cranberry scones for breakfast!

As a native of Massachusetts, and especially Cape Cod, cranberry season is the signal the holiday season is beginning. While we didn't have wet bogs on the Outer Cape, we passed them coming and going on our trips back and forth from Cambridge or New York. Just before the Sagamore bridge, in the Carver area, there they'd be - glorious crimson ponds of floating cranberries just off the highway, as we travelled home at Thanksgiving. And so, cranberries have always been not only a very favorite fruit, adding a tang and rosy blush to everything from applesauce to cookies to scones and fresh cranberry sauce, but they bring many happy memories of the Cape.

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And speaking of travelling, nothing is easier to make and bake than these delicious scones, tucked in a backpack or picnic basket for the long trip home. Wrapped in cello and tied with a ribbon, they're a welcome treat for the pre-Thanksgiving dinner breakfast.

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To make 8 large scones:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.

4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/8 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top

1 stick (8 T.) cold, unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

1 T. baking powder

1 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1 1/2 cups ( or more) buttermilk. Dough should not be dry.

egg wash for tops ( a beaten egg and a pastry brush)

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In mixer bowl, stir flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and butter until mixture resembles cornmeal.

Add the dried cranberries and mix.

Add the buttermilk and fresh or frozen cranberries and mix until it forms a ball. Dough should not be dry - if it is, add more buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time, until it forms a soft dough.

Roll dough out into a 9 inch circle. Cut circle in half, then cut each half twice again - making 8 triangles .

Brush each scone with the egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.

Place scones on baking sheet and bake for 30+ minutes or until tops are golden. If you're using frozen cranberries, it may take a little longer. Scones should feel light when picked up carefully.

Let cool on cooling rack completely if you're packaging them for giving.

Enjoy!