Cranberry Scones

I have a hard time resisting a good breakfast pastry, and scones are high up on my list of favorite breakfast treats. I have found that you are either a scone person or you are not. Some complain of scones being dry, and while that can be the case, it is not always true. (And, I don’t even mind the dry ones.)

These cranberry scones are some of the best scones I’ve had. They have a light, buttery texture with just the right amount of tartness from the cranberries. They are dusted with a little extra sugar before baking, giving the top crust of the scones a bit of extra sweetness. I like to enjoy one of these cranberry scones with a cup of coffee as a morning snack. It just brings a little sunshine into my day. Enjoy!

Cranberry Scones

Makes 8-10 scones

Ingredients:

• 1½ tablespoons freshly grated lemon or orange zest (I used orange)
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup plus 3 tbsp. sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1¼ cups fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Additional sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the orange zest, flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder and salt.  Whisk to blend.  Add in the cold butter pieces and use a pastry blender to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter pieces are no larger than peas. (Alternatively, you can pulse the mixture in a food processor to work in the butter.)
3. In a small bowl, toss together the chopped cranberries and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar.  Stir this into the flour-butter mixture.
4. In another small bowl or a liquid measuring cup, combine the egg, egg yolk and heavy cream; whisk to blend.  Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until all the dry ingredients are moistened.  Knead gently to be sure the dough is evenly mixed, being careful not to overwork the dough.
5. Place a 2½- or 3-inch round biscuit cutter on the lined baking sheet.  Scoop some of the dough inside the cutter and pat down gently to form a 1-inch thick round.  Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the rounds 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet. (I do not have a biscuit cutter, so I just spooned mounds of dough onto the baking sheet and gently flattened them a bit.) Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Make-ahead note: You can freeze the scones before baking by placing the unbaked scones on a baking sheet in the freezer until frozen. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and store in the freezer until ready to bake. You will only have to increase the baking time by a few minutes. Alternatively, you can freeze the baked scones and defrost at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally adapted from Smitten Kitchen