Cranberry Orange Scones

Easter is less than a week away and for a lot of us that means family gatherings, church services and big holiday meals.  I recognize that Easter brings joy to some people and stress for others.  And then there are those of us who feel blissfully stressed over all of the Easter holiday preparations.🙃 

Hosting large holiday meals for family is not for the faint of heart so I hope that I can offer a bit of help to the Easter dinner hosts this week.  I'll be sharing some of my favorite Easter recipes on the blog to help make your holiday meal prepping a little easier.  To kick things off: Cranberry Orange Scones - a perfect compliment to any Easter brunch menu.  Go ahead and make these early in the week, pop them in your freezer and you can cross Easter morning breakfast off your to-do list.  ​

If you can't find fresh cranberries this time of year - substitute dried cranberries.  And if you prefer - swap the orange zest for lemon or lime.  What I'm saying is: make these your own.  This scone recipe is basic.  It's easily customizable.  Chocolate chips more your style?  Maybe white chocolate chips?  Perhaps blueberry or raspberry scones are more your cup of tea.  If you've got a favorite scone flavor - send it to me - I'd love to hear about your Easter scones.  

Cranberry Orange Scones
2 cups flour 
1/2 cup sugar
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons orange zest 
1/2 cup butter, frozen
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 heaping cup frozen cranberries
1 Tablespoon heavy cream 
coarse sanding sugar

Orange Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2–3 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest. 

Grate frozen butter in food processor. 

​Add flour mixture to food processor and pulse until just combined.  

Whisk together 1/2 c. cream, egg and vanilla. 

Slowly add to food processor and pulse until combined.

Pour dough out onto counter. 

Gently fold in cranberries with hands.  Divide dough into thirds. 

Spread each third into a 1/2" thick disk.

Slice each disk into 6 pieces. 

Brush remaining cream over dough and sprinkle with sanding sugar. 

Refrigerate 30 minutes.  Separate slices slightly and bake 22-25 minutes at 400. 

Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over cooled scones. 

Ciao!

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