These cranberry orange scones were a great start to our Thanksgiving Day this year.  I made the dough the night before so it was only a matter of cutting them out and popping them into the oven Thanksgiving morning.  A little something for the busy Thanksgiving hosts, and a welcoming treat for the road weary loved ones joining us for the festivities.  At least there was no snow to trek through this year.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Recipe makes 8 large scones or 16 small ones.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter
• 3 1/2 cups Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 3 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• zest from 1 Orange
• 3 Eggs
• 2 cups Cranberries
• Sanding Sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a food processor, briefly pulse the cranberries into small chunks.
4. Set the cranberries aside, and in the food processor combine butter with the dry ingredients (including the orange zest and sugar) until crumbles start to form. (you can also do this step by hand with a pastry cutter)
5. Add the eggs, and continue to pulse the dough in the machine until the eggs are well combined.
6. Reintroduce the cranberries to the food processor, and pulse until the liquid from the cranberries brings all the dough together into a uniformed blob.  If the dough still seems too dry you can add in a couple of tablespoons of orange juice.
7. Remove the dough from the food processor, and form the dough into a large round disk (or divide the dough in half into two round disks for the smaller scones).  You might need a rolling pin to roll it out slightly – the dough should be about 1.5″ – 2″ thick.
8. Sprinkle sanding sugar on top of the round dough disks.  Patting it in slightly so that it does not fall of during the cutting and baking process. (I completely forgot this step of the process this time around.  The pitfalls of baking before your morning coffee)
9. Cut the dough rounds in half, then into quarters, and then into eighths – like a large pie with eight wedges.  Each wedge is an individual scone.
10. Place the scones on the baking sheet leaving plenty of space in between to grow as they bake.
11.  Bake the scones for ~20 minutes (~15 minutes for the smaller scones).