Cranberry Orange Scones

🧂 Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

  (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup salted butter

  cold (1 stick)
• 1 cup fresh cranberries

  washed
• 2 tsp. grated orange peel

  packed
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. orange juice
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

  or soured milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp. half-and-half

  or whole milk
• 1/3 cup unbleached flour

  to roll out the scones
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup half-and-half

  or more, as needed
• 1 tbsp. orange juice
• 1 tsp. grated orange peel

  for topping, if desired

Instructions

• 1 Preheat oven to 400º.
• 2 Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• 3 In a large mixing bowl, place flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking
  soda and salt.
• 4 Stir or whisk well to combine ingredients.
• 5 Add butter and cut into mixture with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form.
• 6 Add orange zest and cranberries and stir again to combine.
• 7 Measure out buttermilk in a small measuring cup.
• 8 Add vanilla extract and orange juice and stir to combine.
• 9 Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture adding only enough to make a soft
  dough.
• 10 Measure out about a 1/3 cup of flour; sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour on top
  of bread board.
• 11 Transfer dough to the floured bread board; sprinkle very generously with some of
  the flour; knead dough about six to ten times.
• 12 Turn dough over about half way and sprinkle with remaining flour.
• 13 Knead dough again about 8-10 times.
• 14 Pat dough into a 7-inch round about one to two inches thick.
• 15 Cut the dough into eighths.
• 16 Transfer the scones onto the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
• 17 Combine egg and cream in a small bowl with a whisk.
• 18 Brush each scone with egg/cream mixture.
• 19 Bake at 400º for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in
  center comes out clean.
• 20 Remove scones to wire racks and cool approximately 10 minutes before adding
  glaze.
• 21 Add glaze and serve. 
• 22 In a large sized mixing bowl, whisk half-and-half, powdered sugar and orange
  juice until smooth.
• 23 Transfer scones to wire cooling rack.
• 24 Spoon icing over top of each scone with a one-tablespoon measuring spoon.
• 25 Smooth the icing over the whole top and down the sides of the scone adding as
  much icing as necessary.
• 26 (Usually between one and two tablespoonfuls of icing per scone is all that’s
  needed).
• 27 Sprinkle each scone immediately with grated orange zest after glazing each scone
  with icing.
• 28 Let glaze set for 5-10 minutes before serving. 
• 29 Serve.

Nutrition Info