Cranberry Orange Scones

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk or sift together. Cut in butter with pastry blender until crumbly. Add orange zest and cranberries, stirring to loosely mix together. Add buttermilk in the center and stir until all is moistened. Add more spoonfull at a time if it doesn’t stick together. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead just until it forms a smooth ball (2 or 3 three turns, don’t overwork it will be tough).

Shape into one or two discs (one for large scones, two for smaller scones) and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Cut into 8 wedges each and pull 1 inch apart for crunchy edges and leave closer together for soft edges. (They can be frozen at this stage and then allowed to thaw about 10 minutes before baking Christmas morning, may take longer to bake.)

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool on wire rack.

Glaze: Mix powdered sugar with orange juice to desired thickness, drizzle over scones (if they are still warm make glaze thicker or it will just melt off). Serve warm or room temperature. Makes 8 Large or 16 Small Scones.