With the festive season fast approaching I bring you my first festive recipe. This is a twist on the classic scone. Instead of using sultanas I have used dried cranberries. I have also added orange zest to really let these scones sing you Christmas carols. Keep reading to find out why scones are a Christmas tradition for me and how to make these fantastic Orange and Cranberry Scones.
Scones are one of my favourite things to bake. They take hardly any time to mix together and bake in around 10 minutes. So that means I can have these from ingredients to the table in half an hour. Perfect when you get that call announcing the imminent arrival of unplanned for guests.
Everyone has different traditions over the festive season. Some have to see the lights being switched on in the town centre, others have to have a Christmas eve party. For me I have to go into the centre of London, see the lights and decorations and go to Fortnum & Mason and have scones. This for me really kicks off Christmas. Seeing the bustling shops with people grabbing last minute presents. Seeing people smiling and enjoying the magic of London on Christmas Eve. It also warms my soul to wish people Merry Christmas.
So I decided to share with you my festive Orange and Cranberry Scones.O To get the orange flavour into these scones I use the zest of 1 orange as well as 100ml of orange juice. The orange juice is to soak the dried cranberries in. You can do this the slow way or as I usually do the quick way. The slow way involves putting the dried cranberries in a bowl and adding the 100ml of orange juice over the top and leaving for at least 2 hours even better overnight in the fridge. The quick way is to pop the juice and cranberries into a pan and heat until just simmering. Then remove and using an ice bath, or cold water, cool it down to room temperature.
With scones there are 2 rules you need to abide by. The first is keep everything cold. I even chill my mixing bowl to ensure the butter and flour will stay cold. The butter must be fridge cold and cubed. I also run my hands under cold water to cool them down before working the butter into the flour.
The second rule is do not over do it. Work quickly and bring the dough together so it is soft and not sticky however do not over mix. An over mixed scone will not rise and you will be let with flat scones. They will taste fantastic though so do not worry.
I will also tell you that you must not twist your cutter. When cutting out your scones you simply press down then lift up. Twisting causes the scones to either stay completely flat or rise up unevenly. I recommend you flour the cutter between each scone. This avoids a sticky surface to pull the scone out of shape or fuse it together.
Scones are a great bake to do with children as they don’t take long to either make or bake and so shorter attention spans are catered for. Sharing in baking can be a great family tradition and why not make these Orange and Cranberry Scones. Why not try baking my Oreo Cupcakes as well. If you make these scones let me know how you got on in the comments below. You can share your pictures with me on social media. Tag me on Instagram @cubbinthekitchen or use the hashtag #CUBBintheKitchen to be featured in my stories.
Orange & Cranberry Scones
Ingredients
- 75 grams Dried Cranberries
- 100 ml Orange Juice
- 350 grams Self-Raising Flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
- 75 grams Cold Unsalted Butter
- 30 grams Caster Sugar
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 100 ml Milk I used Almond
- 2 Eggs
Instructions
- Place your large mixing bowl into the fridge to chill.(This step can be omitted if needs be)
- Cut the 75g of fridge cold butter into cubes and return to the fridge.
- In a small pan put the Dried Cranberries & Orange Juice and heat until just simmering. Take off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.(To speed this up check out the blog for a tip)
- Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan (220°C Conventional)
- Take your chilled bowl and add the Flour and Baking Powder and stir to combine.Add the cold butter and quickly using your fingertips rub the butter into the flour until you have the texture of breadcrumbs, no big lumps of butter.
- Drain the cranberries and add them to the Flour & Butter along with the Sugar and Orange Zest a quick mix with a palette knife or rounded knife.Beat the eggs and remove 2 tbsp and set aside add the remaining Eggs and Milk to the mix. Using the knife mix until the mixture is soft and just beginning to lose its stickiness. (You may want to add a little more milk if there are lots of dry crumbs at the bottom of the bowl.)
- Tip onto a floured surface and using your hands bring the dough together so it is smooth and soft.Using your hands pat the dough out to an even thickness of around 2cm.(I do not advise using a rolling pin as that can lead to flat scones)
- Flour the cutter and cut out as many scones as you can. When you cannot get any more out bring the bits of dough together and press out again and repeat. You can do this twice anymore result in tougher scones.Place the scones of baking tray lined with reusable parchment.(If you do not have reusable parchment you can grease the baking tray with butter)
- Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved 2 tbsp of beaten Egg and bake in the oven for 10mins.(Only brush the tops, egg washing the sides will prevent the scones from rising)Take out of the oven when golden and cooked through and allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Enjoy with Jam and Cream – I’ll let you decide which comes first.
Love scones and Christmas so this is a match made in heaven.
Me too!! These are a new festive favourite in my household.
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