Friday, January 11, 2013

Cranberry Scones

2 ½ c flour

2 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ c cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 c chopped cranberries

2/3 c sugar

¾ c buttermilk


Heat oven to 400 degrees. Have a greased cookie sheet ready if you are baking. Spray with cooking spray.

Mix flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until coarsely crumbled. Stir in the cranberries, sugar, and then buttermilk just until blended.
Cut dough into 3 or 4 pieces (if you want little scones, divide into 4 pieces).

On a lightly floured piece of wax paper, with floured hands, press or roll the dough into a 6-8 inch circle about ½ inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. At this point decide if you will bake them or freeze them for later use.

Freezing: cover with wax paper and place on a cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen. Break the wedges apart and repackage in a Ziploc bag for later use. Print directions on the bag for baking.

Baking: Spray a baking sheet with PAM. Lightly spray the tops of the scones with PAM and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 min.

Variations: Instead of fresh cranberries, try chopped dried cranberries or frozen blueberries. Try pecans or walnuts instead of the fruit.

Ginger-Orange Scones: Mix 2 ½ c flour, ½ c light brown sugar, 2 ½ tsp baking powder, 1 ½ tsp ground ginger. Eliminate the berries.