Redemption, via Scones!

The magic is back.

Funny how one small culinary victory can blow the wind right back into your sails. But I really have to hand it to myself - these little buggers are delicious.

I based my biscuits off of a recipe from Bon Appetit that I found on Epicurious, but I am a deviant. And I daresay that my variations substantially upped the quality of the final result.

Cranberry Orange Pecan Scones

3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chilled half and half

Orange Glaze (just whisk it all together)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Sift together all the dry ingredients, add orange peel. Add chunks o' butter and blend with your fingers until a coarse meal forms. Add cranberries and pecans. Mix 'er up. Gradually add cream and toss with a fork until you get some doughy clumps.

Turn dough onto floured surface, and knead it until it binds, but not too much. About 5 turns will do it. Form dough into a 1/2-ish inch thick square. Or rectangle. Who are we kidding.

Slice into triangles or get creative. I bought a square cookie cutter, and then just cut those diagonally instead of trying to carve out freestyle wedges. Pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes. But keep your eyes peeled. I am at the mercy of a confused, elderly oven and I'm not sure how 21st century hot boxes behave. Take them out when they're getting brown on top.

I made one mistake. My glaze wasn't thick enough, and was less of a frosting, and more of a varnish. It soaked into my scones more so than coated them. You win some, you lose some. I still ate 13 of them. It made them shiny.

Thank you scones, for giving me back my baking confidence. Now I am off to make a torte, or flan or something that involves wielding a creme brulee torch! Just kidding. I'll be making lots and lot of scones.