cranberry cream scones

breakfast is a tricky meal for me for me to love. by constitution, i'm not a fan of sweet breakfast foods, probably a result of growing up with filipino parents for whom the ideal breakfast consisted of rice, salted duck egg, tomato and a marinated meat called tapa. for most of my life i've oscillated between not eating breakfast at all and eating something i'm barely tolerating, like cereal or yogurt. scones, however, are the except to that rule. i've always enjoyed their mild sweetness and the fact that you are allowed, even encouraged!, to heap them with butter and jam and my most beloved clotted cream. since learning how to make them, i've brought them to countless brunches and served them to quite a few guests. i was recently thinking about this recipe and realized you could probably cut the dough and freeze it, making it easier to bake them off one at a time. that is, if you are unlike me and can't inhale 2 or 3 in a day.

cream scones with dried cranberries adapted from america's test kitchen

makes 8 scones

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes and chilled
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

place oven rack in middle position and heat to 450F. pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a food processor to combine, about 6 pulses.
scatter cold butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger lumps, about 12 pulses.

add the cranberries and pulse 2-3 times to combine. transfer dough to a large bowl and stir in cream with a spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds. don't overmix!

turn dough and any floury bits onto a floured counter and knead until it forms a rough, slightly sticky ball, about 5 to 10 seconds. turn dough into a 9 inch round cake pan and press down to fill pan. unmold dough (it should now be a flatish 9 inch round) and cut into 8 wedges. sprinkle with turbinado sugar and place onto an ungreased baking sheet (i just lined mine with parchment paper).

bake until tops are golden brown, 12 to 15 mins. Cool on wire rack for a least 10 mins. before serving.