Christmas Cranberry Scones Recipe

Tasty Any Time Of Year

Despite the sad profusion of truly mediocre ones out there, you have no reason to be scared of scones. With a light touch and the right recipe, anyone can produce a pile of perfect scones in about 40 minutes. Really.

I once spent an afternoon demonstrating how to make these scones during a Holiday Open House at a kitchenware store (talk about a dream job). People who did not even know what a scone was would wander over, take a tentative nibble of a warm sample, let out a little moan of delight, devour the rest of their scone while watching in fascinated disbelief as I mixed up another batch in minutes, then snatch up a copy of the recipe and scurry home to make scones of their own. This happened over and over. It was wonderful.

Beautifully golden brown and dotted with jewel-like cranberries, these cute little scones are sure to brighten any holiday table. They are buttery and crumbly and rich, moist on the inside, with a satisfying light crunch on the outside. They are, in a word, scrumptious. They are also, as I said, extremely easy to make. You can whip up a batch of warm scones for breakfast or afternoon tea in no time, much to the delight of your starving friends and loved ones. Or you can make them when you have a few spare minutes and freeze them for later. Defrost at room temperature and heat at 375 degrees for about 5 to 8 minutes (I use my toaster oven), or, if you're in a hurry, defrost them in the microwave and then put them in the oven. I plan to pull a few of these out of the freezer and treat myself to warm scones and a large cup of cafe au lait on Christmas morning, that is if there are any left by then.

With such a simple recipe, top quality ingredients are particularly important. Fresh baking powder is essential. (I recommend Rumford brand which is aluminum free.) Organic ingredients, especially butter, milk, and flour, are easy to find these days and really do taste better. The optional egg glaze gives the scones a beautiful shine and dark golden color. Look for locally produced eggs at your farmer's market or natural foods store. You won't believe the difference compared to commercial eggs. The yolks are sometimes so dark they are a gorgeous deep orange, and the eggs actually taste like eggs!



If you have never grated your own fresh nutmeg, now is your chance. It took me years to get around to trying this, and I will never look back. I use this adorable baby nutmeg grater that I purchased for a dollar at the above mentioned kitchenware store. The scent alone as you are grating is worth the tiny bit of extra effort. Look for whole nutmeg in bulk at natural food stores or mail order it from Ameriherb. Enjoy!

Farmgirl's Cranberry Christmas Scones
Makes 12 Small Scones

2-1/4 to 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, chilled & cut into bits
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries (craisins)*
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 egg
2 Tablespoons yogurt + milk to make 3/4 cup**
(or 3/4 cup buttermilk)

Optional Egg Glaze:
Beat well with a fork:
1 egg & 2 Tablespoons milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 2-1/4 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Using a fork, pastry blender, or your fingers, cut butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbles. Add cranberries and pecans (if desired) and toss gently until combined. Beat yogurt/milk mixture with the egg and gently fold into the dry ingredients, mixing lightly just until blended. Add up to 1/4 cup additional flour if dough is too sticky.



On a floured surface, divide dough in half and gently pat each half into a circle 5 or 6 inches in diameter. With a sharp knife (I use a large serrated knife dipped in flour), cut each circle into 6 wedges and place on a greased or parchment-lined*** baking sheet. (I highly recommend investing in a few commercial half-size sheet pans like these--they're reasonably priced, last forever, and once you try them anything else immediately seems vastly inferior. I've had some of mine for 15 years.).



Brush tops and sides of scones with egg glaze if desired and bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm, or cool completely and store in an airtight container or freeze.

* What most people call "dried cranberries" are actually sweetened dried cranberries, or craisins. These are widely available in supermarkets and in bulk at natural foods stores. Unsweetened cranberries are harder to find, but they taste so bitter I don't know what people use them for.

**I never have buttermilk around, but there is always milk and homemade yogurt in the fridge, which is why all my recipes call for this easy substitution. Delicious homemade yogurt is a snap to make with a yogurt maker; once you try it you may never go back to storebought.

*** Although I'm always urging people to use less (and create less waste), you'd be hard pressed to get me to give up my roll of unbleached parchment paper. It is marvelous stuff. I reuse each piece several times before discarding it.

More Farmgirl Fare recipes you might enjoy:
--Blueberry Breakfast Bars
--Just Peachy Blueberry Breakfast Bars
--Mexican Monkey Cake
--My Best Bran Muffins
--Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins
--Really Raspberry Tartlets
--Emergency Chocolate Cake
--Chocolate Babycakes
--Crazy Cookies
--Molasses Ginger Spice Snaps
--Chocolate Biscotti For Beginners
--Toasted Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti

You'll find links to all of my previously posted recipes in the sidebar of the Farmgirl Fare home page under PREVIOUS POSTS: FOOD STUFF. Happy eating.

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