Orange Ricotta Scones

The last few weeks have been busy ones, with too many 28 hour shifts and early mornings/late nights getting home. By the end of last week, we were all ready for some family time together. Thompson especially was missing me, and so I promised him we would bake something together on my day off. I mentioned scones, which I had actually somehow never made and Thompson had never tried. He agreed, although was nervous he wasn’t going to like them.

We soon discovered that wasn’t going to be a problem. The issue was getting him to stop eating them once he started. We made them in the early afternoon, and by the end of the day, the three of us had managed to finish them off. We got our family time, stuffed ourselves with soft and flavorful scones, and found a new favorite recipe–a win-win-win for my day off, I would say.

Orange Ricotta Scones

 

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Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

• For the Scones:
• 1 large orange, zested
• ½ cup ricotta
• ¼ cup half and half (or milk)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups AP flour
• 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
• For the Glaze:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon half and half (or milk)
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice (from about half a large orange)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together orange zest, ricotta, half and half, egg, and vanilla. Set aside
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour (just like you would grate cheese). Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, combine the grated butter with the flour mixture until it is a coarse sand consistency.
4. Pour previously prepared wet ingredients over the butter/flour mixture. Gently stir together until a dough begins to form. Try not to overwork it. Dump onto prepared pan, and then form into a circle, about 8 inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 equally sized wedges, separating the wedges a little and arranging them on the pan.
5. Place in preheated oven and bake until cooked and a light golden color, about 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
6. While scones cook, make the glaze. Stir together powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon half and half, and orange juice. Pour over warm, but not hot scones. Let cool then serve.

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