Cranberry Orange Scones 2.0
*makes 6-8 scones

My aunt’s favorite scone flavor is cranberry orange, and I can’t blame her because it’s sweet and also very slightly citrusy. It has a really balanced wake up flavor, making it the perfect breakfast treat.

Now, I’ve been making cranberry orange scones for quite a while and have tweaked the recipe time and time again over the years. This time, my aunt bought heavy cream to make the scones, where in the past I have always used half and half. I was curious to see where the heavy cream would take the scones and, it turns out, it took them to an even fluffier and creamier — somewhat pillow like — and heavenly bake. YES. ANGELIC SCONES.

Replacing half and half with heavy cream in this recipe and netting out with an even creamier and softer scone didn’t surprise me because the fat content in heavy cream is higher than that of half and half. I didn’t know if it would be too fatty and create a flatter scone because I didn’t change the butter proportions either — but it all worked with the same exact ingredient measurements than my previously tested recipe. I did, however, totally skip sifting the flour and I still got a fluffy and light scone. So, I’ll let you skip it here too (wink).

The dough was very slightly softer and a bit “shaggier” but in no way hard to work with. When I placed the dough on my floured surface for shaping and cutting, I simply used a handful more flour to make the dough a bit more pliable.

Adding a bit more flour while forming and cutting the dough helped the scones stay together beautifully. I cut them into the standard 8 triangles, brushed them with more heavy cream and added a sprinkle of sugar before popping them into the oven to bake.

The cranberry orange scones spread just a tiny bit and puffed up beautifully. They cooked very slightly longer and their color was perfect when removed from the oven. There was no need to butter these or add icing, they were enjoyed in their natural state

Cranberry Orange Scones 2.0
*makes 6-8 scones

Ingredients
2 cups of all purpose flour + ¼ cup for shaping the dough and cutting
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
¼ cup of sugar + more for sprinkling before baking
Zest and juice of 1 large orange
1 cup of dried cranberries
½ cup of butter; cubed
½ cup heavy cream + 2 tablespoons for brushing the scones before they go in the oven
1 large egg

Instructions

*For this recipe you can use a Kitchen Aid Mixer fitted with the paddle attachment but I did all of the below, easily, by hand, cutting the butter with two forks (and my hands) and gently mixing the batter with a wooden spoon

–Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat
–Add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and orange zest and dried cranberries to a large mixing bowl
–Remove butter from the freezer and cut into teenie tiny cubes
–Using two knives, two forks or a pastry cutter, or ya fingers – cut butter into the dry ingredients until incorporated and pea sized. The dough should look crumbly. Why? Because you want mini chunks of butter in your dough, that are cold and frozen, so they melt while the scones are baking; which will keep your scones buttery and soft while baking
*You can also use a Kitchen Aid Stand mixer fit with a pastry paddle or mixing paddle if you don’t want to cut in butter and do the below by hand
–In a small bowl or glass measuring cup with a spout, beat together the egg and heavy cream
–Pour mixture over the dough and gently fold until combined; squeeze orange juice in and continue to fold until dough is formed
–Turn dough out onto a lightlty floured surface and form a round disc
–The dough will be shaggy/loose, so use the additional ¼ cup of flour, and your judgement, to gently shape and then cut the scone dough
–Two options for cutting: 1) cut the round disc into 6-8 wedges or 2) roll out the disc and cut into rounds using a small glass or round cookie cutter 3” in diameter
–Place scones on a baking sheet, spacing 2-3” apart and brush with additional heavy cream
–Bake for 17-20 minutes until golden brown
–Serve as is or with butter and jam
–Option to make a glaze using by beating together 2 tabelspoons of confectioners sugar with 2 tablespoons of orange juice