Baking with Olivia and Caroline

Are these really scones? I guess that depends on who you ask. They’re definitely more of the American take on a scone. The British version is a whole different experience. They are not usually filled with fruit, never topped with a sweet glaze, and just barely sweet on their own. They’re softer, fluffier, and meant to be split open and piled high with clotted cream, lemon curd, or jam, ideally enjoyed while sipping hot tea.

My scones, on the other hand, break the British scone rules.

American-style scones come in all kinds of flavors, often with fruit or nuts mixed right into the dough. They tend to be a bit denser and richer, and some might even argue they’re closer to a sweet biscuit than a traditional scone. Call them what you want; I just hope you call them delicious.

I’ve made these using a round biscuit cutter or cutting them into triangles. I can’t say I truly prefer one over the other, but when I go with triangles, they definitely turn out bigger; which isn’t a bad thing!

They’re absolutely irresistible warm out of the oven but just as good the next day – and maybe even the day after that, if they last that long. I’ve brought these to work and shared them with neighbors and family. Every single time the reaction is the same: “I gobbled down to the very last crumb.” And more often than not, there’s someone, myself included, licking those last little glazed bits off the plate.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 5 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• ¾ cup chopped dried apricots
• ½ tsp orange extract
• ⅛ tsp almond extract
• Zest of one orange
• ½ cup milk (or substitute buttermilk for extra fluffiness)
• 1 egg
• Sanding sugar

Orange glaze

• 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• Orange juice (add gradually for desired consistency)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment. 
• Prepare the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Cut in the butter: Add the cold butter cubes to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs.
• Add the apricots: Stir in the chopped dried apricots.
• Whisk the wet ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the milk (or buttermilk), egg, orange extract, almond extract, and orange zest.
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine gently with your hands or pastry cutter until you have a slightly shaggy looking dough. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it into thirds with your hands or a bowl scraper.   Continue to fold the dough in thirds until it all comes together. Shape the dough with your hands into a disk that is about 1” thick. Cut it into equal size triangles like you are cutting a pizza and place them approximately 1” apart on a prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the scones with sanding sugar.
• Bake the scones: Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
• Make the orange glaze: While the scones are baking, prepare the glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar, orange zest, and orange juice. Add the juice gradually to reach the desired glaze consistency.
• Drizzle and serve: Once the scones are baked and still warm, drizzle the orange glaze over the top.

As always, enjoy! •

Olivia and Caroline are enthusiastic foodies and bakers who are constantly in the kitchen, as well as explorers who create their own adventures in our area – and did we mention they are mother and daughter? Follow Olivia on Instagram to see her many creations at @oliviawvalentine.