An Inspired Cook

With the holidays around the corner comes the craving for sweets and makes me think of my favorite scones with dried cranberries and orange zest.  They are so easy to make and taste just like they came from a pastry shop. I  don’t usually do breakfast but I will make an exception for a scone to go with my morning coffee.  They are so tasty with an orange glaze drizzled over the top.

Here’s what you’ll need.  Some flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, zest of 1 orange, 1/2 cup buttermilk, and 1 egg.

Combine your dry ingredients including flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/4 cup unsalted butter until it becomes crumbly.

Add your dried cranberries and orange zest and stir.

Combine the buttermilk and egg.

Whisk it until it’s well blended.

Pour the buttermilk and egg into the dry ingredients and stir until moistened.

Flour a working surface and work dough into a round shape.  The thickness should be at least an inch thick.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Take a pastry cutter or large knife and cut into wedges. Place in a 400  degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes.  If you leave the scones intact, they will have softer edges.

But if you like your scones crunchy around all sides, separate the scones and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at the same temp and amount of time.

While the scones are baking it’s time to make an orange glaze.  Sift 1 cup of powdered sugar and juice the orange that was used for zest.

Whisk 3 tablespoons of orange juice into the powdered sugar.

A few turns of the whisk and it turns into a smooth orange glaze.

Fresh out of the oven you’ve got perfect scones that are are easy to pull apart.  They are so light on the inside and a little crumbly on the outside.  So tasty!

And these scones are crunchy on all sides with a light texture inside.  These are like what you would find in a bakery.

Get them while their hot and drizzle a little orange glaze over top.





Cranberry Orange Scones (adapted from Food.com posted by Sue Lau)

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
Zest of 1 Orange
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 Egg
1 cup Powdered Sugar
3 tablespoons Orange Juice

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture becomes a coarse crumbly mix.  Stir in dried cranberries and orange zest.

In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and egg and whisk.  Add buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until all dry ingredients are moistened.  On a floured surface, gently form dough into a round shape with 1 – 1 1/2 inch thickness and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a pastry cutter or large knife cut dough to make 8 wedges.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes.

Sift powdered sugar into a medium size bowl.  Add 3 tablespoons orange juice and whisk until mixture becomes a smooth glaze.  Drizzle over warm scones.