Fresh Cranberry Orange Scones

If food was rated on the man scale, these scones would get a crumb-dusted smile with a sticky fingered thumbs up. Not only did "A" scarf down two of these for breakfast, he ever so politely asked me if he could eat just one more after our bike ride yesterday. Then this morning? He sneaked in another one before I even had a chance to scrub the sleep off my eyes.

I think there might have even been a request for this to be a weekly thing. Or for me to drop everything and open a bakery just for him ASAP. The details are a little melted as never has a simple breakfast been so well received by "A." My mind was too in awe.

As it tis the season of all things red, fat filled and sugar laden, cranberry baked something was just calling my name this weekend. Sure, there are some dried cranberries in the pantry. Great, there might be some canned pumpkin shoved in the back. But the farm fresh goodness is where it's at.

"A" has been collecting cranberries from all the farmers across the land so saying there was a surplus is not a stretch. Check - cranberries all accounted for. Yet something was missing, I wanted more. MORE I tell you! 

Good thing I found a random (but really, where did it come from?) orange in my purse. Totally normal right? I hope it wasn't tainted and stuck into my satchel as a cruel joke. Even if this is so, joke is on you sir as I won and these scones are delicious.

You don't want to know about poisoned oranges and hoarded cranberries though. You want to make these, right? It's super easy if you have a food processor and, I would assume, a cinch if you just had a pasty cutter. Either way, the goal is to cut up the chilled butter so it's well distributed in the flour mixture but some small pieces of butter should exist.

After that it's the standard one two punch of combining the wet ingredients with the dry.

Before you know it, you'll be sconed.

Fresh Cranberry Orange Scones

Adapted from Slash of Something

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on tops of scones
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 6 tablespoons chilled goat butter, cut into small cubes
• 8 oz. fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 scant cup whole goat milk, plus more for brushing on tops of scones
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In the large bowl of a food processor, place the dry ingredients and orange zest, and pulse to combine. Add the goat butter butter, and pulse 10 or so times to combine. There should still be small pieces of butter. Transfer flour mixture to a large mixing bowl. Fold cranberries into mixture.
2. In a large measuring cup, place goat milk, egg, orange juice and vanilla. Mix well, then pour into flour mixture. Using a fork, fold (do not stir) the wet mixture into the dry mixture while gradually turning the bowl. When dough begins to come together, gently kneed dough into a ball shape.
3. Transfer dough ball to floured board, and gently pat it into a 6- or 7-inch circle. Use a pastry scraper or large chef’s knife to cut it into 8 triangles.
4. Place the scones on a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning pan halfway through. Scones are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.