Cranberry Orange Scones

Don't you just love a food that you can eat all throughout the day and not have to call it part of a meal? 

Scones are one of those foods. Honestly I also have been caught eating cake for breakfast. And I justify that "but they're eggs in it" excuse every time. Let's hope we never make a cake sans eggs. I'll need another go-to excuse!

Ah. The perfect companion for scones. You can fill this mug with coffee, tea, water, milk, a little hot toddy, orange juice or whatever tickles your fancy. I just wouldn't recommend mixing them all together. 

Cranberry and Orange. It just looks pretty reading them together, much less the intoxicating taste they bring to your mouth. Truly, you don't need a beverage with it. It just gets in the way of eating wolfing these down as fast as you can while reaching for another. When my dad is asked how something tastes, "I'm not sure yet"

...as he's eating his third piece. These scones are that exact kind of yummy.

You may want to go ahead and make two batches. Even the dough is striking. 

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

8 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 + 1/2 tbsp orange peel 

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup cold butter
1 heaping tsp vanilla

1 + 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup whipping cream (plus more for brushing dough
turbinado sugar


(Optional: Orange Glaze:)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp orange peel
1 tbsp orange juice


Method To The Madness:

1. Preheat the oven to 400. 

2. Combine the flour, sugars, orange peel, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter.
3. In a separate bowl, combine cranberries, vanilla, cream and orange juice. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. The mixture should be a soft dough. Think wet cookie dough.
4. Pour dough onto floured surface. Knead dough about 8-10 times adding flour so it doesn't stick to the surface.
5. Pat dough into an 8 inch circle and cut into 8-10 wedges. Brush the top with the cream, and sprinkle with turbinado.
6. Bake for 12-15 minues, or until you have a clean toothpick when inserted. Crumbs are still considered clean. You don't want this to dry out!
7. Brush tops of scones with the orange glaze and eat em ya'll!

These will keep for 2-3 days if they even stay around that long.