It’s still summer in my book but that doesn’t mean on a crisp day I can’t crave a little Chai Tea and a warm scone right?

A warm scone, slightly sweetened with honey and bursting with tart barberries? And with a hit of orange that might make you think I’ve moved into Fall mode but I swear that I haven’t.  No pumpkin here.  Just gorgeous scones.

I was going to give these this super easy orange glaze (orange juice and powdered sugar) or I was going to dust them with turbinado sugar (I was out) but once I tasted them they were gone by the time I got around to the orange glaze and I didn’t miss the extra sugar.

The barberries are an insanely good for your superfood so they definitely cancel out all the butter in here with their obscene amount of antioxidants… and they are season neutral so these can 100% still be considered Summer scones.  Even if you eat them on your balcony with a blanket wrapped around you…

You’ll need:

For Scones

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon baking powder*
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (from roughly two medium oranges)
• 0.75 cup dried barberries
• 1 egg (optional: for egg wash)
• turbinado sugar (optional)

For the Glaze I never made:

• 1 cup powder sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• Optional: extra barberries for granish

*I was out so I used 0.75 teaspoon baking soda and 1.5 teaspoons cream of tartar as a subsitute

To Make:

1. Place rack in middle position of oven and heat to 425 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together four, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the egg with a tablespoon of water and set aside.
4. In a small bowl whisk together cream, honey and orange zest.  Place in fridge while you keep working on the scones.
5. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbling and the butter is the size of peas.  Stir in the barberries.
6. Pour the cold cream mixture into the flour and stir with a spatula until a dough just begins to form.
7. Take hunks of dough and place on baking sheet in a ball-ish shape.  You’ll make eight total. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar if you’re not doing glaze.
8. Bake for 12 minutes, set aside to cool.
9. Once scones are cool, make glaze by whisking together powdered sugar and orange juice.  Drizzle over scones and top sprinkle with additional barberries.

Inspired by InspiredTaste