Pomander Scones

A couple months ago, Joy the Baker shared an Orange Pomander tutorial on her site. That post brought me right back to my childhood when Mom, Sharon, and I would make pomanders and hang them around the house at Christmas. With that vibrant orange, the colorful ribbon and the fresh scent, we happily left them up through winter until the seeds rattled inside the hardened, leathery peel like a maraca. Inspired by this childhood memory, I made pomander scones with cloves, orange zest and currants.

I made these scones (along with strata and salad) for my friend Wendy’s birthday brunch this weekend. Sure, we could have gone out to eat – we live in the brunch capital of the world! But nothing says “you’re important to me” like cooking a meal to celebrate someone. The table setting was modest (we even had to use a metal folding chair!), but I pulled out the good china, bought some white roses and used linen tablecloth and napkins. And these scones, fresh from the oven, were a big hit. I even let Wendy take home the last two. Now that is love.

Pomander Scones

 

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by: Three Many Cooks

Serves: Makes 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashion oatmeal
• ⅓ cup, plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup currants
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) frozen butter

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour, oatmeal, ⅓ cup of sugar, ground cloves, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and currants in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk sour cream and egg until smooth. Grate butter into the flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; toss to combine with fingertips. Stir in sour cream mixture until large dough clumps form. Use hands to press dough against the bowl into a ball. (There may not seem like enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.) Place on a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 7½-inch circle, about ¾-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably parchment-lined), about 1 inch apart.
3. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve—hot, warm, or at room temperature

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