I had no desserts or snacks on hand today, and for me, that’s a horrible situation! I have a tremendous sweet tooth. So…out came the measuring spoons, cups, and other essentials.

There are certain flavors that go so well together…and these two are a perfect example: cranberry and orange.

I had a cranberry-orange scone that was commercially made, gluten-free of course, and loved those tastes together. So, rather than spend $5.00 on one (“gulp!”), I decided to experiment on a recipe at home. And you know what? It didn’t involve that much work or even that much time.

So, if you have the desire and a little bit of time, try my scone recipe. And I’ll bet you can even change up the flavors once you’ve made this recipe and come up with something special that you’ll like just as much as I love these.

Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose gluten-free flour blend (such as Arrowhead Mill), plus additional for dusting your board or surface.
• 1 tsp xanthan gum (Omit if already added to flour blend)
• 1 stick cold sweet butter (8 Tbsp) cut into small pieces. Keep cold until ready to begin adding.
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup heavy cream (if you like, use ¾ cup Half & Half instead of milk and cream)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp gluten-free pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange juice from a fresh orange
• 1 Tbsp. orange zest from the same orange, of course.
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• Small amount Demerara sugar for sprinkling on top.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line your baking or cookie sheet with parchment paper. No need to grease or spray.
2. In large bowl, place all dry ingredients. Mix by hand just to make sure they are all incorporated together. Add the zest.
3. Take out the cold butter and “cut in” to the dry ingredients with pastry cutter tool or forks. Don’t use mixer here.
4. In another smaller bowl, mix the wet ingredients including the egg and orange juice.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry and blend. If you use a hand mixer, don’t beat too much.
6. Once it gets a little stiff, stop and use clean hands. Form 2 balls. It should be easy to do this, since the batter will stick. If you feel it’s really too dry and doesn’t “stick together,” add a drop or two more milk, but not a lot of additional milk.
7. On the dusted surface, place the two balls and flatten into 2 discs. They should be about 7–8 inches wide.
8. Brush top with a little bit of milk and sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
9. Cut with a sharp knife into triangles and using a flat spatula, gently lift off board and place on the parchment paper on your baking sheet.
10. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until light golden in color.
11. Cool on the paper, and store in air-tight container when cooled. (Don’t cover while warm or moisture beads will form inside.)

This is really easy to do, and makes a great breakfast treat on a weekend morning! Actually, it’s a nice treat at any time of day!

– Annette

Annette Marie of Best Life Gluten-Free

Annette is a native New Yorker, now living in New Jersey. Since she was diagnosed with celiac disease well after the age of 50, Annette has made it her mission to raise awareness in the hopes that others won’t have to live for years with unexplained symptoms as she did. Some of Annette’s recipes are inspired by traditional Italian recipes, but she adds other original gluten-free recipes to the mix. Her “semi-homemade” and from “scratch” recipes are meant for busy families eating gluten-free. For more of Annette’s gluten-free recipes, visit her blog at www.BestLifeGlutenFree.com.