blood orange cranberry scones

i was in trader joe's the other day and noticed they had bags and bags of blood oranges. well, duh me! it is the season. i've just never bothered to look around for them or noticed them in the past. this time, it was so obvious, i couldn't have missed it if i wanted to. i decided to pick up some up thinking i could bake with it, or at least eat them. we don't typically eat blood oranges in our household, but who's to say why not this time?

knowing i'd bake something with these blood oranges, i decided i'd make some scones. lately i've been treating myself to that morning cup of coffee at starbucks and noticed the cranberry orange scones that they have on displayed. i've yet to try one of theirs, but i figure i know how to bake so i may as well make my own. not having oranges on hand, what better alternative than blood oranges?!

below's the recipe for these blood orange cranberry scones inspired by starbucks cranberry orange scones. how were they? pretty good. i accidentally added too much sugar to the scones but i think the mistake was actually a perfect one. i really think you get the right amount of sweetness with the orange flavor. and the dried cranberries give you something chewy and a tiny bit of tartness when you bite into it. overall a great treat with that morning coffee or afternoon tea. now of course, you can drizzle some glaze on top (i was too lazy and couldn't be bothered) or spread it with jam and butter (or clotted cream) and it would just elevate this scone to the next level. very. good.


these blood orange cranberry scones inspired by starbucks are the perfect little treat with any morning coffee or afternoon tea.


a little blood orange glaze would go so well with these scones.

blood orange cranberry scones
inspired by starbucks' cranberry orange scones with recipe adapted from here.

scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
10 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cold butter
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon raw sugar (or regular sugar works fine too), for sprinkling

glaze: (optional)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon blood orange juice

directions:
in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, orange peel, baking powder, salt and baking soda. cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside. in a small bowl, combine the cranberries, orange juice, buttermilk and egg. add to flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.

on a floured surface, gently knead 6-8 times. pat dough into an 8-in circle. cut into 12 wedges. separate wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet. note: this is the part where i like to stick the wedges in the freezer for a good 15 minutes or so before i bake it. i've read that by doing this it gives the butter time to harden so when you bake it, it makes the scones a bit more flaky and delicious. and is that true? i guess so. i do this almost every time when i have time to spare, otherwise i just skip this part.

brush with milk; sprinkle with raw sugar. bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. remove to a wire rack to cool.

for the glaze (optional): combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over scones.

if you like, you can even split it, spread some butter and jam and oh my, what a yummy-looking treat! enjoy. :)

makes about 12 wedges (more or less depending on how you cut it).