Cranberry-Orange Scones

If you are looking for a nice scone to have alongside a cup of tea, look no farther than this recipe. These scones are light and tasty with a burst of orange flavour that is both surprising and delightful.  I took these scones to a bridge game and they were very well received!

First: Pre-heat your oven to 400F

Ingredients 

2 cups + 1/8 cup of all purpose flour (1/8 cup is two tablespoons)

1/2 cup of sugar plus more for sprinkling

3/4 Cup of plain almond milk

1/2 to 3/4 cup of dried cranberries

Zest of 2 naval oranges

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of margarine - I used earth balance brand - and it has to be really cold.  Measure it out and put it in the freezer for twenty minutes so that it gets good and hard

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together.  Add solid margarine and a pastry cutter, and cut in the marg until the mixture looks like fine crumbs.
3. Add cranberries and orange zest and the almond milk and stir until all the dry ingredients are mixed in and a soft, slightly sticky dough is formed.  
4. Dump the dough out onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  If you like wedge-shaped scones, shape the dough into a circle about 8 inches in diameter and cut into eight wedges with a bench knife.  The dough will be too sticky to separate the wedges, but that's ok because you will have to cut them again later.  If you find that your dough is firm enough to separate the wedges, you can do that before you put the pan in the oven.  If you prefer smaller scones you can shape the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches x 4 inches and cut it into squares.
5. Before you place the scones in the oven, sprinkle sugar over the top.  It will make them look   slightly sparkly when they are all done.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the scone is golden and the edges begin to brown.
7. If you were not able to separate the individual scones when you put them in the oven you will notice that they have baked into one large round scone.  You should still be able to see the marks from where you cut the dough into wedges - use your bench knife to cut along these lines and separate the wedges to allow them to cool faster.

These are great with tea.