These moist and tender spiced cranberry scones from Rebecca Firth (DisplacedHousewife) are a great make-ahead holiday breakfast. Simply prepare all the way up until pre-bake, freeze for 1 hour, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and store in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer. When ready to brunch, take directly from the freezer to the oven, and bake as instructed, adding a few extra minutes of bake time. Find more ways to bake with Chinese five-spice in our November/December issue!
Spiced Cranberry Scones
Makes 16
Ingredients
- 1 cup (170 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries,* chopped
- 3 tablespoons (32 grams) minced candied ginger
- ½ cup (100 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) Chinese five-spice powder
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon
- 2½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- ½ cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup (180 grams) heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 1 large egg (50 grams)
- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) tangerine zest
- Tangerine Glaze (recipe follows)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, toss together cranberries, ginger, 2 tablespoons (24 grams) sugar, five-spice powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining ½ cup (100 grams) sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cream, egg, and zest. Drizzle cream mixture over dough, and stir with a fork until a craggy ball forms. Add cranberry mixture, gently folding and pressing until distributed throughout. (If it’s dry outside, you’ll have some flour remaining in the bottom of the bowl; conversely, if it’s humid, you may need a touch extra flour to keep the dough from being too sticky.)
- On a lightly floured surface, turn out dough, and cut into quarters. With lightly floured hands, pat each quarter into a disk, about ¾ inch thick. Make sure sides of each disk are straight, forming 90-degree angles. Place disks on 2 large parchment-covered baking sheets, and freeze for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C), and place rack in top third of oven.
- Using a very sharp knife, cut each disk into 4 petite scones. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
- Bake for 13 to 16 minutes. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Drizzle cooled scones with Tangerine Glaze.
Notes
*If using frozen cranberries, thaw and drain well before folding into batter.
Tangerine Glaze
Makes about ¾ cup
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (180 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) tangerine zest
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) fresh tangerine juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 grams) whole milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and tangerine zest and juice until smooth. Add milk, 1 tablespoon (15 grams) at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
