Blood Orange Scones

Sweet scones bursting with blood orange and vanilla, a one bowl treat that is both easy and elegant.  Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or teatime.

We all have our weaknesses.  I adore scones, though they are filled with bad-for-you things like butter, buttermilk, and sugar.  Unfortunately, those things are also quite tasty.  I don’t mean to taunt anyone that has just started a New Year’s Resolution diet with this recipe, if you are looking for a healthy treat…this isn’t it.  You should, however, save this recipe anyway.

I bought blood oranges a few days ago accidentally.  I saw the sign that said blood oranges (or, rather, Blutorangen) and saw bags of large oranges.  In the same bin there was also this bag of smaller orange citrus fruits that looked like large clementines.  I figured that they were the last of the clementines or something, and didn’t realize until after I purchased them that they were in fact blood oranges, as the sign proclaimed.  Oops.  I like clementines because they are easy to peel and tasty.  Blood oranges, on the other hand, not so easy to peel.

Since I don’t actually eat blood oranges often, I thought it would be fun to experiment with the fruit.  Scones are a great medium for showcasing fruity flavors.  These scones–light, sweet, and flaky–stand up quite nicely to the bold orange flavor that comes from using both fresh orange juice and zest.  The vanilla adds a lovely complementary flavor.

You can glaze these, if you want, but it’s totally unnecessary.  These scones don’t actually need anything else.  You can serve them with creme fraiche or clotted cream, but I wouldn’t overdo it with any really sweet condiments.  You don’t want to bury the fragrant orange gorgeous-ness underneath anything.

With the new year, I’ve decided to tidy up my blog some, so if you see some changes going on…that’s why.  I’ve added some cute buttons for connecting me in the sidebar and I’ve finally created a Pinterest account, so head on over there to follow me!  Happy baking!

Makes about 16 scones

Ever so slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and the rest white), plus extra for kneading
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• zest of 3 blood oranges
• 3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1 cup buttermilk (or use 1 cup milk + 1 T apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• juice of 1/2 a blood orange
• Optional Glaze: blood orange juice, powdered sugar, splash of vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, orange zest).  Using your fingers, two knives, or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Stir in buttermilk, vanilla, and orange juice and mix until combined.

Lightly flour a clean work surface.  Pour dough onto the surface.  With floured hands, gently knead the dough until it is no longer sticky.  If your dough was never sticky, just give it a few folds.  Gently flatten dough until it is slightly larger than you want it to be before cutting out the scones, then fold in half and reshape.  The dough should be about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Use a large glass or a biscuit cutter with a radius of 3 inches to cut the dough into rounds.  Alternately, you can shape the dough into two circles, then cut into 16 wedges.

Bake for about 10 minutes for the rounds, or 12 minutes for wedges.  Best eaten when still warm from the oven.

Optional: While the scones are baking, make a glaze.  Start with the juice of 1 blood orange and about 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar, plus a splash of vanilla extract.  Add juice (in teaspoons) or sugar (in tablespoons) until the glaze reaches the desired consistency.

Posted to Moonlight and Mason Jars, Yummy Healthy Easy’s Saturday Night Fever, Serendipity and Spice’s Manic Monday, Mandy’s Recipe Box’s Totally Tasty Tuesday, Buns In My Oven’s What’s Cookin’ Wednesday, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage’s Full Plate Thursday, and A Peek into My Paradises’s Happiness Is Homemade!