Quick & Easy Cranberry-Orange Scones

HOWDY friends!

I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with family, friends, lots of good food, and an abundance of gratitude to the Lord who grants it all.  Ours was filled with many blessings – most precious of all…some quality time with the ones we love.

Speaking of loved ones, as I was making breakfast this morning, it dawned on me that I’ve never shared one of my favorite tried & true recipes with you.  My sister-in-law, Brandy (who by-the-way is a FANTASTIC cook!), made these delicious scones for me during a visit to her house years ago, and I just had to have her recipe.  Thankfully, she is always willing to share.  Since then, I’ve made it more times than I can count, and it’s always a hit with everyone I serve it to – kids & adults alike!

I really don’t know where she got the original recipe, so I can’t properly credit it, but I can tell you that it’s very easy, and very good.  Be sure to give it a try as soon as you get a chance!

 

Cranberry-Orange Scones

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (the original recipe used only all-purpose flour)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder (I always use low-sodium baking powder)

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar (or your favorite sugar substitute)

1 Tbsp. freshly grated orange zest (you can also use dried if you don’t have fresh)

½ cup cold butter (cut into small cubes)

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 cup dried cranberries

1 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. sugar (I like to use a coarse sugar-- like Turbinado sugar -- for this part – my favorite is Sugar in the Raw)

2 Tbsp. orange juice

1 cup powdered sugar

Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar & orange zest.  (I just mix mine in my food processor – very quick and easy!)  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork.  (If you’re using the food processor, just pulse a few times until it is thoroughly incorporated and mixture resembles coarse sand.)  Add cranberries and mix well.

Add buttermilk and stir just until dough is moist.  (In the food processor, when the dough starts to form a ball, you know it’s ready.)  Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 5 or 6 times.  (DON’T OVERWORK THE DOUGH OR IT WILL BECOME TOUGH!)

Divide dough in half, and roll or pat each portion into a 6-inch circle.  Cut each circle into 8 wedges.

Place scones about 1-inch apart on a lightly greased baking sheet, brush with milk, and sprinkle with sugar.  (I really like the extra crunch the turbinado sugar gives.)

Bake at 425° F for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

While scones are baking, whisk together orange juice and powdered sugar to make the glaze. ( If it doesn’t come out to a consistency you like, just add more powdered sugar to thicken it, or a little more orange juice to thin it out.  NOTE:  A little juice goes a long way, so don’t add too much, or your glaze will be VERY runny!)

Remove scones to a cooling rack, and drizzle with prepared glaze.  ENJOY!!

If you make the scones exactly according to the recipe, you’ll come out with 16 scones.  I usually cut my scones with a cookie or biscuit cutter to make rounds or heart-shapes.  Just make sure to keep the dough at a proper thickness (about 1/2” or so).  If you do this, the number of scones you end up with, will depend on the size of your cutter.  :-)

NOTE:  For variety, I’ve also made a really good Blueberry-Lemon version by substituting dried blueberries for the cranberries, and lemon zest/lemon juice for the orange zest/orange juice.

Feel free to play with this recipe like I did, and make it your own…and don’t forget to stop back by and let me know what you think!  It’s sure to become a family favorite in your house too!

Blessings,

--Faithy