Great scones for Christmas morning

December 23, 11:58 AMChicago Food ExaminerRebecca Wheeler

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I used to make an amazing sour cream coffee cake for Christmas morning. You know the kind with the beautiful cinnamon swirl throughout and streusel topping. Problem was, it took forever and 10 bowls and utensils to make.

Now that I have kids I have to streamline things, and I opt for simpler recipes. These scones from the Barefoot Contessa are still a showstopper-the best I’ve had, in fact, but they take much less time and use just a mixer (a stand mixer is great for these, if you have one) and a Pyrex measuring cup. They have just the right texture, and aren’t too sweet. They resemble a flaky but moist biscuit; they’re not at all like the hockey puck dried out scones you get at most coffee shops.

What I especially love about this recipe is that you can freeze the scones before baking them and bake them “on demand”. This means you can make them ahead of time and bake from frozen. Make the recipe as directed, roll and cut them, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and freeze on a baking sheet pan. Once they are frozen they can all be put together in a large freezer bag. “Big sugar” like turbinado or ‘Sugar in the Raw’, is great for sprinkling on top; it adds a nice texture.

The recipe calls for cranberries and orange zest, but you can just as easily swap these for blueberries (I use frozen wild), dried currants, cinnamon and chocolate chip etc. Avoid over-mixing the butter before adding other ingredients (you want to be able to see some small butter lumps), and don’t roll the dough too thin.  I usually skip the glaze, preferring just the crunchy sugar on top.


Cranberry Orange Scones
Recipe from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten
Makes: 14 to 16 scones

4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.

Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.