Easter Scones - Decoration Ideas

These adorable Easter egg scones are a fun way to bring a little color and whimsy into your Easter brunch. They're a great way to get children involved in an uncomplicated cream tea with visiting relatives without being overly fussy about finger sandwiches (although I do love those dainty nibbles!). These scones can be as intricate or subtle as you choose and are only limited by your imagination.

I found this great egg shaped cutter by Wilton at my local craft store. It's tall enough to work as a biscuit cutter and I knew as soon as I saw it that I would be making scones with it. One of the great things about scones is that they take so many different flavors well. Be as creative as you want with the dough - consider adding nuts, dried fruit, spices, or citrus zest. My favorites are candied orange peel and cardamom or finely chopped candied ginger with cinnamon. Since you'll be adding sugars and icing to the tops for the decorations just be careful about making the dough too sweet. This may be one time you want to skip the chocolate chips!

You will need:
You favorite scone recipe (if in doubt, try this one from Alton Brown, but use all butter - no shortening)
an egg-shaped cookie/biscuit cutter
colored sugars
royal icing or colored candy melt

Make your dough according to the recipe you chose.

Press or roll to about a half-inch thickness on a wooden board. Cut out egg shapes and transfer to a baking sheet. I used a paring knife to cut simple designs into my egg scones before brushing with egg wash and baking. If you don't want to use colored sugars or chocolates on top you can stud the top of your scones with dried fruits, pressing into the dough, and brush 2-3 more times with egg wash during baking to ensure a high gloss finish.

Or, once the scones are cool to the touch you can decorate as colorfully as you like! Try chevrons, stripes, dots, or solid fill. Try using a white icing base under light colored sugar sprinkles which gives you a great bright pop of color. Alternately white sugar over colored icing with give you a glittery finish to the color.

Serve scones with jam and hot tea for breakfast. Pair with deviled eggs and cucumber sandwiches for afternoon tea. Show off your new pink ruffled cake plate and attempt to photograph scones without eating them.

 Brush crumbs from face and... oh heck... just enjoy!