dense.  The scones made with this vanilla chai mix were really yummy.  The spice level was delicious – I could taste notes of ginger, cinnamon and I could even taste a hint of tea in the flavor.  I didn’t get a whole lot of vanilla flavor though.

The spices were on the mild side, though, this didn’t taste like a spice cookie or gingerbread.  It tasted like a biscuit with spice accents.  Definitely enjoyable.  Really good with honey butter.  I just softened some butter and mixed in some honey.  Most honey butter recipes that I’ve seen also call for some orange zest, but, I didn’t have an orange on hand, so I just grabbed some honey and some room temperature butter, and it came out delicious.  Add the honey gradually and taste it as you add it … you can always add a little more honey but you can’t take it out once it’s in there!

A tasty tea time treat!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Lemon Ginger Scones Mix from Sticky Fingers Bakeries

Where to Buy:  Sticky Fingers Bakeries

Product Description:

Fresh ginger is the star of this scone, supported by a burst of succulent lemon. Two flavors that are meant to be together…

Taster’s Review:

I’ve had this scones mix stashed away for a couple of months now, just waiting for just the right time.  I guess tonight was it.  I wanted something deliciously “homey” but not a heavy, overly sweet treat, and above all, something that was fast and easy.  That certainly describes these scones perfectly.

The mix is incredibly easy to prepare.  Just add water, stir until moistened and sticky, and then drop biscuit-sized spoonfuls onto the baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.  Before baking, I opted to sprinkle a little raw sugar on top of each scone to add a nice texture and sparkle to the finished scone.  While this final step was completely optional, I do like the crunch the sugar topping provides.

The texture of the baked scone is not unlike other scones from this company that I’ve reviewed.  As I said in that review, the texture is “somewhere between a biscuit and a cake” and that is pretty accurate.  It has a nice crumb and has a pleasant moistness.  It doesn’t come off as “heavy.”  The lemon flavor enhances this even further, giving it a light feel.

The lemon is not an overbearing flavor.  The scones aren’t particularly sour, instead, it is more like a sweet lemon-y taste.  The real star of these scones is the ginger – which is a subtle flavor but it adds just the right amount of kick and contrasting flavor to the scone.

I served these scones simply with room temperature butter, and it made for a tasty treat.  A dollop of lemon curd would certainly enhance the lemony qualities of these scones, but, I think it might be a tad too much lemon – so unless you’re really in to lemon, I’d suggest something else.  Perhaps a little raspberry jam?

Of the several flavors I’ve tried from Sticky Fingers Bakeries thus far, this one just might be my favorite.  I love the aftertaste that lingers on the palate – lemony and sweet, with a slight touch of ginger.  YUM!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Organic Scone Mix from Heavenly Tea Gatherings

Where to Buy:  Cupboard of Blessings

Product Description:

Finally…an organic scone mix that bakes scones reminiscent of traditional English scones, a cross between a biscuit and a piece of cake.  Satisfying and healthy.  Our quality ingredients include a whole wheat pastry flour that captures its unique texture and flavor through a special milling process. This wonderful flour is the key ingredient that gives our scones a wonderful crumb and palate pleasing taste that is…HEAVENLY!

~  Certified Organic ~

~ 27 oz. Versatile Mix makes 2 recipes ~

~ Delectable Recipe Booklet  ~

Taster’s Review:

I love freshly baked scones, and because of that I’ve tried a LOT of scone mixes over the years.  But, I can honestly say that I’ve not tried one as delicious as this!

These scones are amazing!

They are simple enough to prepare – just measure out the right amount of mix (two batches can be made from 1 package), and add butter, cream, egg and vanilla.  This results in a dense moist scone that is flaky and tender and delicious.  The best way I can think of to describe these scones is that if my beloved gramma made her pie crust into scones – this is what they would taste like!

Not only are these scones delicious, but they are probably the most economical scones mix I’ve found in a long time!   Each package makes 2 batches of 10 – 12 scones (depending upon how large you make your scones) and costs just $5.75 – which is what I’ve found to be about the average cost of a typical ONE batch scone mix.  In fact, I’ve found (and paid for!) scone mixes that cost even more for jut one batch.  This package gives you double the product for just about the same price.

Generally, I like my scones with clotted cream (or, in a pinch, some butter will do), however, the butter added during preparations give these tea-time treats a very buttery-rich flavor; I don’t think they need more!  But some lemon curd (or fruit spread) would be nice.  (Heavenly Tea Gatherings also offers a delicious lemon curd that I shall be reviewing very soon!)

Serve these scones at your next tea party and your guests will be begging you for the recipe!  Nobody has to know that it came from a mix!  YUMMY!

Product Review: Pumpkin Spice Scone Mix from Sticky Fingers Bakeries

Where to Buy:  Sticky Scones Bakeries

Product Description:

Pumpkin pie flavor in just minutes! Rich in premium quality spices and pumpkin flakes. Sure to be a favorite throughout the Holiday Season!

Taster’s Review:

I love scones!  And nothing seems to complete tea time quite like freshly baked scones.   But one thing I don’t really like about scones is what has to go into the baking process – measuring ingredients, kneading the dough… etc.  I want to be able to just add water, stir, drop by the spoonful and bake.

There are a lot of scone mixes out there, and many of them offer you the convenience of the process I just described.  The only problem is that many of them taste like you just added water, stirred, dropped by the spoonful and baked.  In other words, they don’t taste great.

There seems to be just a handful of companies out there that do scone mix right – and Sticky Fingers Bakeries is one of them.  And, they offer so many flavor choices!  I’ve tried several of their flavors, and I haven’t been disappointed yet.  I received this particular package as a gift from a friend – and it was a most welcome gift, indeed.

And the flavor is absolutely DELISH!  These taste a lot like pumpkin pie – in scone form!  I highly recommend eating these with clotted cream – it really elevates the flavor to a whole new level.   Another way to change this one up, should you want to, is to add a handful of chocolate chips.

The texture is so nice with these – they are somewhere between a biscuit and a cake.  Soft,  moist, and absolutely yummy.   And they reheat nicely – just pop them in the microwave for about 10 seconds and you have a nice, warm scone!  YUM!