It's Cranberry Season!

For me, Thanksgiving means cranberries! I don't eat them during the rest of the year, but at Thanksgiving the stores of full of bags of fresh cranberries. The only things I've cooked with cranberries are cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and cranberry-orange scones once, maybe twice. This year I got really excited about the cranberries for some reason and planned to make two cranberry recipes this week. First, this buttery and delicious Cranberry-Orange Scone and later this week a Cranberry Upside-Down Muffin.

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's recipe. I followed it relatively closely...the major difference is that I took out an entire stick of butter! Reviews for the recipe said that it was still tasty even without the extra stick of butter. With this alteration I thought that the scones were as buttery as they needed to be.

The recipe, with my changes, follows after the pictures...and I'll be sure to post the recipe for the Cranberry Upside-Down Muffins soon after I make them =)

Cranberry-Orange Scones
adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:
4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
2-3 tbs grated orange zest
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tbs milk, for egg wash
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 tbs
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:

1. In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest until thoroughly combined.
2. Add butter and mix slowly until the butter is in small bits.
3. Combine the eggs and heavy cream then add the mixture to the mixer on low speed. Mix until just blended.
4. Mix the dried cranberries with 1/4 cup of flour.
5. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface (you don't want it to stick!), add the cranberries to the dough, and knead cranberries into the dough. Form the dough into a ball.
6. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 3/4-inch thick square. Make sure to flour the rolling pin and your hands.
7. Measure out an 8x8 square and cut out with a knife. Cut into 4 squares, cut the squares into triangles and lastly, cut each triangle in half (to make two triangles). You'll have 16 small triangles. (Alternately, use a square or circle cookie cutter to cut out your scones to your desired shape and size.)
   
8. Collect the dough scraps, rollout again and cut more scones of equal size.
9. Place the scones on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.
10. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash (egg and milk) and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
11. Bake scones for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and the insides are firm to the touch.
12. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes.
13. In the mean time, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice. Add more sugar, if necessary, to get the right consistency.
14. Drizzle as much as you want over the scones.

Enjoy!