- Orange Scones with a Sweet Maple Pecan Surprise!
Orange Scones with a Sweet Maple Pecan Surprise!
These orange scones are a delicious way to add some sunshine to your winter days. Fresh Harry & David HoneyBells -or the orange of your choice- are complemented by maple and pecans for the perfect on-the-go morning treat!
Harry and David Honeybell oranges really shine in this scone recipe. They're a tangelo, which is a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit, so equally sweet and tart. And WHOA are they juicy. That's why we love using them in baking projects, like these orange scones. These tender buttermilk scones have layers of HoneyBells in every single bite. We use the segments and the zest for the batter, and both the zest and the juice for the glaze. No waste here! We're using all parts of these precious HoneyBells!
Scone batter tends to be fairly forgiving. So, even if you're new to making homemade scones, you can nail this recipe on the first try! The best advice is to not overwork the dough. It will be shaggy and a bit wet/tacky once you fold in the HoneyBell segments, but that's OK! Working on a piece of parchment paper with floured hands will help you to handle the dough. For those perfect circles, a biscuit cutter is your best bet. But if you don't have one, you can use the rim of a drinking glass in a pinch! And, if you're craving a batch of these after HoneyBell season has ended, just try substituting Cara Cara or Navel Oranges instead.
Orange Scones with a Sweet Maple Pecan Surprise!
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cups (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 3/4 cups cold buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Harry & David Cushman's HoneyBell zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Harry & David Cushman's HoneyBell segments, broken down into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons Harry & David Cushman's HoneyBell juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Harry & David Cushman's HoneyBell zest
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In the bowl of your food processor with the blade attachment, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- Add the cold butter and pulse about 8-12 times, or until you have a coarse crumb.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, maple syrup, egg, HoneyBell zest and vanilla extract. Then add this liquid mixture to your food processor and pulse about 8-12 times, or until the dough has just barely come together. Do not over mix the dough. It should still be shaggy at this point.
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl and use a wooden spoon to fold in the HoneyBell segments and chopped pecans.
- Then turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour and use your hands (you can flour your hands to prevent the dough from sticking) to shape the dough into a round disk, flattening it so it's about 1-inch thick.
- Using a round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out circles and place them on your prepared baking sheet. Re-shape the dough scraps and continue cutting out circles until all the dough has been used up. A 2 3/4-inch biscuit cutter will yield 10-12 scones.
- Sprinkle the tops of the scones with the granulated sugar, then transfer the baking sheet to your pre-heated oven and bake the scones for 17-18 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
- Remove the baking sheet from your oven and allow the scones to rest for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- While the scones cool, stir together all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl. If you prefer a thinner glaze, you can add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of HoneyBell juice.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones before serving.
- These are best when enjoyed the day of baking. However, leftover scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day and re-heated gently before serving.
