Welsh cakes

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 10 minutes per batch Makes: 12 to 14 cakes

Great at breakfast and terrific with an evening cup of cocoa, these sugar-dusted little sconelike griddled cakes come together in a jiffy. They’ll keep for a couple of days in a sealed bag or cake tin and freeze well for up to four months.

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1⁄3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

2 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon each: ground cinnamon, ground allspice

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 cup cold salted butter

1⁄3 cup dried currants, cherries, blueberries or cranberries

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2to5 tablespoons whole milk

1. Whisk together the flour, 1⁄3 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces, and use your fingers or a pastry blender to combine it with the flour mixture. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs with some larger pieces. Stir in the dried fruit.

2. In a glass measuring cup, combine the egg, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and toss with a fork to combine. Add up to 3 tablespoons additional milk to make a light dough that is no longer crumbly and holds together well.

3. Tip the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead three to five times. Roll or pat dough to a thickness of about 1⁄2 inch and cut into rounds using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Reroll the scraps, and cut out additional cakes; discard scraps after the second cutting.

4. Lightly butter a large heavy skillet or griddle, and heat to medium hot. Cook the Welsh cakes, working in batches as needed, until golden brown but still soft in the middle, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Immediately sprinkle the cakes generously with sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition information per cake (for 12 cakes): 189 calories, 8 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 36 mg cholesterol, 26 g carbohydrates, 9 g sugar, 3 g protein, 209 mg sodium, 1 g fiber