A charming little froggy twist on wholesome scones, these are great for a party or to replace sandwiches at a picnic. You can do sweet versions, too: just fill with clotted cream and jam, and use edible wafer paper for the tongue.
Makes: 12 small scones (double recipe for more/larger scones)
Prep time: 15 mins, plus chilling and decorating time
Bake time: 10-12 mins
For the scones:
140ml whole milk
Squeeze of lemon juice
300g self-raising flour
¾ tsp baking powder
80g salted butter (room temperature, cubed)
20g caster sugar
1 egg
Green food dye
Edible eyes
Edible glue or similar (to stick eyes on)
For the filling:
Cheese slices
Tomato
Branston pickle or similar
Lettuce or rocket
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Put the milk in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 20-30 seconds until slightly warm, but not too hot to touch. Squeeze in some lemon juice and leave for five to 10 minutes, during which time it will curdle.
Combine the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and rub together using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir through the caster sugar.
Pour over the curdled milk, stir with a spoon, then use your hands to combine everything into a ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a thickness of about 4cm. Use a small round cutter to stamp out 12 scones, reserving any surplus dough, and place on the baking tray.
Beat an egg with a little green food dye. Brush this on top of the scones. Then shape small balls from the leftover dough and place these on top of the scones near the sides, to resemble frogs’ eyes. Brush again with green egg wash, then bake for 10-12 mins until risen and golden-green in colour. Leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
To decorate, slice in half horizontally, then fill with cheese slices, tomato, salad leaves and pickle. Stick on edible eyes with a little edible glue or something similar (liquid glucose, royal icing etc).
