Cranberry Orange Scones
For a long time, scones were too scary to attempt. They’re not a cookie, but they’re not bread. They’re almost a biscuit, but not really at all. Eventually, I decided to try them. The first time I made them for my eighth grade class when we had a Christmas tea after reading A Christmas Carol. I mean, eighth graders eat anything, so what could go wrong? I went with Cranberry Orange flavor because they felt festive. They were a hit. I’ve made them so many times since then, and they are not scary at all!
I love scones because they can be breakfast, dessert, or brunch. They’re not super sweet, especially if you skip the icing. I can always go for one of these with a hot cup of tea at night when I sit by the Christmas tree. It’s my favorite thing.
The first time I made these a few people (actual adults) commented on how great the texture was. I was surprised since I hadn’t made them before. I attribute the success to the trick shared in the recipe I used on Sally’s Baking Addiction. And honestly, Sally knows it all when it comes to baking anything. The trick she shares is to freeze the butter, and then use a box grater to grate the butter like you would cheese. This allows the butter to stay cold and still break down into small pieces.
Now when I make scones, I use this recipe and adjust the flavors depending on what I want to use. This cranberry orange just works so well, and I love the use of cranberries at this time of year, so I use them as much as possible. Dinner recipes, cookies, and definitely scones.
There are a few adjustments I have made to this recipe a couple times. One is using salted butter, but mostly because I didn’t have unsalted. I didn’t notice a difference. The other is the milk. I’ve used half and half, regular milk, and heavy cream. Again, not a big difference. I do swear by the butter trick though. And I will forever use that. So, give them a try! It’s almost time to start baking all the cookies, so this is a good start.
Yay for December!
Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1⁄2 cup sugar
- 2 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter frozen
- 1⁄2 cup milk or heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup frozen cranberries
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Combine first five ingredients in a bowl
- Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter into the mixture 3. Use your hands to combine
- Place in fridge while finishing the next steps
- Whisk milk or cream, egg, and vanilla in a bowl
- Combine with flour mixture and add the cranberries
- Mix with your hands until dough forms
- Flour your surface and work the dough into a ball
- Press into a disc about 8 inches and cut into 8 wedges
- Optional- brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar before baking
- Refrigerate scones on a lined baking sheet for 15 minutes
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown
- Glaze: whisk the sugar and orange juice. Add more orange juice if needed to get to the right consistency.
- Brush glaze onto scones once they have cooled
Video
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