Cranberry-Orange Scones with Turbinado Sugar
Wedge-cut cream scones studded with dried cranberries and orange zest, sturdy enough to hold their shape and craggy on top.
- Serves
- 8
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Written
Method
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
-
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
-
Cut the cold butter into the flour with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the largest pieces are pea-sized.
-
Stir in the cranberries and orange zest.
-
Whisk the cream and egg together, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir just until a shaggy dough comes together.
-
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and pat into an 8-inch round about 1 inch thick.
-
Cut into 8 wedges and transfer to the baking sheet, spacing them an inch apart.
-
Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle heavily with turbinado sugar.
-
Bake until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
-
Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
Notes
The dough should still look a little shaggy and butter-streaked when you pat it out — overworking it here is what turns a craggy, tender scone into a dense one. Keep the butter cold going in; if it’s softened by the time you’re cutting wedges, slide the whole tray into the freezer for 10 minutes before it hits the oven.
Swap the cranberries for chopped dried apricot or a handful of chocolate chips in the same amount, and skip the zest if you’re leaving out the orange altogether. These freeze well unbaked — cut the wedges, freeze solid on the tray, then bake straight from frozen with an extra 3 to 4 minutes in the oven.