Buttery and flavorful, these scones are sweet with a nice tart bite from the cranberries and orange zest. They can be ready to eat in an hour and have a fantastic texture. Being a huge fan of scones, I can tell you that these are fast becoming my favorites in the sweet category.
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Baking scones runs in the family, and, as I told you before, it's not easy living up to my very Irish great-grandmother's recipe. So, I decided to wing it and find my favorites.
And I found some recipes that will give that vintage one a run for its money: Easy Buttermilk Scones, Double Cheese Scones, and Orange Cream Scones.
This cranberry studded recipe is a variation of the orange ones named above. Those are plain, and these are festive. Both are fantastic!
The tartness of the cranberries is a wonderful contrast to the sweetness of the orange and the scone itself, especially if you glaze them. It's an irresistible flavor combination.
Do you see the texture in the image below? That's a great, sweet scone. Tender with a crunchy crust and a moist crumb.
Step-by-step VIDEO
Tips for scones and biscuits
- Baking powder: It's essential to help the scones rise, so make sure it's not expired.
- Very cold ingredients: I'm not kidding when I say very cold butter. I cut it and put the pieces in the freezer for 5 minutes before using it. And don't take the liquid ingredients out before you start mixing the scones. They belong in the fridge until you need them.
- Don't work the dough much. It should come together but might still have floury patches. You don't need to work it until it's smooth, like pie dough. It is uneven, with dry spots sometimes, and that's good for flakiness later.
- A rather high oven is necessary: they need that extra heat (and baking powder) to rise. If you happen to forget to turn the oven on before you start mixing, please don't leave the baking sheet with the cut scones waiting on the counter. Put them in the fridge or freezer for the ten or fifteen minutes it takes for the oven to reach its temperature.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Cranberries. Make sure they are plump and moist.
- Orange. Both the zest and the juice are used.
- Baking powder: this is a crucial ingredient to help the scones rise, so make sure it isn't expired.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
- Sour cream: the regular type, full-fat sour cream cheese is used for richness and creaminess.
Steps to make scones
The mixing of dry ingredients with butter can be made in 2 ways:
- By hand - a bowl where you integrate the cold butter with your hands or with a pastry cutter. This can take a few minutes as the butter needs to be the size of peas and small beans because it will be irregular.
Use a large bowl to mix the dry ingredients comfortably. - Food processor - the butter and dry ingredients are integrated by pulsing a few times. This is way faster and less messy (no hands involved), and the only thing to watch out for is not getting carried away and processing the butter too much.
Mix wet ingredients in another bowl before adding them to the butter mixture. Mix lightly with a fork until you have a shaggy mass.
Add the dried cranberries. Mix a few times with a fork and check the dough for moistness.
Forming and cutting scones
Add more liquid if you think it's necessary. Remember some floury patches are fine.
Dump onto a floured surface. Pat into a circle, about 2 inches high, and cut into triangles. It doesn't matter if there are dry spots here and there. This is not a smooth dough.
Baking cranberry scones
Cold dough: the scone triangles must be cold when placed in the preheated oven. So pop them in the freezer for 10 minutes or the fridge for 20 minutes before baking.
Preheated oven: it's essential to help the scones rise and bake as they should.
The orange glaze
We use a simple powdered sugar glaze with orange juice. And it's so ridiculously easy to make!
This glaze involves mixing powdered sugar with a liquid until you have the desired consistency. Thinner or thicker.
- Orange juice: it adds more orange flavor.
- Cranberry juice: it also complements the overall flavor. The color will be pink and eye-catching!
- Alternative liquids: use milk, cream, orange liquor, or water.
Finish them with some orange zest. It adds a lot of citrus flavor.
Grate an orange on top of the freshly glazed scones and let it fall where it may.
Ensure the glaze is still wet, so the orange zest sticks to it before it sets.
Freezing scones
One of the most wonderful things about scones is that they can be frozen raw, and already formed. So you can make a big batch, cut them, put them on trays and freeze them.
Once frozen, put them in a plastic bag or container, so the tray doesn't occupy freezer space.
That way, you can bake them to order! Directly from the freezer into a hot oven.
Warm, freshly baked scones whenever you feel like it.
Related recipes you might like:
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Orange Cranberry Scones
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- dash of ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen for 10 minutes
- ½ cup whole milk, very cold (or use ¼ cup milk and ¼ cup sour cream)
- ⅔ cup dried cranberries
For the glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- orange zest, to finish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
- Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the food processor: place 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, dash of ground cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon salt in the bowl and process a few seconds to mix.
- Scatter ¾ cup unsalted butter, very cold, over this mixture and add ½ teaspoon orange zest. Pulse a few times until the butter is the size of peas or chickpeas. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- By hand: in a large bowl lightly mix 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt and dash of ground cinnamon.
- Add ¾ cup unsalted butter pieces and ½ teaspoon orange zest, and integrate it with your hands or a pastry cutter. The butter should be the size of peas or chickpeas.
- For both: drizzle ½ cup whole milk (and sour cream if using both) and quickly stir to mix with a fork, until most of it is moistened.
- Add ⅔ cup dried cranberries and mix a few times. The dough should come together if pressed but appear lumpy.
- Dump this shaggy mass onto the kitchen counter or smooth surface and quickly give it a few turns to avoid very dry spots. Some dry parts might remain and that is OK. The more you touch it and mix it, the tougher the baked scones will be.
- Pat the mixture into a round, about 1-inch high. With a kitchen knife or dough scraper, cut scones into 6 triangles and arrange them on the baking sheet. For smaller scones, cut each half in four for a total of 8 wedges. At this point, you can freeze the unbaked triangles and bake them directly from the freezer.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown and risen.
- Eat warm or let cool completely and drizzle with orange glaze.
For the orange glaze:
- Mix ½ cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons orange juice in a small bowl until smooth. Add a teaspoon of extra juice if you want a thinner glaze, or more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze.
- Drizzle over cold scones and sprinkle with orange zest. Let it dry before eating.
Peggy says
The recipe spends good, I didn’t make them yet. I would like to freeze them and then bake them. The recipe said that they can be frozen and baked right from the freezer, but there was no time and temperature. Would it be the same as the recipe itself?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Peggy! Yes, it the same temperature and it might take a few more minutes.
Deni says
Hi, excited to try the orange cranberry scones. I am wondering if lactose free milk will work?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Deni! It should work just fine. I didn't use it with this recipe but have with cakes and muffins and never had an issue. Happy baking!
Laresa J Flake says
I made these scones today, (my first time), and since I like stuff a little sweeter, I added a little* extra brown sugar, (I used dark brown), but anyway... they are amazing! I barely mixed them at all, (because you scared me with your warning), just enough to hold together. There were tons of butter chunks still in there, (I was a little worried), but I put them in the oven with my fingers crossed. I also put more butter and some salt in my glaze, but if mine even came close to being actual scones, I'm now a big scone fan!
Cara Lee says
I made this delicious recipe this morning! It is a huge hit and I will save it for a future favourite. I am wondering about your earlier elaborated instructions that show incorporating sour cream?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Cara, glad you liked them so much! I just added a better explanation to the recipe. You can use all milk (how I usually make them) or some milk and some sour cream.
Nicole says
There is nothing like a good scone and I love Cranberry and Orange flavors! They are the perfect match in so many ways!
Jo says
I need this scone in my life. Cranberry and orange is such an amazing flavor combination. And love how delicious scones have turned out.
Debbie says
Cranberry and orange is one of my favorite combinations.. and they are perfect for these scones. These are perfect and tender and the glaze adds the just amount of sweetness. Great Recipe!!
SHANIKA says
Cranberry Orange is the perfect flavor combo! These scones look so flaky and soft on the inside! Such a family-friendly breakfast recipe!
Kathryn says
This is one of my favorite flavor combos! And reminds me that I need to make some scones - they are so easy to make and so delicious!
Jacqui De Bono says
I miss scones! I have cranberries leftover from Christmas Day, so I will be making these for brunch this week.
Chef Dennis says
Yum! This Cranberry Orange Scones recipe is making me drool. Looks really mouthwatering. I can't wait to make this for my family.
Ben says
Those sound amazing. The sweet and tart together are the perfect flavor profile, and the cranberry and citrus make them a perfect holiday treat.
Pam says
I always thought scones were scary to make, with your tips and video, I am confident that I can make these!!! They look amazing with that perfect texture!
Andrea says
I love cranberry with orange, but never thought to use that combo in scones. What a delicious idea! I'd love some with my coffee.
Terri says
These were perfect for my brunch potluck- everyone loved them!
Laura says
If you say they are so delicious, I should definitely give them a try. They surely look great and would be a wonderful addition to any holiday breakfast.
kim says
Love this recipe! These were so easy and had the best flavor! Will definitely be making again!