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By the time mid-winter rolls around (first week of February to be somewhat exact), I'm actively searching for any little ray of sunshine or moment of warmth that I can find. But on some days I simply come up empty. Snow storms, sub-zero temperatures, unreliable groundhogs, and whatever else Old Man Winter decides to throw in our faces keep me tucked away indoors. Thankfully, I can always count on citrus to bring brightness and joy into my kitchen.
I love using Cushman's HoneyBells in all types of cooking and baking projects. During the week, I add the segments to my salads and smoothies. But on the weekends I'm partial to baking up a batch of these orange scones with pecans and maple syrup.
These tender buttermilk orange scones have layers of HoneyBells in every bite. I use the segments and zest for the batter, and the zest and juice for the glaze, so there's no waste here.
If you're craving a batch of these scones after HoneyBell season has ended, just substitute Cara Cara or Navel oranges instead.
- Food processor
- Biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass
- Microplane
- For the scones
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 12 cup quick cooking oats
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 34 teaspoon salt
- 12 teaspoon baking soda
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (cubed and chilled)
- 34 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 12 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 cup Harry & David® HoneyBell Orange (segmented, broken down into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 12 cup chopped pecans
- 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- For the glaze
- 12 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In the bowl of your food processor with the blade attachment, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the cold butter and pulse about 8 to 12 times or until you have a coarse crumb.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, maple syrup, egg, HoneyBell zest, and vanilla extract. Add this liquid mixture to your food processor and pulse about 8 to 12 times or until the dough has just barely come together. Do not over mix the dough. It should still be shaggy at this point.
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl and use a wooden spoon to fold in the HoneyBell segments and chopped pecans. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour and use your hands (you can flour your hands to prevent the dough from sticking) to shape the dough into a round disk, flattening it so it's about 1-inch thick.
- Using a round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out circles and place them on your prepared baking sheet. Re-shape the dough scraps and continue cutting out circles until all the dough has been used up. A 2 3/4-inch biscuit cutter will yield 10 to 12 scones.
- Sprinkle the tops of the scones with the granulated sugar, and then transfer the baking sheet to your oven and bake the scones for 17 to 18 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Remove the baking sheet from your oven and allow the scones to rest for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- While the scones cool, stir together all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl. If you prefer a thinner glaze, you can add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of HoneyBell juice.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones before serving.
These orange scones are best when enjoyed the day of baking. However, leftover scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for one day and reheated gently before serving.
AUTHOR
Liz is the creator and owner of Floating Kitchen, a recipe and photography website where she shares both sweet and savory dishes. She loves to create recipes based on seasonal inspiration from the fruits and vegetables that grow at her family's produce farm. When she's not in her kitchen, she loves walking the nearby beaches and going out for ice cream!