Cranberry Orange Scones

I had my doubts about this flavor combination, but when I tried them for the first time sometime last year, my doubts disappeared. They have since been made for Christmas brunch and then late last week as a birthday present for a friend of mine. They will continue to be made in this house... And disappear quickly. Hence, no picture. Benjamin told me he wanted just one more "because they're soooo deliiiiiicious." A compliment will get you far, my sweet, smart boy.

When I first made these scones, I noticed that they didn't have as intense a cranberry or orange flavor as I would have liked, so I tweaked the recipe a bit, doubling the amount of dried cranberries and orange zest. I also noticed that I needed double the icing to have a good drizzly coating.

Also, to make sure that you're able to actually roll out the dough and properly cut out the scones, I recommend not only using really cold butter and eggs, but I also found that it's easier if I make the dough, cover it in plastic wrap, and then stick it in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. I then halve the dough and stick the half I'm not working with back in the refrigerator. The more you work with the dough, the warmer it gets, the harder it is to work with.

Edited to add: I tried a variation of this recipe to make Blueberry Lemon scones, and it came out great! Here are the substitutions I used:

Remove:
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
2 cups dried cranberries
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Substitute:
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 dry pint blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Cranberry Orange Scones
A variation on this recipe by Ina Garten



4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 cups dried cranberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 4 tablespoons
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, more if it's too thick

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.

Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and 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. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.