Dreamy Cream Scones
Modified from Smitten Kitchen and The America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook.- Ingredients:
- Scones:
- 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a low-protein brand such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Orange glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons orange juice
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.
Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.
If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add cranberries and white chocolate chips and pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl.
Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by either a) pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper (the book’s suggestion) or b) patting the dough onto a lightly floured work surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle, cutting pieces with a biscuit cutter, and pressing remaining scraps back into another piece (what I did) and cutting until dough has been used up. (Be warned if you use this latter method, the scones that are made from the remaining scraps will be much lumpier and less pretty, but taste fine.)
Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To make orange glaze, mix confectioner's sugar and orange juice. Drizzle over scones immediately.