Cranberry Orange Scones – Recipe
Even if you are not a huge fan of scones, you will LOVE this recipe.
I made a batch of healthful scones using a skinny recipe a while back. They were tasteful, but not as moist and flaky as these Cranberry Orange Scones.
This recipe from Barefoot Contesa, produced the most delicious scones ever. I would not call them “skinny” by any means, but they are absolutely yummy.
I am posting my version of this recipe due to some changes I made to the original one.
This recipe yields 20+ triangular-shaped scones.
The dough is rolled out to a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick and then ready to cut into strips and triangles.
Scones are placed on greased parchment paper and tops brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with coarse sugar.
Once baked, they are cooled off on a wire rack, before glazing.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour ( I used Gold Medal unbleached)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbs. coarse sugar for sprinkling the tops of the scones (I used Cupcake Gems)
- 2 Tbs. baking powder (I use aluminum-free, Rumford brand)
- Zest of one medium orange
- 3/4 lbs. cold butter (3 sticks), diced(I used salted butter and skipped the 2 tsp. salt)
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold (1/2 pint)
- 1 tsp. lemon or orange extract (optional)
- 1 cup dry cranberries ( I used 50 % less sugar)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (to use with cranberries)
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbs. water or milk
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar + 2 Tbs
- 4 tsp. orange juice, freshly squeezed (from the orange you just used for zest)
- 1 tsp. lemon extract
Instructions
- Use a large bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle mixing attachment.
- Pour in 4 cups of flour, orange zest, sugar and baking powder. Mix to incorporate.
- Add diced cold butter, and mix on low speed, until butter and flour becomes crumbly.
- In a separate bowl, mix eggs with heavy cream, and extract.
- Slowly add to flour mixture, while mixing, until just blended.
- In a small bowl, combine cranberries with 1/4 cup of flour.
- Fold the floured cranberries into the sticky dough, by mixing on very low speed.
- Generously flour your work area, and scoop out the dough onto it to knead into a soft ball.
- Roll it out into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle, and cut out scones (see pictures above).
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place the oven rack in middle position.
- Place scones on a baking sheet lined with greased parchment paper. Space them fairly close together, about 1/2 inch apart, as they puff up rather than out, during baking.
- Brush tops with an egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake 2o minutes. The tops will turn light golden color.
- Remove onto a wire cooling rack. Cool for about 15 minutes, then drizzle tops with prepared glaze.
- Beat egg with water/milk.
- Brush on tops of scones before baking.
- Mix in sugar, orange juice and lemon extract, to form a creamy substance.
- Drizzle over the tops of cooled scones.
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