Cran-Orange Scones

Do your scones look more like the top of a muffin than a scone? Do they have the texture of a muffin or cake instead of being dry and flaky?

I’ve seen too many scones like this lately. I’ve bought them at coffee shops, my friends have made them…hell, I’ve made them! It’s wrong! It’s a travesty! It’s an offense to real scones everywhere! Scones should be so dry they give you cotton mouth!! Ok, not really but you get my point.

My friend (and coworker) Dave makes these really delicious and adequately dry, scones so I asked him if I could steal his recipe. I adapted it some seeing as Dave makes chocolate chip almond scones and I wanted cranberry orange scones. Use the base and go from there…want a savory scone? How about serrano ham and rosemary? Or cheddar and bacon scones? Mix it up with whatever you’ve got!

Enjoy!

Adapted from Mitchell Davis’ Cook Something cookbook.

4 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
1tbsp vanilla extract
Zest of 3 oranges

1 cup dried or fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the pinch of salt.  Using a pastry cutter or your hands (my tool of choice) add the butter and cut it into the flower. The finished mixture should resemble coarse meal. Using a fork, gently mix in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, orange zest and cranberries until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Feel free to use your hands as the dough comes together and needs to be mixed.  Add additional heavy cream if the dough feels too dry but not too much – these are dry, flaky scones!

Pat the dough into a ball in the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest in the fridge for 1/2 hour. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into a circle about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick and cut each circle into wedges or strips (so it’s almost like biscotti). 

In a separate bowl beat the egg and milk together. Brush top of each scone with this mixture and sprinkle sugar on top. Dave and I prefer sugar in the raw for garnishing the scones.

Bake until golden brown 12-18 minutes, or until the bottoms/edges of the scones have turned golden brown.

Orange Glaze

Adapted from Giada de Laurentis

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 orange, zested

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix together thoroughly. Spoon or drizzle over tops of scones as they cool. Let set until dry before storing.