These cranberry orange scones are easy to make and add a festive touch. Orange zest and the orange flavored glaze add fresh flavors while the cranberries and pistachios add a pop of color.
Start with all cold ingredients. Pre-heat oven to 400°F (210°C)
Place the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt, in the jar of a food processor. Pulse twice to combine evenly. Chop the cold butter into half inch cubes and add to the flour mix. Add the sugar. Pulse 4 to 5 times until the mix looks like coarse bread crumbs. Turn out into a mixing bowl. Alternately you could cut the butter into the flour sugar mix in a bowl using a pastry cutter or 2 forks.
Add the cranberries, the chopped pistachios, and the orange zest. Use a spatula and gently mix everything. Drizzle the cold milk and stir again with the spatula until all the flour is moist. Do not knead or work the dough more. The dough should just hold together when scooped up .
Using an ice cream scoop transfer the dough in batches to a cookie sheet. Place each scoop about 2 to 3 inches apart from each other. Do not flatten.
Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the tops begin to turn golden .
Remove from the oven, cool in pan for a minute and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool for at least 10 minutes before icing.
Glaze
Take the icing sugar in a bowl. add the orange zest and vanilla extract . Pour enough of the orange juice to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over the cooled scones . Sprinkle some chopped pistachios on top.
Notes
I prefer not to make this dough by hand as the body heat is enough to soften the butter.
You can substitute up to 50% of the flour with whole wheat flour for a healthier version. In this case increase the liquids by one to 2 tablespoons.