Cranberry Orange Scones

Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Scones

These Cranberry Orange Scones are the perfect way to show someone you love them this Valentine’s Day.  Although cranberries are not the first thing that comes to mind for this heartfelt holiday, I think that they can be quite fitting for the occasion.  The tart cranberries play nicely against the citrusy orange glaze in a way that mirrors love brilliantly.  For the most part, each bite is sweetened nicely with the citrusy glaze but you won’t get far into this culinary journey without running across those tart little cranberries to keep things interesting.  And who hasn’t experienced the ups and downs of love?  

This year Valentine’s Day is particularly hard for me.  My hubby passed away last May in a shockingly unexpected fashion.  I was 45 at the time and even with him being 10 years my senior; I would have never guessed that last Valentine’s Day would be the very last one we’d share together.  

This year, I’ll leave it to someone else to make the sweet strawberry confections or decadent chocolate treats.  They all feel too sweet for me right now.  It’s still so hard to deal with.  And watching my little girl grow up without him is heart retching.  Cranberries just feel right to me this year.  Who knows what the future holds.  Each day that I’m lucky enough to wake up, I’m hopeful that sweeter tomorrows are on the horizon.       

Cranberry Orange Scones

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 14-16 min

Ingredients

• 1 cup of fresh cranberries (rinsed, dried and cut into quarters)
• ½ tsp orange zest
• 2/3 cup sugar & 2 tbsp divided
• 2 ¼ cups gluten free self-rising flour (or gluten free Bisquick) & 1 tbsp divided
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 8 tbsp. cold diced butter

Ingredients for the Glaze

• 1 cup of confectioner's sugar
• 1-2 tbsp orange juice
• ½ tsp orange zest

 

Video Tutorial

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (or 218 °C)
2. Stir the sliced cranberries together with 1 tablespoon of gluten free flour, 2 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp of orange zest.
3. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and heavy cream together. 
4. In a large bowl stir together the self-rising flour and sugar then cut the butter into the flour until you have a texture resembling coarse crumbs.
5. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until the dough is almost combined then stir in the berries to get them evenly dispersed.
6. Lightly dust the surface of your table or a wooden cutting board with a little more flour and turn the dough out onto your work surface. 
7. Use floured hands to pat it into a disc about an inch high and 8-9 inches in diameter then using a large chef’s knife cut it into 8 - 10 equal slices.
8. Use a spatula or the edge of a chef’s knife to transfer the wedges onto a silicone mat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake them for 12-14  minutes or until they’re golden brown around the edges.
9. Let them cool on the pan for 1 or 2 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
10. To make the glaze combine ¾ of a cup of confectioner’s sugar with the zest of an orange and about a tablespoon of orange juice then stir until you have a consistency you can drizzle.  Load it into a plastic bag and snip off a tiny corner to make a homemade piping bag and once the scones have cooled, drizzle over the glaze then allow it to dry before serving.

Notes:  

1. You could use half and half or milk in place of the heavy cream but the level of decadence won’t be quite the same.