Cranberry Maple Scones
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I bought cranberries for one reason and one reason only: They’re pretty.
What can I say? Some are seduced by diamonds in department stores. I am seduced by ruby red cranberries in the produce section.
Unfortunately I had no plan whatsoever for actually using cranberries.
I tried eating one plain. Not a good idea. I do not recommend you do this if you ever want your face to be pucker-less again. Anything that sour does not deserve the name “berry.” I propose the dictionary men change the name to cran-tarts or cran-warheads or cran-makes-your-face-squish-up-into-a-tiny-little-point. Anything will do as long as it warns poor souls like me not to just pop a plain cranberry in their mouth. You hear that dictionary men?? Get busy.
Anyway, after chugging a glass of milk to get the sour taste out of my mouth, I returned to the so-called “berries” with new found respect. Cranberries are not to be taken lightly. There’s a big flavor punch in those tiny beads of fruit and I was determined to make use of them somehow.
Then I found them. Simple, beautiful, festive cranberry scones. As soon as I saw the recipe over at Annie’s Eats, I knew it was a winner. I made a few small changes, added some maple syrup for extra richness and was rewarded with tender, buttery, ruby spotted scones.
These are a perfect snack to have around the house for holiday weekends. Serve them for breakfast to overnight guests or keep them on hand for mid day snacking. You can even freeze the dough and have it ready to go for unexpected company. Whether you eat these for breakfast, snacks, or a dessert I doubt you’ll be able to get enough of the sweet/tart combo.
Cranberry Scones
Yield- 8 very large scones or 10 smaller scones
Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/3 + 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt.
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, in small squares
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream
Crystallized sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
Cranberry Scones
Yield- 8 very large scones or 10 smaller scones
Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/3 + 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt.
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, in small squares
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream
Crystallized sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. in a small bowl, toss together the 1/4 cup sugar and chopped cranberries. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter squares and beat until the butter is evenly mixed and the mixture is somewhat coarse/crumbly.
4. In another bowl, combine the egg, egg yolk, heavy cream, and maple syrup. Whisk to combine. Add to the flour mixture and stir gently until just combined. Do not overstir.
5. Shape dough into 2-3 inch rounds and place on parchment paper (these will spread a lot so be sure to leave lots of room between). You can also shape the dough into one large circle and cut into triangles for a more traditional looking scone.
6. If you’d like to freeze these for later, place the whole tray in the freezer until frozen then transfer to a plastic bag. Add about 5 minutes to the baking time when frozen.
7. Otherwise, place the scones in the preheated oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. You can also freeze the baked scones and simply warm and crisp them up in the oven for 5-10 minutes before serving.
2. in a small bowl, toss together the 1/4 cup sugar and chopped cranberries. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter squares and beat until the butter is evenly mixed and the mixture is somewhat coarse/crumbly.
4. In another bowl, combine the egg, egg yolk, heavy cream, and maple syrup. Whisk to combine. Add to the flour mixture and stir gently until just combined. Do not overstir.
5. Shape dough into 2-3 inch rounds and place on parchment paper (these will spread a lot so be sure to leave lots of room between). You can also shape the dough into one large circle and cut into triangles for a more traditional looking scone.
6. If you’d like to freeze these for later, place the whole tray in the freezer until frozen then transfer to a plastic bag. Add about 5 minutes to the baking time when frozen.
7. Otherwise, place the scones in the preheated oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. You can also freeze the baked scones and simply warm and crisp them up in the oven for 5-10 minutes before serving.