Nothing screams holiday season louder than cranberries. These Fluffy Cranberry Scones with Orange Glaze are perfect for munching on throughout the holiday season. These scones are super fluffy and soft. They have a warm and comforting flavor because of the addition of cinnamon and brown sugar. The sweetness and tartness of the cranberries is perfectly balanced out by the orange glaze. The orange glaze is seriously good. And by seriously good, I mean I want this orange glazed drizzled on everything I eat from now on.
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes (plus chilling time)
SERVINGS: 8 scones
INGREDIENTS:
Scones:
2 cups + 1/4 cup (270 grams) all purpose flour (divided)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (cut into half inch cubes)
1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large orange
Pinch of salt
Raw sugar (optional for sprinkling on top)
Butter or milk/cream for brushing on top
Glaze:
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
RECIPE:
Slice your butter cubes and place them back into the fridge while you measure out the rest of your ingredients. In a small bowl, add your cranberries, cinnamon, orange zest, and brown sugar. Place the bowl aside while you make the dough.
Combine 2 cups of flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix well. Then add in the cold butter cubes with the flour mixture and use your fingertips to break it down until chickpea-sized clumps start to form. The some chunks will be bigger than others and that is alright. It will add flakiness to the scone. You want to work quickly to make sure the butter does not melt too much.
Slowly add in the milk/cream and vanilla and mix with your hands until a sticky, scraggly dough starts to form. At this point, the dough is going to be very sticky. Flour your work surface with about half of the remaining flour. Kneed the dough and add in the rest of your flour. If the dough is still too sticky to handle, add up to an additional 1/4 cup of flour or chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Using your hands, pat the dough into a 3/4 inch thick square. Place the cranberry mixture onto the square and gently press the berries into the dough. Fold one half of the dough over the other and pat it back into a square. Cut the dough fourths and stack the pieces. Pat the dough back down, but this time, in a circle with a diameter of about 8-9 inches.
Cut out 8 triangular slices and preheat your oven to 425° F. Place the slices onto a parchment lined baking sheet and put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until your oven finishes preheating.
Remove from the freezer and brush milk/cream/butter all over the scones. Sprinkle some raw sugar on top. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown.
While the scones bake, add your orange juice, cornstarch, and sugar to a small saucepan. Mix well and bring it to a boil and then immediately take it off the heat.
Once the scones are done baking, let them cool for 15 minutes before drizzling them with the glaze and serving.