Coming home from a trip away (post coming soon!) is, to me, one of the best feelings in the world. No matter if you left the house a mess as you raced out the door, and you have a million things to do before the work week starts... being greeted with a thousand licks and love from your dogs, seeing your things laying around just the way you left them, finding the tomatoes in your garden have grown red and are ready for cook ... to just. be. home.
It's quite a wonderful feeling.
Not to mention, even better when you have a crisp smell of baked goods lingering from your oven. It makes for a perfect welcome home.
Cranberry-Orange Scones
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 stick Earth Balance (butter, cold)
3 tablespoons organic sugar
1 1/3 tablespoons orange zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic dried cranberries
2 organic eggs
1/4 cup milk
+ 1/3 tablespoon milk
handful of slivered almonds
Egg Wash: 1 egg + 1-2 tablespoons milk (beat together)
Glaze: 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar + 4 tablespoons orange juice
Directions: Preheat oven to 400f. In a large bowl, beat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Mix in the cold butter, until you reach a cornmeal-like consistency. In a small bowl, combine milk and eggs; whisk. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring slowly until just blended. Fold the cranberries and slivered almonds into the mixture. Place dough onto a flour-dusted cutting board and knead until it forms into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it reaches about 3/4 to 1 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter or mason jars to cut out desired sizes. Brush the dough with the egg wash, and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Scones should be a golden brown and look a bit flaky when finished. Allow scones to cool before drizzling with glaze.
(New header photo and side column photo were taken by Paige Lowe Photography during our trip up North, where I left some Figgy tracks. :) )
