Cassie’s Cranberry Orange Scones

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It’s about time I shared with you Cassie’s Cranberry Orange Scones. Cassie is my amazing friend that I met when we lived in Texas. She made these scones often and they are so dang yummy!

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Here’s what you’ll need to make them:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• zest of one orange, about 2 tsp.
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup cold butter, I use frozen
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp. milk or cream

Here are a few tips before we get started making these little lovelies.

• Cold butter: Just like when creating a flaky pie crust, you will want to use COLD butter. I like to use frozen butter and grate it with a box grater. The butter stays cold and together while mixing the dough, then as it cooks the butter melts and releases steam creating little air pockets which create a lighter scone. Using frozen butter also helps to keep the dough cold so the scones spread less when baking.
• Mixing: You don’t want to overmix the dough. That will lead to a tough scone. Remember, we want the little pieces of butter in the dough so they can do their thing and create a soft and flaky inside and a crumbly outside.
• Orange zest: The orange zest brings serious flavor to these scones. Don’t skip it.
• Buttermilk: One of the heroes of this recipe is buttermilk. It is just magic. It will keep them from getting too dry and gives them great flavor.
• Glaze: Cassie’s original recipe doesn’t call for the glaze, but she always makes it and it takes these scones over the top! It also gives you an excuse to use the rest of the orange that you zested.

Let’s get sconing:

Start by combining the dry ingredients in a bowl; flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt.

Next, cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a couple of forks, or your hands. Just don’t overmix.

Pour in the buttermilk and stir until just combined.

Fold in the cranberries and orange zest. Texture and flavor here we come!

Turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface and split it in half. Form each half into a ball and pat into a 6-inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 triangles.

Top them and bake:

Brush the tops of the scones with milk. Combine the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar with the 1/4 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle over the tops of the scones.

All 12 scones should fit nicely on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Aren’t they so gorgeous?! Your house should smell like heaven right about now.

While they cool just a bit, let’s make the glaze by combining fresh-squeezed juice from your orange, about 2-3 tbsp, with 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar. Drizzle over the tops of the scones. I like to do this while they are on a cooling rack placed over my baking sheet to contain the mess.

That’s it! Easy peasy and so delicious. You can always refrigerate the dough overnight, then bake them in the morning for breakfast. YUM!

We hope you’ll try this simply delicious recipe. Thanks, Cassie, for sharing it with us! (Here’s a picture of the adorable Cassie making me some of these yummy scones.)

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