Cranberry Orange Scones
makes 8-12 scones

Baking has never really been my thing. I do it because I love people, but not because I love the act of baking. When it comes to baking, I’m better suited to make a cake, loaf, crisp, brownies, muffins or scones. I’m a fan of one and done sweet recipes because, well, they tend to lend themselves to a simpler one bowl process and, at least in my mind, take less time. I have patience when it comes to cooking and the free flowing creativity that can abound from playing with ingredients, while baking is precise, measured and scientific.

Over the years I’ve made my fair share of scones, scones being something I find genuinely therapuetic to make because they are relatively simple and I have a base recipe memorized so I don’t need to fumble with printed recipes, books or and iPad for instructions. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that, when I have zeal to learn something, I don’t mind turning to the internet, but it rarely happens with baking.

But I bake for love. I bake to hear things like “Oh my goodness, what a smell to wake up to on a Sunday morning!” I bake to make people I love smile. I bake to comfort them because a hot scone on a Sunday could be likened to a hug, a warm embrace, complete with sweetness and a buttery finish. Have you ever received a hug with a buttery finish? Or given one? I highly recommend it.

My aunt has been recovering from hip replacement surgery, and she has come through it like a total champion. It’s hard to let others help us, especially when we’re always the ones to help others, but she has been graceful and a wonderful patient. Cranberry Orange Scones are Aunt Deb’s favorite, so how could I not put aside my baking woes and whip up a batch of boundless love and adoration?

Early on Sunday morning Aunt Deb, Uncle Al and I sat at their kitchen table and enjoyed warm scones from the oven. At 44 I felt somewhere between a child and a woman, there’s something childlike and nostalgic about being in their home, feeling safe and loved. The sun was shining brightly into the kitchen, and when I turned my head to the left I looked out onto their backyard. Their backyard, that when I visited from my childhood home in Brooklyn, felt like a park, with its expanse of green grass and tall trees. Their backyard, where I could see and feel so many memories. I could see their pool, summer barbecues, chasing Sandy, their first dog, my mom, dad, brothers and cousin Danielle. I saw us. I could see our family and holidays spent together; the laughter, the days of food preparations and the love.

There’s a beauty to spending time the way we want to and can while we’re here. I’ve felt a call in my heart to give back and be present for those I love. My aunt and uncle have been by my side through so much during the course of my life, having time and the ability to bake and cook for them - now - is the least I can do to show my appreciation for their lifetime dedication to our family.

Cooking and baking have a magical way of transforming moments. Sitting at a table, conversation, quirks, stories - food brings us together. Let Cranberry Orange Scones bring you and your family together too. Go scone for the holidays, get it? Seasonal and bright!

Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients
2 c. of all purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
¼ c. sugar
Zest and juice of 1 large orange
1 c. dried cranberries
½ cup of butter; cubed
½ c. half and half + 2 T. for brushing the scones before they go in the oven
1 large egg

Instructions

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat
-Add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and orange zest to a large mixing bowl and sift, using a sifter or mesh strainer, into another large mixing bowl, do this 2-4 times. DON’T COMPLAIN. Sifting is worth it for fluffy scones and the flour is easier to work with because it is lighter when mixing ingredients. You can’t complain because I hate baking and I do this. Got it? Good.
-After the dry ingredients have been sifted, gently fold in the dried cranberries
-Remove butter from the freezer and cut into teenie tiny cubes
-Using two knives, two forks or a pastry cutter, cut butter into the dry ingredients until incorporated and pea sized. The dought should look crumbly. Why? Because you want mini chunks of butter in your dough, that are cold and frozen, so they melt while the scones are baking; which will keep your scones buttery and soft while baking
*You can also use a Kitchen Aid Stand mixer fit with a pastry paddle or mixing paddle if you don’t want to cut in butter and do the below by hand
-In a small bowl or glass measuring cup with a spout, beat together the egg and half and half
-Pour mixture over the dough and gently fold until combined; squeeze orange juice in and continue to fold until dough is formed
-Turn dough out onto a lightlty floured surface and form a round disc
-Two options: 1) cut the round disc into 8 wedges or 2) roll out the disc and cut into rounds using a small glass or round cookie cutter 3” in diameter
-Place scones on a baking sheet, spacing 2-3” apart and brush with half and half
-Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown
-Serve as is or with butter and jam
-Option to make a glaze using by beating together 2 T of confectioners sugar with 2 T. of orange juice