Wake and Bake: Sugar Plum Scones

Given the long ramp-up to the holidays, Christmas day always seems to be over in the blink of an eye. Just as I'm really getting my carol on, it's Christmas Eve. And then before you can say, "Socks? For me?" it's time to pack my presents into a suitcase and head on home.

Maybe one reason that Christmas day feels so short is that, in my family, we never do anything special for breakfast. We're fully aware of the onslaught of food which will start around 3 pm, so we limit ourselves to oatmeal and toast. There's a certain logic there, sure, but I eat oatmeal and toast the other 364 days of the year, so for Christmas 2011, I've decided to make something special.

I couldn't resist a little kitsch, so I decided to make plum scones, drizzle them with a sugar glaze, and call them Sugar Plum Scones.

They are light and flaky, with big pieces of chopped prunes. (I use Sunsweet or Newman's Own brands because they're the plumpest). The glaze adds a final pretty, festive touch. And really, one little scone will still leave room for a day full of appetizers, roasts, sides, and desserts.

Scones also work well because I don't want to dirty any more pans than absolutely necessary. There is going to be a decent amount of last minute cooking, and I don't want to spend Christmas day at the sink. With this recipe, you can either make the scones in one dish (your food processor) or, even better, make the dough the day or two before Christmas and freeze it. Just pop the scones into the oven when you're done opening presents.