No cranberries necessary – Just orange scones

At Christmas time, I love making and eating cranberry orange bread.  And  anyone who knows me know that I love scones any time of year. So the idea of a cranberry orange scone is genius. I have never made cranberry orange scones, but I have eaten them before. They are usually much too sweet for my taste.

Just recently I found the juiciest, most flavorful oranges (besides the ones on my grandma’s tree) at the grocery store. I wanted to try baking with them since their flavor was so good. I decided to make orange scones without the cranberries. I think I like them just as much as the traditional cranberry orange scones if not better. They are full of orange flavor, crunchy on the outside, and just sweet enough so you don’t feel guilty eating one for breakfast.

Orange Scones (Makes 8 scones)

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick cold butter, cut into small cubes (I use salted butter)
½ cup milk or half & half
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange (about 2 teaspoons)
 

Cut the butter into cubes and put back into the refrigerator until ready to use.

Zest the orange (before you juice it) using a microplane if you have one.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until it is the size of peas.

In separate bowl or large measuring cup, stir together 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) orange juice, milk and zest. Add the wet mixture all at once to the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until it just comes together.

Dump onto a floured board and knead a little until it comes together. Form into a disk, then pat into a 1.5 inch thick circle. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut into wedges. First cut the disk in half, then in fourths, then eighths. (The math teacher in me is coming out).

Put wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Brush with remaining orange juice, then sprinkle tops with granulated sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes (my oven only took 15) until golden brown. Move to a wire rack after a few minutes to finish cooling. Enjoy while warm or at room temperature.