So far this week, I have posted two recipes for finger sandwiches that would be great for a Mother’s Day tea party.  Today, I am going to share a recipe for scones.  Scones are a traditional tea time treat.   These scones are sweet and delicious, and  I love the combination of orange and cranberry.   They are also very easy to make.  In my recipe, I used dried cranberries.  If you are looking for a recipe made with fresh cranberries, check out this recipe at Sally’s Baking addiction. 

I chose to use dried cranberries because they are available in my area all year long, and I already had them in the pantry.  Having something in my pantry is always a plus.

Here are the steps to make scones.   The first thing you need to do is turn on your oven and preheat it to 400 degrees.

Mix together all of the dry ingredients.  I put them into a bowl and stir them around really well.   Then, you cut your very cold butter into small pieces and arrange it on top of the flour mixture.  I chose to use a knife and cut mine into small pats.  Other people recommend grating frozen butter.

The next step is to use a fork, or a pastry cutter if you have one, to mash the butter into the flour mixture.

You continue doing this until the pieces of butter in the flour mixture have begun to break apart and are forming small pea sized balls in the mixture.  (I’m sorry that it’s hard to see this clearly in my photo.)

Next you add all of the wet ingredients and keep mixing with that same fork just until all of the ingredients have begun to incorporate themselves into a rough dough.  Don’t over work the dough.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured work surface and form it into a ball.  You can make it into two or three balls if you want smaller scones.  It’s up to you.

Mash the ball into a round disk using your hands.  You may need to put some flour on your fingertips to keep it from sticking.

Use a sharp knife to cut the disk into eight pieces.

Separate the pieces and arrange them on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  (Some people skip this step, but Baker’s Man insists that it should be done.)

Place them in the oven and allow them to bake for 15 – 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until they are golden.

Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 -10 minutes while you mix together the frosting ingredients.  It’s actually more like a glaze than a frosting.

At this point, you can drizzle the frosting over the top of the scones.

If you prefer, you can pour a spoonful of the frosting over the top and spread it around with a spoon.

I have even been known to pick up the scones and dip them in the frosting   However you choose to do this, the scones will be delicious.

Here’s your printable recipe.  Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Thanks for visiting Patty Cake’s Pantry.