Blood Orange Sugared Scones

Blood Orange Sugared Scones.

January 10, 2012

Let’s talk about things I will never understand.

First up: Ben as the Bachelor. Just don’t get it. At all. At all!

Umm next: fruit for dessert? If it’s fruit… it is not dessert. Seriously. You will never, ever sell me on this. Ever. Unless it’s drenched in chocolate and stuff. In which case, that’s totally a snack. Not dessert.

And finally: dry, crumbly pastry. I just can’t get behind that ish. So I don’t.

Now… check out this sugar. Blood orange sugar baby.

I’m so enamored by it that I’m about to use it as a body scrub, which totally would not be weird because then it would be a sugar scrub! Too bad I’ll probably eat it all before the exfoliation process begins.

At least I’ll exfoliate my mouth.

Would you believe that this is now my all-time favorite scone recipe, beating out my brown sugar bacon scones and almond joy scones? That sounds all shades of crazy, but it’s true. A pretty bold statement for a previous scone hater. These just taste so refreshing… yet sweet. So fluffy… yet dense. So sweet and citrusy and bright and chewy.

So mouth-puckering delicious that I immediately ate two and burned the heck out of my mouth. I wonder if I’ll ever stop doing that.

And then I obviously had to have a third because I forgot about the topping I made. Can’t share without tasting, duh.

Oh oh oh! And this glaze? Completely au natural. No artificial color here. Straight up blood orange juice. So pretty, right? I know. I’m such a sucker for pink. Wave to the walking cliche.

And speaking of, this would make a pretty nifty Valentine’s Day breakfast, snack or edible gift. That was unintentional but as soon as I saw it’s pink color, I thought… V-day all up in this piece. And since blood oranges are only around for a little while longer… I suggest you make these every single day for the next two months. I’ll help you eat them.

Blood Orange Sugared Scones

makes about 16 scones

3 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups cold butter, cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 blood oranges, zested

melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup sugar with about 1/2 of the grated orange zest. Rub together with your fingers until combined and fragrant.

In large bowl combine flour, orange sugar, salt, baking soda and powder. Using your fingers, a fork or a pastry blender, cut in butter until it forms coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla, and add half of the remaining orange zest. Add the juice from 1/2 of one blood orange. Stir with a spoon until a dough forms, using your hands to bring it together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently.

Divide in half and pat into 7 inch round circles. Combine the remaining sugar and orange zest. Brush each scone with melted butter and sprinkle with orange sugar. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges, or use a biscuit cutter to make rounds.

Bake for 12-14 minutes (wedges) or 9-11 minutes (rounds). Top with blood orange glaze.

Note: if you can’t find blood oranges, any type of orange can be used for these scones!

Blood Orange Glaze

the juice of one blood orange

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Stir ingredients together until a smooth glaze forms. Depending on how juicy your orange is, you made need more juice or more sugar. If glaze seems too thin, add in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. If it seems too thick, add more juice 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Pour over hot scones.