Tender Dried Cranberry Fig Scones
Tender scones. With dried figs. And dried cranberries. Two fruits that I have never before featured on the blog in any recipe. Well, actually, I posted a Fig Newtons recipe, but the figs in those bars were all mushed, so it doesn't really count.
Also, did you know that up until like two years ago, I had no idea that a "Craisin" wasn't a real word/thing? Dried cranberries are called "dried cranberries." "Craisin" is just a name invented and trademarked by Ocean Spray. So the fact that I only knew dried cranberries by their made-up, trademarked name of "craisins" is pretty good marketing, I would say. Good job, Ocean Spray.
I'm going full on autumn with these tender dried cranberry and fig scones. Because cranberries and figs are fall fruits. And also because scones make a warm and comforting breakfast and will help usher in the cold months ahead of us.
And what makes these scones so tender? Unlike your typical scone, which is dense, flaky, buttery, and dryish, these cranberry fig scones are soft, light, fluffy, and more cake-like than bread-like.
Which is all thanks to the fact that these scones actually contain absolutely no butter in them. Which may sound impossible, because butter is the cornerstone of any scone (try to say that three time fast). But instead of butter, these scones use heavy cream. Which is really just butter in liquid form.
And the fact that there's no butter in these cranberry fig scones also means that these scones are a lot easier and less tricky to make than your average butter-full scone.
Because with butter, you have to worry about getting your butter to the right temperature and mixing it into the dry ingredients until you have the perfect sized clumps but not until the mixture turns too crumbly and is over-mixed.
But with heavy cream, all you gotta do is pour it into the dry ingredients and mix everything together until the ingredients are moistened and just combined. EASY. Worry free. Genius.
These scones can't be called flaky. They're just a lot more soft and crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth than a flaky scone. How do I explain the texture then? How about, they're what you would get if a fig cake and a cranberry cookie had a baby. Does that help you? Oh, it doesn't? Hmmm...
But enough about the texture of these tender fig cranberry scones. How about the flavor? Wanna hear about that? Great, here goes:
The scones are lightly sweetened, but not too lightly sweetened that you'll think, "am I just eating a big, fluffy piece of tasteless, yet still edible cloud right now?"
They're also filled with chewy, sweet, chopped dried figs. And chewy, tart, sweet, dried cranberries.
There's also a little nutmeg added into the dough, for a nice fall kick and flavor. Oh, and there's also some orange extract (in addition to vanilla extract, obviously) added in. I just felt like the hint of orange flavor would really add to the scone and complement the figs and cranberries. But if you're not a fan of orange extract, just skip it.
So, how do you actually make these scones?
First, get a big bowl out. Then, pour your flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, chopped dried figs, and dried cranberries into the bowl. Then, stir everything together. Then, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Then, pour the heavy cream and vanilla extract (and orange extract) into the well. Then, mix everything together until just combined.
And then you knead the dough for like 39 seconds or so until everything is combined. And then you divide the dough into two, shape the first piece into an 8-inch disk, cut the disk into 8 triangles, and repeat this process with the second piece of dough.
And the rest I'll let you read in the recipe instructions down below. Because I'm even boring myself.
Tender, soft, caky, fluffy, delicate scones, mixed together in minutes, packed with figs and dried cranberries, with a hint of spicy nutmeg and fragrant orange extract.
October, I'm armed and ready (with a batch of scones).
Tender Dried Cranberry Fig Scones
Yield: 16 scones
3 1/4 cups packed flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped, dried figs
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2 cups cold heavy (whipping) cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
- 1 egg, for brushing
- Raw sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Mix in the chopped figs and dried cranberries.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the chilled heavy cream and extracts. Stir everything together until ingredients are just moistened (you don't want to over mix the dough).
Dump dough out onto floured work surface. Knead for a minute until everything is just incorporated, then divide dough into two equal portions. Flatten each portion into an 8-inch disk, then slice each disk into 8 triangles.
Space triangles evenly onto prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops with the beaten egg, then sprinkle each top with some raw sugar.
Bake scones for about 20-24 minutes, or until tops and bottoms are golden.
Adapted from Hershey's
