Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The Best Lemon Cranberry Scones!

 
As the daughter of English parents I've had my fair share of scones. Nothing beats a warm scone with a little butter and strong cup of tea on a Sunday morning. This recipe will put your morning scone from Starbucks to shame. The secret is keeping the scones moist (the job of 18% cream) and perfectly sweet (but not too sugary).

I found some amazing organic lemons at the market the other day and had to buy them. They were my inspiration! They really were the biggest lemons I've ever seen. I can't believe they are organic because they really look like a genetically-enginered version. I even took pictures so you could see them!

Make these for overnight guests at your home or as a hostess gift when visiting friends.

The recipe is easy to adapt for seasonal variations so feel free to add/delete ingredients so it works for you. I have noted the changes I made for this batch in italics.

Ingredients & Preparation: (Original recipe from Bon Appetit, November 2005)
Makes 12
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp finely grated lemon peel (I use at least 2 tbsp of lemon peel)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced
  • 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries (I only use 1/2 cup or I find the scones too sweet)
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (I didn't use walnuts for this batch)
  • 1/2 cup (or more) chilled half and half (The secret is to use 18% cream instead! I use at least 1 cup)
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup icing sugar for dusting (this is my addition)
For the glaze:
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Position rack in top third of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk 2 tablespoons sugar and 1.5 tablespoon lemon juice in bowl for glaze.
Whisk flour, baking powder, lemon peel, salt, and 1 cup sugar in large bowl. Add chilled butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Mix in cranberries and walnuts. Add cream and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Toss with fork until dough comes together in moist clumps, adding more cream if dough is dry (It will be dry - add more cream!). Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Press out each half on floured surface to 6-inch-diameter (1-inch-high) round. Cut each round into 6 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet; brush with glaze.
Bake scones until golden and tester comes out clean, about 18 minutes (With more cream added I baked my scones for another 4-5 minutes). Serve warm or at room temperature.




7 comments:

What's Cookin Chicago said...

Beautiful scones and the lemon cranberry flavor is a great idea! You're right - those lemons are huge!!

Kelly said...

Those scones look great. And by the way, you have a very nice blog. The pictures and coloring are beautiful. I'm looking forward to scrolling through your previous posts.

Clara said...

wow awesome :D i tried to make them and they tasted great! although i didn't have cranberries so i used fresh blueberries and they turned out fantastic as well! the only problem i have is that i don't think you ever said how many degrees the oven should be at. i used 350 and basically checked every 5 min to see that i didn't burn it by accident lol. Still! thanks for the great recipe!

Anonymous said...

Stumbled upon your blog while looking for a lemon cranberry scone recipe to make in honour of the Royal Wedding (Really just an excuse to make scones!) Thoroughly enjoyed this recipe, and you were bang on with your tweaks and additions. It will stay in my recipe book. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. Thanks!

Joanne said...

These are the best scones. Better than any bakery. We have these every weekend. Coffee & scones in bed before starting the day.

better than takeout said...

Glad to hear it Joanne!

Claire said...

Thanks for this recipe! We did a different version in my Food Studies class but I'd say this is better! My mom usually requests these from me for our breakfasts.