After the British raisin scone, the cranberry orange scone have got to be the most baked scone ever. There is something so magical in the pairing of tart, fresh cranberries with the zing of the orange zest in a flaky, buttery dough. Don't you think?
These scones are wonderful at tea time. I've had them for breakfast with coffee. They are a delight as a mid-morning snack. They also make a great midnight snack when you're up all night keeping up with your responsibilities as a food blogger to bring these amazing recipes to life ;) And they make for a lovely dessert that my kids take to work and school with their lunches.
I also decided that there is seriously no way I'm going to be satisfied with a dried cranberry scone, and even if I have to wait until next fall to see fresh cranberries again, I will wait. I'm just going to make my quintessentially British Savoy scone in the meantime ;)
Oh ... and one more amazing thing you need to know about this recipe... I've subbed the cream for yogurt and guess what? It tasted amazing. Little changes add up to a lot nutrition-wise and more importantly, calorie-wise.
Well fall's rolling in right about now. Head on out and get some fresh cranberries, a jar of marmalade, and get baking!
Ingredients:
500 g (4 cups) all purpose flour
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2-3 tbsp grated orange zest
340 g (24 tbsp or 3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
235 ml (1 cup) cold heavy cream or yogurt
60 ml (1/4 cup) marmalade
30 g (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour235 ml (1 cup) cold heavy cream or yogurt
60 ml (1/4 cup) marmalade
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
2 tbsp sugar for sprinkling
Optional drizzle:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Directions:
1. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest.
3. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Alternatively work butter in by rubbing it between your fingers.
4. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream and marmalade.
5. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the wet ingredients into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy!
6. Toss the cranberries with the remaining flour, add to the dough, and fold gently until distributed all over the batter.
6. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead lightly.
7. Flour your hands and pat the dough down to 3/4-inch thick. You should still see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick.
8. Now's a good time to crank up the oven to 375F.
9. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter, or a good old fashioned glass and cut circles of dough.
10. Place the scones on the baking pan.
11. Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
12. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch.
Optional drizzle:
13. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.
If you decide not to drizzle, enjoy them warm right out of the oven, with a dollop of yogurt sweetened with a bit of honey.
