Sparkling Cranberry Scones

Cheri Clotiaux Stringer (originally from Southern Living)
Yield: 8 scones

A favorite of mine from a “scone” spell I went through. The sparkling sugar makes for a pretty presentation — ideal for a holiday morning treat. (Dec 1996)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1 egg

1 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp sparkling sugar* 

Combine first five ingredients; cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 Tbsp of cream. 

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Add whipping cream and cranberries to flour mixture stirring just until moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 5-6 times. Shape into an 8-inch circle, cut into 8 wedges and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Prick edges with a fork 4-5 times. Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp milk. Brush tops of dough with egg mixture, and sprinkle evenly with sparkling sugar. Bake at 425˚F for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. 

*Sparkling sugar can be found at crafts stores or supercenters with cake decorating supplies.

NOTE: If you can’t get fresh or frozen cranberries, Ocean Spray has come out with dried sweetened cranberries (like a raisin). If you use the dried cranberries, it makes the scone very sweet, so you might want to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. If you like cranberries all year round (like I do) then at Thanksgiving and Christmas, buy up a bunch and put them in the freezer (in the original package). They keep for a very long time.