Cranberry Orange Scones

One of my favorite flavor pairings is cranberries and oranges, especially in muffins or scones. The main problem Americans have with scones is that they are too dry for our liking. Some people try to substitute muffin mix for the dough, but it just doesn't have the same texture. I have tried a couple of different recipes, and find that this one was a big hit! 

I am a part of a Jane Austen Movie club, and this month we had a tea party while watching A&E's Pride and Prejudice. Since food is such a social thing, every month we pick a recipe to make together before hand so people can share cooking tips. This was the recipe of the month. 

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cloves
2 tbsp. sugar
Zest of an orange
1/2 cup Craisins or golden raisins, chopped
1 stick of cold butter
2/3 cup buttermilk (plus extra for brushing)
coarse sugar for sprinkling

Whipped Cream (recipe at the end)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

• Mix all the dry ingredients together. 
• Cut the cold butter into small cubes 1/4-1/2 inch. With a pastry blender or stand mixer, mix until the butter is just coated with flour, leaving chunks the size of dimes. 
• Stir in the Craisins and the zest. 
• Stir in 2/3 cup buttermilk and mix for about 30 seconds, or just until the liquid is absorbed. (The batter will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl). 
• Using clean hands, scrape the dough down and form it into a ball. Place the ball on a baking stone, baking sheet lined with parchment paper, a silicone baking sheet or a buttered sheet of wax paper. 
• Pat the ball into a flattened circle 1 inch thick at the center, slightly thinner around the edges. Divide the circle into eight wedges and separate the wedges out leaving a 1/2-inch space between them.
• Brush the tops with remaining buttermilk or an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve warm with butter, jam, whipped cream or clotted cream. The tops of the scones may be lightly dusted with confectioners sugar, if desired.

Cooking Tips:

• Use the Pampered Chef Food Chopper to quickly and cleanly chop the cranberries.
• Put your bowl in the sink when whipping the cream to make clean up easier. 
• Don't knead your dough! The chunks of butter, when melted, create air pockets that make the scones flaky. 
• When zesting an orange, don't get the white. If using a zester, do short strokes to get smaller pieces. 
• Invest in a zester and pastry brush. You can get them at Dollar Tree or the grocery and they make life easier!
• Substitute Chocolate Chips for the cranberries. Get creative! Raisins, dates, poppyseed, you name it!

Whipped Cream

1 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Tablespoon of sugar

1 Tablespoon of juice from orange (used earlier for zest)

Beat on high for 5 minutes or so until soft peaks form. If you under beat, it will be runny. If you over beat, it will turn to butter. When it's getting close, turn off the mixer and test the peaks every minute. 

Strawberry Tart

I was at a picnic this spring where my friend Lisa DeBord brought a scrumptious fruit tart. I was amazed by the crust and asked how she made it. With a smirk and a roll of the eyes, she said it was soooo hard. . . it's sugar cookie dough! So this past week when my parents came to visit, I thought I'd try a little experiment. Sugar cookie crust, fruit dip filling, and topped off with my favorite fruit!

Beware, this is about to sound like a Pampered Chef ad! What can I say? I used to sell it and not only is my kitchen full, I love their products!

My sister-in-law Jame gave me the Mini Tart pan with the wooden plunger that shapes the tarts. This is something that takes a little practice to get right, but once you have the hang of it, it goes quickly. It makes it look like you are a gourmet chef!

Preheat the oven to 375. You won't need to grease the pan if it's non-stick since the cookie dough is very greasy itself (or as we say in the south, greazy). Pinch off enough dough to half-fill the tart cup, dip your dowel shaper in flour, tap off the excess, and gently form the crusts. Start checking it at 5 min.

I was slightly startled to see some of the crusts puffing up when I checked them! A simple pat with the dowel fixed the problem. I found that 7 min was about right, but the best way to know is when you see the edges get golden brown. For this crust, the crispier, the better!

Let the crusts cool before trying to pop them out with a icing spatula or spoon. Don't scratch your non-stick bake ware!

The roll of dough made almost two trays of crusts. To prevent soggy bottoms, fill them right before consumption.

Speaking of filling, this recipe is a variation of a fruit dip that Beth Clouse Claxton taught me years ago:

One box of cream cheese, room temp

1/2 carton of cool whip

1/2 box of powdered sugar

One tsp of vanilla

Mix with hand mixer, and enjoy!

Since I knew the crust was going to be super sweet, this is half the sugar and half the cool whip of the original recipe. A decorator's piping bag would be perfect, but since I didn't have mine handy, I took a gallon zip-lock, snipped of the tip, and put two big globs of filling inside. This is easier if you only put enough in that you can grasp with your hand. To refill, hold in left hand, peel the edges around your left hand until the bottom of the bag is accessible, and put another couple of scoops in. A gentle squeeze in a swirling motion should do the trick to fill the cups!

I then used my Pampered Chef slicer (good for mushrooms, olives and strawberries), to slice the capped berries. Place as many slices as you like on top, but I found that three was the magic number.

Caution: guests will come back for

seconds!