We can’t think of a better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with these light and airy Irish scones. Our tender, flaky scone recipe is all about the Irish sweet butter, dried currants, tangy buttermilk, and a finish of sugared orange zest. For the best flavor, serve scones right out of the oven. So on the Saturday morning of March 17 after your scones have risen and turned to a delicious shade of golden brown, let them cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before serving with butter or clotted cream and orange marmalade.

Clotted Cream is an amazingly delicious, very thick cream made with cow’s milk and available for purchase at Whole Foods or specialty grocery stores. Kerrygold is an Irish butter available at most grocery stores.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons white flour, preferably White Lily
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
½ cup cold Irish butter, preferably Kerrygold, cut into small pieces
½ cup Currants
1 cup cold buttermilk
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cream

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar into a large, wide mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal with pea-size pieces of butter mixed in.

Stir in the currents then add the buttermilk. Mix the dough by hand until just combined, being careful not to overwork the dough. Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface, dust your hands with flour and gently knead until the dough just forms a rough ball. Be careful to not over-knead. Cut the dough into twelve even pieces and gently form each into a round shape. Place on the parchment lined sheet tray arranging the dough balls no less than one inch apart.

Combine the orange zest and the sugar. Lightly brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with the orange sugar mixture pressing it gently into the cream. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan once. Remove from the oven and cool about 10 minutes. Serve warm with Orange Marmalade and Clotted Cream. Make 12 scones.