Holiday Cranberry Orange Scones

My great grandmother was the quintessential english lady. She was always proper in her conduct and witty in her manner. However, what she was most famous for was her daily ritual of tea drinking that she encouraged her children, and later grandchildren, to observe. Four o'clock tea in "Nonny's" household consisted of hot tea, friendly conversation of the day, and of course, scones. Though I was never lucky enough to partake in this affair with Nonny, the tea-drinking gene has most definitely been passed onto me. 

Nowadays, my grandmother, Nanny, and I partake in this ceremony in our own way. Nanny supplies the cinnamon tea for me and I bring homemade cranberry orange scones for her. While these vegan scones may seem like a far cry from their English butter-laden counterparts, Nanny can attest that they are every bit as flaky and delicious. 

So from my kitchen to yours, I hope that Nanny's favorite cranberry orange scones will warm your hearts this holiday season as much as they do ours. 

Vegan Cranberry Orange Scones 

Makes 8 to 10 scones 

Ingredients: 

• 1 TBS Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer (*see note)
• 3 TBS water 
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar 
• 4 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 3/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread 
• 1 cup dried cranberries 
• 1/2 cup orange juice 
• 2 tsp orange extract (substitute a bit of orange zest if you do not have orange extract)
• 2 to 3 TBS nondairy milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425*F. Line a cooking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. 

In a food processor, whip together the egg replacer powder and water until thick and creamy. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the Earth Balance to the dry ingredients and cut it into small pieces using two knives. The texture should remain coarse and crumbly, resembling bread crumbs (leaving some of the butter pieces as large as peas will result in flaky scones). Stir in the cranberries. 

Add the orange juice and egg replacer mixture, and mix until just combined (mixing too much will result in tough scones). The dry ingredients should be just moistened, but the dough will not be completely smooth. 

Gather the dough into a ball (adding just one more teaspoon of water or orange juice if needed), and place on a lightly floured surface or pastry Silpat. Pat or roll the dough out to a 1/2-inch-thick rough, and cut into 8 or 10 pieces---triangles are the traditional shape. Place them 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet, brush with nondairy milk, and sprinkle with some sugar. 

Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack or serve warm. 

***Please note: I use Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer because I have found it to be more reliable than the popular Ener-G brand. I like it especially because it remains stable when you need to refrigerate the dough or are not able to bake everything all at once (aka there is sitting time in between batches).