If you haven’t already figured it out, I really like scones, and I’m always trying to come up with new recipes so I’m not eating the same old thing. It may be winter in the rest of the world, but here in Southern California it has been eerily like summer, so I wanted to create a scone bursting with bright flavor, so I came up with these cranberry orange cornmeal scones.
They have the crumbly tenderness of a traditional scone, but the cornmeal adds another level of texture and a hint of crunch. So whether you are dreaming of warm summer days, or experiencing this February heat, these scones are the perfect way to start your day.
Cranberry Orange Cornmeal Scones:
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbs baking powder
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 heaping tablespoon orange zest
- 2 sticks of cold salted butter, cubed into small pieces
- 2 tbs Greek yogurt
- 2 tbs milk
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Orange Glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp grated orange zest
- 3 tsp triple sec or another orange liqueur
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and orange zest , and pulse to combine. Add in the butter, and pulse until the butter is cut into the dry ingredients and evenly distributed. Add in cranberries and pulse again so they break up a little and distribute throughout dry ingredients.
Next mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl. With the food processor on low, add in the wet ingredients into the dry, and keep the food processor on just until a sticky dough comes together. You don’t want to overmix it.
Turn the dough out onto a very well-floured surface. It will be VERY sticky. Roll the dough out the about an inch or and inch and a half thickness and cut out 3 inch rounds. Handle the dough as little as possible so you don’t warm it up with your hands.
Set dough rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes until top is lightly golden and the scones are baked through.
Mix all of the glaze ingredients together until a smooth mixture forms and driozzle over slightly cooled scones. The orange glaze really makes these cranberry orange cornmeal scones pop! Enjoy!