Garam Masala and Citrus Scones

I know that it's not right to boast, but you know what? I will. I've been having a horrible couple of days and you cannot imagine how proud I am of myself for these little inventions.  I'm usually the happy go-lucky girl holding a glass half-full with an unlimited refill.  Well that glass shattered.  And it cut my hand.  And blood just went everywhere.

I applied for a culinary school scholarship and I didn't get it.  I knew my chances were low but it still hurt, as it was like a big slap in the face.  With a cast iron skillet.  My friends say I should just view this as a speed bump in life.  Yes, a speed bump where I tripped over and fell and twisted my ankles. 

I lost faith in myself.  Cooking is the only thing I care about and that just shattered my confidence.  I've been avoiding cooking at home because I felt like I can't.  I know it's silly but I just wanted a break from the kitchen...But last night I just needed to bake something.

A quote sprang to mind

“My choice sometimes is: I can kill myself or I can make a dozen cupcakes. Right, so I'll do the cupcakes and I can kill myself tomorrow.” - Marian Keyes

Now, I wasn't that dramatic, I was not going to kill myself. After all, it was just a speed bump in life. A speed bump where I was seriously injured and embarrassed, but a speed bump nonetheless, not a cliff. So I went home and made scones. And I was contemplating what flavors I wanted, I didn't want the plain sultana scones, I wanted something different, I wanted something exciting. I looked through my cupboards and saw the garam masala and put 2 tsp of it along with my flour and there was an instant sense of regret. I thought I had ruined my scones. I just went ahead with it anyway and added some mixed citrus peel and just hoped for the best.

They were delicious. Absolutely delicious. You have no idea how proud I am of myself. Garam masala in sweets - of course it works. It's like a chai latte in a scone form. It's the perfect winter treat as the spices just make it so soul-warming.

Makes about 8 small scones
Ingredients
225g flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp garam masala
40g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup mixed candied citrus peel
50g butter, chilled, diced into cubes
125ml milk, chilled

Method
Preheat the oven to 225C.
Put the flour, baking powder, salt and garam masala in a bowl.   Mix throughly.
Add the butter and rub with your hands until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs.  Add the mixed citrus peel, sugar and milk.  Stir everything together, don't overwork it.  Pat the dough down to about 2cm thick on a floured surface and cut out little rounds.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden on top.