cranberry spice scones
Our weather has been total ass lately, dudes.
Photographing recipes is incredibly difficult in overcast conditions, particularly after 12p. In the earlier hours the day glow is usually enough to soften the harsher lighting conditions even if the sun don’t shine, but the later in the day it gets, the harder it is to compensate for the elements.
As someone who uses 0 artificial light in her photography – never learned how, don’t really want to – this battle is especially prevalent in late winter. I still haven’t fully mastered it. I still plow through this maddening process, though, because I love developing recipes and love even more sharing them with all of you. Even if the photos are less than perfect.
A gloomy, cold, dreary Saturday yielded these Cranberry Spice Scones. Lurking in my fridge was a bag of fresh cranberries leftover from some holiday venture or other, and I didn’t want to waste them. Scones are a simple baked good to dump all kinds of fillings in, and cranberry + cinnamon is a lovely combination when set against a tasty orange liqueur-laced glaze.
Superb with afternoon coffee or tea (pinkies up!) or for brunch alongside some eggs. Warm, soft, and flaky, none of that dry shit some coffee shops like to boast. Not that they have anything to boast about.
Chill Out, Butter
Scone dough is very basic, much like a buttermilk biscuit except with heavy cream instead. A touch of sugar sweetens up the dough to pair it even more nicely with a warm beverage – but they aren’t a sugarbomb, I promise.
One key element in scones (and biscuits, for that matter) is cold butter. If the butter is warm, the scones will fall flat. No one wants that. Some prefer cubing the butter and then refrigerating, but I like best grating the butter. Makes for easier incorporation once you add it into the dough. Whichever method you prefer, ensure your prepped butter is very cold.
In a big bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and a bit of cinnamon. Cut in that cold ass butter with a couple forks, a pastry fork, or your clean fingers. Keep going until pieces no larger than a pea remain. Fold in some fresh cranberries, then pour in heavy cream. Stir until the dough becomes cohesive but tacky, it should not be sopping wet. If that happens, add another tablespoon or so of flour. On the contrary, if the dough is still too dry, add another tablespoon of heavy cream until the desired texture is reached.
A Game of Scones
Once you’ve got your scone dough ready to roll, lightly grease a large baking dish and preheat the oven to 425.
Pat your dough into a circle about 3/4 inch wide. Slice 8 triangles from the dough and scoot along the pan to separate. Pop the pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This chills the butter to create that luscious flaky texture – warm butter, again, will cause the scones to collapse.
Pull the pan from the freezer, brush the tops with heavy cream, and bake 18-20 minutes until golden and flaky.
To finish, whip up a nice sweet drizzle. I use Cointreau for the orange flavor, but you can sub this out a few ways: orange zest, orange juice, or orange extract. Keep in mind the flavor will differ slightly between each, and the zest and extract will require that the glaze has more milk or water to create the drizzle thickness needed.
Mix up the liqueur with powdered sugar and vanilla, then add milk or water one tablespoon at a time until the glaze is thick but drips easily off the whisk. Drizzle generously over each scone.
And then…enjoy!
If you plan to make the scones ahead of time, they will keep well in the fridge, unbaked, for up to 3 days, or the freezer for a month. Just pull them out and bake as directed, then drizzle. Baked scones will be okay for up to 5 days, but the drizzle may absorb into the scone especially if you live in a humid environment. You will have better luck storing them sans drizzle, then adding the drizzle once you’re ready to serve.
Again, recommend with a hot mug of coffee. I might swipe one this afternoon, matter of fact.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Craving more scones?
Better than Coffee Shop Glazed Pumpkin Scones
cranberry spice scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 stick butter, grated and COLD
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 3/4-1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
orange glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp Cointreau (orange liqueur)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- milk or water to thin, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet with butter, or line with parchment.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. With your clean fingers, two forks, or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until pieces no larger than a pea remain. Fold in the cranberries, then stir in the heavy cream until a cohesive, tacky dough forms. If the dough is dry, add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve the desired texture.
- Form the dough into a ball and set onto the baking sheet. Pat into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut 8 triangles out of the dough and separate about two inches from one another. Freeze 15 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the freezer. Brush the tops of the scones with additional heavy cream. Bake 18-20 minutes until olden brown, puffed, and flaky.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, Cointreau, and vanilla. Add milk or water one tablespoon at a time to achieve a thick but smooth texture: the glaze should drizzle slowly off a fork or spoon. Swizzle overtop each scones.
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