Organic Orange Cranberry Walnut Scones with Orange Honey Butter

A recent trip to Florida in January inspired me to make this recipe.  Honeybell Oranges are in season only in January, so I picked up a bag.  This was a great way to obtain a local item on a vacation and bring it back home in my luggage.  Once I arrived home I knew I wanted to make scones.  I used the zest in the scones and the orange juice and zest in the butter.  This recipe can be made with any orange you find but the tang of the Honeybell really makes these scones special.  If you are in Florida and can get these treats, please make this recipe.  If you are anywhere else, make them too!  I make this recipe using organic ingredients but conventional ingredients are great too.

Makes 24 scones.

Ingredients:

For the Scones:

4 cups plus 3 TBS organic all-purpose flour

1/4 cup organic sugar, plus additional for sprinkling

2 tablespoons organic baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Orange zest from 2 organic oranges 

3 sticks cold unsalted organic butter, cut into cubes 

4 organic eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cold organic heavy cream

1 cup dried organic cranberries

1 cup finely chopped organic walnuts

1 organic egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest in mixer bowl.

Honeybell Oranges, get your zest from these

Dry ingredients and zest in mixer

Add the diced, cold butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas.

Almost the size of peas.  Mix a few seconds more.

Combine the eggs and heavy cream in a small bowl and blend well.  Pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will have bits of butter in it that you can see.

Eggs and heavy cream mixture

Mixture is ready for the egg and cream to be added

Combine the dried cranberries, walnuts and 3 TBS of flour in a small bowl.   Add them to the dough and mix on low speed until blended.

Cranberry and Walnuts added.  Ready to roll out.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough 1 inch thick. You will see small bits of butter in the dough.

You can see the bits of all the ingredients in the dough.  Time to cut out the scones

Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Take the leftover dough and reshape it into a one inch thick circle. Cut out more scones.

Scones, ready for the egg wash

Make the egg wash.  Mix one egg and 2 TBS water in a small bowl.

Egg wash

Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle on the sugar.

Ready for the oven

Bake for 20 until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. Turn the cookie sheet halfway through.

Done and ready for the butter

Allow the scones to cool for 5 minutes.  Serve with Honey Orange Butter (recipe below.)

For the Orange Honey Butter:

2 sticks unsalted organic butter, softened
1 TBS organic orange zest
1 TBS organic rrange Juice
1 TBS local organic honey
1 tsp Kosher salt

Here's how:

Combine all of the ingredients in the mixer and mix until smooth.

Ready to spread on warm scones.

Spread on your warm scones.