Winter brings a whole lot of delicious treats to the produce aisle: apples, pears, pomegranate, clementines….and blood oranges!
I look forward to these gorgeous oranges all year because they have so many lovely qualities. They taste sweet and citrusy, of course, being oranges. But they also have a slight bitterness that gives the fruit an intensity and depth that makes it a pleasure to eat. They are also incredibly beautiful, with their deep red accents varying from orange to orange.
We usually eat through a batch of them before I can do anything else, but I bought extra blood oranges because I was determined to use them in my baking. By making scones with them, I was able to make a pretty pink sugar glaze for the top, but it’s totally optional. Omit the sugar for a sugar free treat.
These scones are so scrumptious, not to mention super pretty! The recipe makes eight of these beauties but my son and I each had one before I took the pictures. You know…for testing purposes. So, my photos only have six. And soon after I snapped the photos, a few more went missing. They are just that irresistible.
Blood Oranges
Ingredients:
- 2 cups spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp vegan butter
- 1 chia egg (1 Tbsp chia seeds mixed with 4 Tbsp water)
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2/3 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 1 Tbsp blood orange zest
- optional glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare the chia egg and set aside to thicken.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or a butter knife, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. Make sure the butter is very cold. Using a blender or food processor will work too.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the chia egg, maple syrup, zest and blood orange juice. Pour into the flour mixture and gently combine.
- Place batter in one big ball in the middle of a well greased or silicone mat covered baking sheet. Flatten until it is a large disk, about an inch thick. Using a butter knife, cut the batter into eights (do not separate the pieces, leave the batter where it is).
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Separate the triangles and let cool completely.
- Prepare the glaze by whisking together the sugar and orange juice until combined. Pour over cooled scones and let harden. Enjoy!
