CitrusLove BlogHop: Clementine Cranberry Scones

I used fresh cranberries for the first time in my Mandarin Orange & Cranberry cookies last week.  And let me tell you... I must be a crazy woman for not ever using these before!

This morning, the cake Duchess posted a recipe for scones that featured these beautiful little berries and I knew I just had to whip up a batch with the rest of my cranberries!

The scones turned out SO GOOD.  Seriously.  Warm, fresh from the oven with a little butter on them.  Almost too good to eat! They are tart, yet sweet... full of beautiful color and flavor with a crispy sugar crust.

I will definitely be making these again!

Clementine Cranberry Scones
makes 6 large scones

Supplies:
2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
zest of 3 Clementine oranges, about 2-3 tsp

½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

1 cup chopped fresh cranberries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8-10 tablespoon milk, divided

1 tablespoon sugar (use turbinado if you have it)

cookie sheet
parchment paper
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lightly spray with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, orange zest, and salt
3. Add cubed butter to flour mixture.  Using a fork, press butter into the flour mixture against the side of the bowl.  The goal here is to create a very dry dough where the butter is in small pieces, not chunks... coarse like.
4. Add the cranberries and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
5. In a small measuring cup, mix together 5 tablespoon of the milk and the vanilla together.   Add milk to the flour mixture and combine.
6. Add 3-5 more tablespoon of milk at a time until the mixture forms a dough and no dry ingredients remain.
7. Move the dough to your cookie sheet and flatten into a round circle about 1 ½ inches thick.  Cut it into 6 equal triangles with a sharp knife, and space evenly across sheet.
8. Brush the scones with a tablespoon of milk and sprinkle generously with sugar.
9. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until tops of scones brown.  Watch carefully you don't want them to burn!
10. Remove to a wire rack to cool... or you could smear them with butter and eat warm! YUM!

Recipe adapted from: Cake Duchess