Cranberry Orange Scones

Hello everybody! I am finally back with a recipe. And boy is it a good one. First, I thought I would explain a little bit of where I have been.
I have been sick as everybody knows. And I think it's starting to clear up because I can taste again. Haha. However, I was a different kind of sick before this head congestion thing struck. Good ol morning sickness. That's right! Hubby and I are going to have a baby! While m/s was kicking my butt, I didn't do much cooking and wasn't interested in lots of food I usually am- so I didn't really feel qualified to write any food related posts. Well now I am on the track back thanks to food cravings (and less aversions, thank God).
Lately I had been thinking about making something with the dried cranberries in my cupboard. Then the other day while spending time with a friend at a coffee shop, the barista was passing out samples of cranberry orange scones. Yum. I've had these before and they are totally one of my favorite scones. Okay, cranberry orange scones it is.

This morning I began searching for a good reciple- preferably one that I already had all of the ingredients for. Then there it was. I had everything it needed in my kitchen. It was go time. I followed the recipe exactly. There really was no need to deviate from such a simple recipe. Glad I didn't because boy are those scones yummy! And they are literally fresh from my oven right now. I just finished eating my first scone while writing this paragraph. :)

Cranberry Orange Scones
recipe by Brown Eyed Baker

1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. orange zest
1 1/2 c. + 2 tbl. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
a pinch of salt (I forgot to add this since I was hungry for some scones and in hurry!)
3/4 c. dried cranberries
1 c. heavy cream
1 tbl. melted butter
some more granulated sugar for sprinkling

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or a silpat baking mat.
With your fingers, rub together the granulated sugar and the orange zest in a large bowl until everything is all nice and incorporated.
Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together thoroughly. Mix in the cranberries.
Add the heavy cream and stir until combined. Lightly knead the dough on a lightly floured surface just until everything is combined. Too much kneading leads to a stiff and less light and fluffy scone.
Now you can pat the dough into a 8-inch circle and cut said circle into 8 even wedges. Place the wedges on the baking mat a couple inches apart. I like the look of round scones (that then puff out with the rigid edges) so I divided my dough into 8 portions and formed them into slightly flattened balls and placed them on the baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the scones with the melted butter and lightly sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until they have puffed and are starting to gain a light golden brown color.
Allow to cool on a baking rack and enjoy. Yumm!!


I have linked up here:

• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff
• Hearth & Soul Hop vol. 41 at A Moderate Life
• Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple

Sugar Donut Muffins

In honor of National Doughnut Day (today), I thought I would post about a super tasty and super easy recipe I found over at Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice.
I stumbled upon the recipe for Sugar Donut Muffins one day and saved it to my computer for later use. Later use happened two days ago and boy was it good. I followed the recipe, only changing that I made all of the batter into mini muffins, which is noted in the recipe as being a great way to ensure that whatever you coat them in will be in every bite. Plus, they are so cute in mini form! I also didn't dip them in melted butter before adding the sugar as I was in a hurry. They came out just fine without the butter.
I coated all of mine in cinnamon sugar. But powdered sugar, or even a nice glaze (make that chocolate glaze!) would be great also!

Sugar Donut Muffins
(from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice)

3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (I left this out so I could have more freedom later with flavorings)
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. milk (low fat is just fine!)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbl. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar (plus 1 tbl. cinnamon if you want cinnamon sugar)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin tin or a mini muffin tin with vegetable spray.
In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and the egg until light in color. It won't take long at all.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Mix it all together.
Add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar blend along with the oil, milk and vanilla extract. mix everything together and divide evenly among the muffin cups, filling each of them 3/4 full. (Should make about 10 normal muffins or 32 mini muffins)
Bake 15-18 minutes for normal muffins or 13-15 minutes for mini muffins. Test doneness with a toothpick.
After the muffins come out, brush them with butter and roll in sugar.

This recipe is linked up at:

• I'm Lovin' It Fridays  at Tidy Mom
• Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home
• Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
• Saturday Blog Showcase at All That Splatters
• Just Something I Whipped Up Monday at The Girl Creative