Orange Cream Scones
Scones are my weekend comfort food. Thoughts drift to scones when I’m craving something a bit "extra" but not extra-effort. I love the simple joy of breaking them apart and letting them melt in my mouth, and the baker part of me loves how the humble simplicity of scones makes them endlessly versatile to customize flavors to suit my mood. (I can also usually get them going while my husband is still sleeping, and surprise him when he stumbles into the kitchen on a weekend morning. He’s a loyal consumer of my baked goods.)
This morning, I thought a summery orange-citrus kick would be nice, so cream scones seemed like they’d be the perfect flavor match rather than my usual (and no less scrumptious) go-to recipe made with butter. Rather than crumbly like butter scones, cream scones are rich and tender. I know you’ll love them as much as I do.
Orange Cream Scones Recipe:
Yield:
12 scones
Difficulty:
Easy
Ingredients:
Scones:
360 grams all purpose flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP orange zest (or ¾ tsp orange oil, not extract)
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cup cold heavy cream, plus more as needed
Topping:
2 TBSP heavy cream
2 TBSP course sugar like sanding sugar or turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Combine orange zest, vanilla, and heavy cream then slowly pour into the flour mixture while stirring gently to combine until no dry spots of flour are visible. Don’t over-mix though, this will lead to tough scones. If necessary, use your hands a little to gather together.
Tip: Add an extra tablespoon or two of heavy cream if needed to combine, but be careful not too add too much or your dough will end up too sticky.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, divide in two. Gently roll into balls and pat down into approximate 5 or 6-inch disks, about 1-inch thick.
Transfer disks to baking sheet, brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Cut each disk into 6 wedges and separate so they have room to rise. See photo below.
Tip: It works best to cut straight down in one swift, firm slice. If you have a bench scraper, this is a good use for that.
Brushed with cream, sprinkled with sugar and ready to bake.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown then move to a cooling rack.
To serve:
Scones are best eaten warm, the day they are baked. I like these straight-up, but they would be lovely with some marmalade, butter or even cream cheese.
Got leftovers?
Store wrapped tightly at room temperature. Perk up day-old scones by heating them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds or in an oven at 350° F for a few minutes.
