Cranberry Orange Scones

  

Happy Wedding Weekend!

The Royal Wedding

Was anyone else crazy enough to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to watch the royal wedding?  I actually spent Saturday enjoying two weddings:  Harry and Meghan’s wedding and the wedding of a dear long-time friend.

Friday night I went over to a close friend’s house and we got up early to watch the royal wedding with her older sisters.  This was, in a way, carrying on a tradition began by my mom.  She and her best friend woke up early to watch the wedding of Charles and Diana, and many years later, my mom and I watched the wedding of William and Kate.  Since my parents were also attending my friend’s wedding that same day, my mom did not want to wake up early for Harry and Meghan’s wedding.  So I decided to watch with my friend.  The wedding was lovely and unconventional for a royal wedding, but in a good way.  It was fun to see Meghan tastefully incorporate aspects of her culture into the wedding.  Of course, what is a royal wedding watch party without tea and scones?  But more on that to come later.

The Wedding of a Dear Friend

After staying up until six in the morning watching the wedding, we went back to sleep for a few hours before waking up again to get ready for our second wedding of the day.  I have been blessed to remain good friends with a group of six amazing women from middle school, and Saturday, we celebrated the second marriage of the bunch.  I was also fortunate enough to be able to attend the wedding with four of those friends.  The one who got married first is now expecting the first baby of our group and was unable to attend.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful.  It began with the ceremony at a church and then a reception afterwards at a venue in the country with picturesque views.  I became misty eyed multiple times throughout the day.  It was so beautiful to see my friend so immensely happy and to know that their relationship is truly one that will last a lifetime.  They are such a solid couple with God as the foundation of their relationship.

“We love because He first loved us.”  ~1 John 4:19

I love weddings in general, but I love the weddings of people who follow the Lord best of all.  It is so special to see God orchestrate the match of two people who follow and love Him with every fiber of their being.  They understand from Him what true unconditional and sacrificial love looks like and are best able to give that to each other for that reason.  Perfect love comes from God for God is love.

The Scones

As I mentioned earlier, watching the royal wedding would have been incomplete without tea and scones.  I adapted the recipe for orange scones from Pastry Affair’s blog.  This blog is where I learned how to make truly delicious scones.  They are so tender and not overly sweet.

These cranberry orange scones are very fragrant, smelling very much like oranges (gee go figure).  In an attempt to be more British, I initially tried this recipe with currants, but the currants were so small and many of them became crispy at such a high oven temperature.  So I reverted back to the classic duo of cranberry and orange.  If we’re talking about perfect partnerships, these two flavors complement each other beautifully.

If you got up early to watch the royal wedding, I hope you have since caught up on sleep and have enough energy to whip up a batch of these scones in post-wedding celebration.

Blessings on your home and table,                                                                                                                  ~Natalie

Cranberry Orange Scones

Serves 8-12

Adapted from Pastry Affair

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 orange, zested
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, frozen
• 2 eggs (reserve one for an egg wash at the end)
• 1/2 cup orange juice (preferably fresh)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, orange zest, and salt.
3. Grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture and cut in the butter with a pastry blender or your fingers.  Be careful not to overwork the dough.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together one egg, orange juice, and vanilla extract
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing just enough to incorporate.
6. Stir in the sour cream and dried cranberries.
7. Place mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow the butter in the dough to chill again.
8. Shape dough into balls and place on the parchment paper.  Gently flatten the dough until it forms disks about two inches wide.
9. In a small dish, whisk together the milk and remaining egg.  Brush the tops of the scones with this mixture using a pastry brush.
10. Bake for 14 minutes or until the tops of the scones are golden-brown.  Let cool.

For more scone recipes, check out my strawberry rhubarb scones.