Cranberry Orange Scones

May 13th, 2013

There is nothing better than a basket of warm homemade scones for Mother’s Day.  That is exactly what I treated myself to today.  I am spending Mother’s Day on my own because David is on a motorcycle trip to Texas and the kids are away doing other things.  Sometimes it is OK to be alone on a holiday.  As far as I’m concerned, Mother’s Day is every day of the year.   I get all of the love I need from my family on a regular basis all year.  So I chose to celebrate this day as a day of rest, indulgence (the scones) and remembrance of my Mother.


My Mother  was everything that I always hope to be;  Good, talented, funny, forgiving and kind.     Her influence on her devoted children, grandchildren and  great-grandchildren was stupendous.  She was a talented artist and a naturally good cook.  Two of her granddaughters inherited her cooking and artistic genes.  At least one of her great-granddaughters (My Rachel) is a talented artist.  The art part passed me by, but you can’t say I don’t love to cook.

When we were in Nantucket, Mary Anne made the most delicious Currant Scones one morning for breakfast.  She said they were from a Martha Stewart recipe in her Baking Essentials book.  I never did find that specific recipe, but this one came from the Martha Stewart Cookbook.  There were no dried currants in my supermarket so I substituted dried cranberries and plumped them with orange juice. The recipe was easy.  Why haven’t I made scones before?

What I love about Mary Anne’s scones is that they are mealy and flaky like pie crust.  There are no eggs in them and that may be the difference from other scones that I have tried.  I love that flaky consistency.

I lounged in bed this morning with my coffee and scones, read my mystery du jour, encouraged the dog to wait until 10:00 AM for her walk and just chilled.  What could be better?

Tonight I am having my favorite grilled hamburger and a salad.  Easy and delicious.  Simple pleasures for a solitary, contemplative and peaceful weekend.

 

CRANBERRY ORANGE SCONES

I halved the recipe
4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup dried currants, soaked overnight in 3 tablespoons brandy (I used dried cranberries soaked in Orange Juice)
1 to 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 egg beaten with 1/4 cup light cream

Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Using a pastry lender or two kitchen knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  (This can also be done in a food processor, using half the flour mixture, and adding the processed mixture to the remaining flour before adding the currants and cream.)  Stir in the drained currants.

Mixing lightly with your fingers, add just enough heavy cream to hold the mixture togeher.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill approximately 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out the dough 1/2-inch thick, and, using a biscuit cutter, cut the dough into various shapes.  I rolled the dough into a circle 1/2-inch thick and cut the dough into 8 wedges (For half of the recipe.  If you use the whole recipe you would make two circles).  Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, brush the tops lightly with egg wash, and bake until golden brown and puffed, 13 to 15 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.

Printable recipe

8 responses to “Cranberry Orange Scones”

  1. Penny says:

    Your mother sounds like she was a lovely woman. I know she raised a lovely daughter :-). Happy Mother’s Day Penny.

  2. Karen says:

    I’m with you… Mother’s Day is every day 🙂 The scones look perfect… I’d love to have one right now!

  3. bellini says:

    Cranberry and orange work so well together. I think your plan for Mothers Day was a good one.

  4. Larry says:

    Looks delicious Penny and as the family scone maker, I’ll send this on to my daughter, Wende.

  5. Lyla Fox says:

    I can’t wait to try these. I LOVE Ina’s cranberry orange scones and these look as good or better. Miss Hunter would weep to hear you say you’re not an artist. You were her favorite and she was always heaping praise on you. However, putting white paint over the yellow paint you’d spilled on a white blouse may have been too creative a solution to the problem. Great post! Great picture!

  6. Mary Sullivan says:

    Penny dear, sorry they all left you for Mother’s Day – I would have come by to help devour those awesome looking scones – I love scones! I make a lot of strawberry and raspberry scones – because I always buy too many of those particular berries at Costco and have to use ’em up!
    I’ll give your recipe a try when I get back – tomorrow I’m making scones but they will be raspberry, guess why, haha! I find they freeze very well – I pack two at a time in a ziploc bag and toss them in the freezer. When we want a quick sweet treat they are ready to thaw and heat, or even pop in the toaster. Your recipe is similar to mine – it’s the heavy cream that keeps them from being dry, don’t you agree? I always mix by hand – it’s the English way – and I also cut into wedges.

    Have a lovely week dear – hope David stays safe and has a fun ride. I’ve always enjoyed time at home alone when Bob was away – but as of last week he is really retired now so I don’t think it’s going to happen much from here on out! Oh well, best part will be getting up on a sunny morning and just taking a ride if we feel like it………perhaps toward our lovely mountains and friends!

    I leave on the big trip next weekend – keep your fingers crossed that it goes smoothly – just a wee bit anxious about this one! There I’ve actually said it…………and all the bloggers think I’m always so brave to go on these wild adventures!!!

    Big hugs – Mary

    P.S. Penny your mom was so beautiful……..and you resemble her so much!

  7. Susan says:

    What an adorable photo of your mother! These would be perfect for brunch on Mother’s Day or any other morning. I love your description of the texture! I’ll be trying these (and pinning).

  8. Sam Hoffer says:

    What a great photo of your mom. So cheerful and full of energy. Meakin would love these scones. On our weekly trips to town in the islands, his first stop was the bakery for a scone. Happy belated Mother’s Day Penny.

    Sam

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