Orange Cardamom Scones

Hope everyone had a great Christmas (if you celebrate)! I had a very low-key Christmas here in the city, eating cheap Chinese food and then ordering in pizza at night. I am definitely a bit envious of everyone who does the whole gifts-under-the-tree thing. It's never been a tradition in my family, and every year, I'm like, "That's it. I'm gonna make this happen next year!" And of course, Christmast passes before a blink of an eye, and I'm left thinking the same for the next year. Maybe now that it's in writing, I'll be more pressured to do it finally. ;)

Anyway, a little cooking project I completed recently left me with a tin of cardamom pods. I thought they might be fantastic in some scones. And they were!


I used a tried-and-true Martha Stewart scone recipe and just substituted a few ingredients to make this work.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling tops
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in center. Place a baking mat on a baking sheet, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives (I like to use a knife and fork), cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir in orange zest and caradamom.
3. Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.
4. Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a floured knife, cut into four 3-inch squares. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool.

The key is to not overmix or overknead -- my batter always looks like it's falling apart and I wonder how it will manage to form scones, but it always works out for the best.


This tastes great with Anarchy in a Jar's Grapefruit & Smoked Salt Marmalade!