Cranberry Orange Scones

Spring is not necessarily my favorite time of year for baking. It might be directly related to the fact that my apartment does not have air conditioning, and therefore the apartment's temperature rises significantly with every treat that is baked in my tiny kitchen's oven. While the sweet aromas of a baked good may be enough to win some people over, I find that not being sweaty takes priority over a homemade cookie at times.

This Saturday was different, though. Although the temperature in NYC rose to a boiling 90 degrees, I still decided to bake some scones to bring along to my day in the park. Yes, the apartment was heated to 100 degrees, but it was worth every bite of these tasty little treats. Hope my roommates agreed. ;)

Cranberry Orange Scones

adapted from here

2 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp orange zest

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest and set aside. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course meal (I used my hands) and then stir in the cranberries.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and egg yolk, then stir in the cream. Slowly add into the flour mixture and mix it until it's just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it into a 1 inch thick square about 8 inches in diameter. Cut out 15 to 20 triangles with a sharp knife and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet with an inch of space between them. Be sure to line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes or until they turn a light golden brown. Transfer them to a cooling rack and let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes before enjoying.