Description
An easy holiday brunch scone recipe using leftover cranberry sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Scones
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, grated on a box grater
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- 3/4 cup canned or homemade cranberry sauce
- 1 egg, lightly beaten (optional)
For the Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice, plus more if necessary
- dash of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, grate cold butter (using the coarse side of the box grater) into the bowl. Add flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Toss to combine.
- Create a well in the butter and flour mixture and add the buttermilk. Use a wooden spoon to toss the wet ingredient with the dry, creating a thick but moist dough.
- Transfer dough to a well floured work surface. Roll to a 3/4-inch thickness and fold the dough in thirds. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and again roll the dough to a 3/4-inch thickness, fold the dough in thirds, and repeat one more time. Three rolls and folds.
- Roll the dough one final time into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thickness. Trim the edges if necessary and cut 8 scone squares.
- Place on prepared baking sheet and use your finger to press and indentation into the center of each scone. You won’t press through to the sheet pan, just create an indentation.
- Spoon cranberry sauce into each indentation keeping the sauce flush with the edges of the scone, not really heaping.
- If you’d like, brush the top of each scone lightly with a beaten egg. This will help the scones brown a bit more. Not totally necessary. I forgot this step.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
- While the scones bake, make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, orange juice and vanilla extract. The glaze should be thick but still pourable. Add a dash more orange juice until you get the right consistency. Spoon the glaze into a ziplock bag and set aside.
- Glaze the scones once they’re mostly cooled by snipping a tiny corner off the ziplock bag and drizzling in stripes. Add a bit more fresh cranberry sauce atop the finished scones and enjoy!