Miss Marple Orange Iced Scones from Caught Read-Handed

I've been reading cozy mysteries for years and years and they've always been my go-to genre after a bad day or to bust out of a slump or when I just don't feel like handling violence or difficult themes that can happen so often in more standard mysteries.  One of my favorite things about cozies, especially in the last 10 years or so, is the variety of cozies.  There are PIs, Investigative journalists, mayors, antique store owners, artists, dog trainers, contractors, clothing store owners but my 2 favorite types are either the bookstore owner/librarian or the baker/chef/restaurant owner.

So when I got Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran for a blog tour back in July I was thrilled to discover that this book had a little bit of both!

In Moran's Read Em and Eat series the main characters Sassy and Bridgy own a cafe/bookstore named Read 'Em and Eat.  And if I could make fictional places real this place would be high on my list.  All the food has a literary name and inspiration but the best part are the tables.  Each table is named and decorated for a particular author.  There's Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway, as well as my personal favorite and where I would be sitting - the Agatha Christie table, and a big selection of other tables.

Ever since I've been reading cozies I've wanted to try the recipes that often appear in the back of the foodie mysteries and when I got to the end of this one and discovered that the recipe included was for Miss Marple's Orange Iced Scones I knew this was definitely one I could not resist trying!

Miss Marple's Orange Iced Scones

from Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375

Place first 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Use a stand mixer or hand (I used a pastry blender) to blend the butter into the flour, sugar and baking powder until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Mix in egg and milk.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.  With a spoon or ice cream scoop drop 12 equal amounts of scone batter onto the baking sheet.  Leave 2 inches between the scone batter balls to allow for spreading.  Bake at 375 until the edges and tops of scones turn a golden brown.

Orange Icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

1/2 of a large orange, juiced

Place powdered sugar in a small bowl.  Add the graded orange rind to sugar.  Squeeze the orange half over the rind mixture.  Use a spoon to mix the icing together.  Icing should be fairly runny.  Spoon drizzle over warm scones.

Best served with a pot of Earl Grey tea and a Read 'Em and Eat mystery

My changes:  I made the scone batter exactly as the recipe says except I ended up adding the tiniest extra splash of milk.  When it came to the icing I had to get a little creative as I had decided to make this on a whim and I didn't exactly have an orange.  Luckily I had a jar of dehydrated orange peel and a bottle of orange juice.  I used close to a quarter of a cup of juice and that was a bit to much.  Next time I'll add it with by tablespoon until I get the right consistency.  Also I mixed the icing with a fork but that's just because I've found that combines powdered sugar and liquid easier.

My results: Yum!  The scones are light and buttery sweet without being sugary and the orange glaze (because mine is much more of a glaze than an icing) add a delicious citrus-y note.  These would be perfect for a breakfast roll or an afternoon snack and would be lovely with a cup of Earl Grey as Moran suggests!

I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads