Gluten Free Orange Scones

When my husband and I were first married we took a trip to the coast of Maine. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast that provided us with amazing (gluten-filled) blueberry scones every morning for breakfast. One morning as we made the trip to grab a few before heading out we heard another guest say, “Ugh! Scones again?!”

I haven’t had a really good scone since my celiac diagnosis…until now. And while these aren’t blueberry (although I’m sure they’d be delish if you replaced the orange zest with lemon and fold in some wild blueberries at the end…yum!) they are wonderful. They’re light and tender and no matter how many times you make them, I doubt your guests will ever complain that you’re having “scones again!”

Ingredients:

Scones:
1 3/4 cups Better Batter Gluten Free Flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
the zest from one medium orange
2 large eggs
1/3 cup cold milk
the juice from 1/2 a medium orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar (more or less depending on your desired consistency)
the zest from 1/2 an orange
the juice from 1 orange

Directions:
—Preheat oven to 400 F.
—Combine GF flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk together. Add cubes of butter and work into dry mixture (using a pastry cutter or your hands) until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is crumbly. Stir in orange zest.
—In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla and whisk together until mixture is combined and is starting to froth. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet. Mix by hand until the dough is well combined. It will be sticky!
—Divide scone batter between the 8 wells of a greased scone pan and press dough to the edges (or just plop them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper!). Allow scones to rest for 15 minutes.
—Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes. Scones should be firm to the touch and slightly brown on top. Cool scones in the pan (or on the cookie sheet) for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
—In the meantime, make the glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice to combine. Pour glaze on top of warm scones and enjoy!

**recipe adapted from Flourish by King Arthur Flour—http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/PrintRecipe?RID=1424&radio=1