Previously, I wrote about the amazing White Chocolate-Apricot Scones but today I want to talk about its sister, the Cranberry White Chocolate Scone. Okay, so literally I’m replacing apricot with cranberry but this is the seriously the best part. Just one ingredient makes a huge change in this scone. From sweet, innocent dried apricot to a fresh, crisp cranberry, the scone can be dressed up for the winter.
Cranberries are autumnal-winter fruits. Well mostly autumn to be completely honest. But, actually, stores still sell fresh cranberries well into winter, and year round, you can find frozen berries too. However, I’m vouching for you to try those fresh cranberries embedded in scones. The beauty of using fresh cranberries (as opposed to other berries) is that they hold their shape and remain hardy when incorporated into the scone dough. If you take fresh raspberries on the other hand, it will most definitely get smushed and beaten. And if you get frozen blueberries, the blue will smear into a moldy grey when baked. Much less appetizing, right? But I highly encourage other berries to be in things like muffins and cupcakes – the batter is far less dense and they would seamlessly fit in!
So cranberries in scones. Cranberries are a hardy fruit and a strong skin. Like baked baby tomatoes, when popped they’ll burst. And if you eat the scones warm, a whole cranberry could be even hotter inside. That’s why I think it is important to cut each berry in half. Plus, the scones can feature the beauty of cranberries.
And to go along with cranberries, white chocolate perfectly complements the sour with the sweet. It is not overwhelming but tames the flavors. The cranberries cut through with it fresh, slightly sour taste. Then the white chocolate soothes that sour with a mellow sweetness. And with that, I hope you enjoy this version of the scone!
Cranberry White-Chocolate Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6 Tbsp butter, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half
Instructions
- Combine all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder) in a large bowl.
- Add the butter to the flour mixture. Using your hands, pinch the butter pieces and mix it into the flour until a flaky mixture results. Alternatively, use a pastry cutter.
- In small bowl, whisk together the egg and yogurt.
- Make a well within the flour mixture and in small batches, add the yogurt mixture, making sure that the batter is thoroughly mixed before adding more yogurt mixture. It will get sticky, but be patient to let everything combine well.
- Once the scone dough holds together completely, add the cranberries and white chocolate chips, lightly kneading them into the dough.
- Reshape the dough into a rough circle, fairly thick, about 1.5-2 inches high. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 min.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the scone dough into 8 pie slices and place onto a baking sheet. If desired, sprinkle sugar on top of the scones for a crispier outer layer.
- Bake for about 18 minutes, or until barely golden.
Did you make this recipe?
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