Cranberry Orange Scones are packed with fresh, fruit filled flavor. Bursting with fresh cranberries and vibrant orange zest, each bite is soft, flaky, and flavorful. I love enjoying these orange cranberry scones warmed up with a hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa on a chilly morning!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
Orange + Cranberry – I get excited for the winter because oranges and cranberries are in season! I love pairing the two flavors in all kinds of baked goods.
Easy Breakfast – I love making a batch of these cranberry scones for my family to grab on their way out the door. Scones are an underrated breakfast, or snack time treat.
Orange Glaze – The bright, orange glaze is addictive! I could eat just the glaze alone.
Simple to Make – This is a great beginner scones recipe, especially if you’ve never made them before!
With so many breakfast pastry options out there, I forget how much I enjoy a good scone from time to time. However, these cranberry and orange scones are hard to forget about once you make them. I made them earlier this week and haven’t been able to stop thinking about them. In fact, they’re so yummy that after I finish writing this sentence I think I’ll start on another batch!
Ingredient Info
This is a discussion about the ingredients. For the actual recipe with amounts, please see the recipe below.
- Flour – Make sure to measure the flour by scooping it into the measuring cup and leveling it off, otherwise your scones could come out dry.
- Sugar – White, granulated sugar is best for the dough, and you’ll need powdered sugar for the icing.
- Butter – You’ll need butter that is unsalted, cold and cut into cubes.
- Cranberries – Fresh cranberries are best, but you can also use frozen cranberries. Don’t thaw them before, just add them frozen. You can also use dried cranberries for a sweeter flavor. You can even soak them in warm water for 10 minutes so they rehydrate.
- Oranges – Grab a fresh orange or two because you’ll need the zest and the juice from it. If you don’t have oranges you can sub for lemons for a cranberry lemon scone.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own. Just follow this recipe here.
- Egg – Make sure the egg is at room temperature before adding it in.
Step by Step Instructions
This is a discussion about the recipe. For the actual recipe with amounts, please see the recipe below.
- Whisk dry ingredients, then cut in the cold butter. Stir in the cranberries and orange zest.
- Mix the wet ingredients together and combine them with the dry. Gently knead. Form dough into a flat disk.
- Slice the dough into 8 wedges then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes then let the cool completely.
- Combine glaze ingredients then drizzle it onto the scones. Serve and enjoy!
Tips & Advice
Christi’s Recipe Tips
Scone Texture Tips! Oftentimes, scones can come out dry. Here are some tips to ensure that your scones have the perfect texture every time.
- Measuring your flour correctly helps keep the dough moist. Scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level it off before adding it to the recipe.
- It’s very important that you use cold butter when you cut it into the flour. A pastry cutter helps keep the butter cold, whereas your fingers/hands might warm the butter as you combine it.
- Do your best to not over mix or over knead the dough. Stir the dough together until just combined, and then knead for a minute or two until the dough has no more visible dry spots.
- You can use a rolling pin to roll out the scone dough, but if you can avoid it and use your hands gently, that helps preserve the gluten.
Storage – You can store the leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2-3 days. There’s the option to freeze them for up to a month as well. To thaw and warm up, you can bake them for about 10 minutes at 350°F. If you choose this method, store them in the freezer unglazed, and make the glaze for when you’re ready to eat them.
Make Ahead – If you want, you can store the scones unbaked as well. You can keep the unbaked wedges in the fridge for up to 24 hours or in the freezer for up to a month. When you go to bake them, just make sure to add a few more minutes onto your baking time. The glaze can be made about 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Just let it sit at room temperature to warm up a bit, and stir to loosen the glaze.
Equipment
You’ll just need a few simple items to make these easy orange cranberry scones!
FAQs
Make sure the butter is very cold and evenly combined into the dough. Some people even freeze the butter, which isn’t necessary, but can help the texture of your scones.
Avoid over mixing and over kneading the dough if possible. It can affect the gluten development in the bread. Don’t use a rolling pin to roll out the dough if you can help it. Basically try to touch the dough as little as possible.
Recipes You’ll Love
These cranberry scones with an orange glaze are such a delight to make! If you enjoyed these, try out a few more similar flavored, seasonal recipes I think you’ll absolutely love.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
Cranberry Scones Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter chilled and cubed
- 3/4 cup fresh cranberries chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Orange Glaze Ingredients
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until combined. Add the cold, cubed butter and use either a pastry cutter or your hands to combine the cold butter with the flour. Do this for a few minutes until the butter is thoroughly incorporated and the dough is crumbly. Add the chopped cranberries and orange zest then stir.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Stir until combined. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix just until you’re able to pull the dough out of the bowl in one piece.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and begin to knead in gently a few times until it comes together. Roll it into a flat, circular shape that's about 1 inch thick.
- Cut the dough like you would a pizza or pie, into 8 even slices. Place each slice on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the scones for about 18-20 minutes. While that bakes start on the glaze.
- Combine powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest in a small mixing bowl. Stir until combined.
- Remove the scones once they’re golden brown on top and cooked all the way through. Let them cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled, drizzle the glaze over the scones. Let the glaze set, before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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