Cranberry Scones

My list of things to do seems to be always growing and even though at times, I feel overwhelmed or discombobulated, I just like to sit and give my mind a break.  It might be one of my favorite thing to do and with kids, it is super hard to do it. . . unless I stay up really late, like tonight.  It is so worth it!

I decided to subscribe to the Feel'n channel for the month of December and I am probably going to torture my wonderful husband by watching chick flicks all month.  He is currently asleep as I watch The Makeover and type up this blog post.  And after cleaning house all day, I am enjoying just sitting here in a quiet house watching a chick flick with no one needing anything.

Scones are one of my favorite things to bake.  They freeze well and they taste wonderful.  Plus, if you use the food processor, it takes WAY less time and cuts butter amazingly.  I think that scones are sometimes feared, but they are really quite simple! These scones are wonderful and were a big hit.  Weston even ate them (although he did take out all the cranberries), and if the kids eat them then its a win! 

Usually when I make cranberry scones I just go for the dried cranberries, but at Christmas all those bags of fresh cranberries just call out to baked with.  There's something quite magical about them, because before they are bakes they just look like they could go into a centerpiece, but once they are baked, they are so juicy and sweet and then combined with an orange-almond drizzle you probably can't stop eating them.  

So, the next time you find those bags of fresh cranberries staring at you in the produce section, grab a bag and make up a batch of these scones.  

Orange Glazed Cranberry Scones

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp orange zest, divided
5 tbsp butter, cold
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp melted butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:
 Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In food processor, pulse dry ingredients.  Add cold butter and pulse until nice and crumbly.  Add whipping cream and pulse until a ball forms.  Place on floured surface and kneed until smooth.  Slowly add cranberries folding them in.  Roll dough out into a circle and cut into triangles.  Place on lined baking sheet or stone. Brush with whipping cream.  Bake for 13 minutes or until slightly golden.  Let cool. 

In a small bowl, mix melted butter, powdered sugar, orange juice and almond extract together.  Put in a ziplock bag and cut the tip off the corner.  Drizzle with icing.

If you want to freeze them, flash freeze for about an hour and then stick in a freezer bag.  When ready to bake, take out of freezer and bake like normal.  It will probably take a few minutes longer because they are frozen.  Then  make the icing and drizzle over.  Freeze for up to 6 months. 

Happy Baking