Homemade cranberry orange scones are deliciously flaky and tender with bright orange flavor and pops of juicy cranberries. Crunchy coarse sugar and orange glaze are the perfect finishing touches!
Scones. They can taste REALLY good or they can taste REALLY bad. It all depends on the recipe and mixing method.
I learned how to make absolutely delicious scones a few years ago when I attended a cooking event in the Panera Bread test kitchen. Turns out that I had been making all the wrong scones up until that point! Since that fateful afternoon, I’ve mastered chocolate chip scones, cinnamon scones, apple cinnamon scones, and blueberry scones. I use the same basic scone recipe for each flavor. By the way, I wrote an entire post devoted to my favorite base recipe for scones.
Today we’re making cranberry orange scones, flavors perfect for fall.
Why You’ll Love These Cranberry Orange Scones
- Sweet crumbly edges
- Soft, moist centers
- Crunchy golden brown exterior
- Bright flavor from orange zest and orange juice (a tasty addition we use to make the best cranberry sauce, too!)
- Pops of juicy cranberries (just like biting into a piece of cranberry cake!)
- Drizzle of orange glaze on top
Cranberry Orange Scone Ingredients
- Flour: 2 cups of all-purpose flour is my standard amount for homemade scones, but set extra aside for the work surface and your hands.
- Granulated Sugar: Stick with around 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar for this dough. Feel free to slightly decrease, but keep in mind that the scone flavor and texture will slightly change.
- Baking Powder: Adds lift.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: These kitchen staples add flavor.
- Cold Butter: Besides flour, cold butter is the main ingredient in cranberry scones. It adds flavor, flakiness, crisp edges, and rise.
- Heavy Cream: For the best tasting pastries, stick with a thick liquid such as heavy cream. Buttermilk works too! For a nondairy option, try using full-fat canned coconut milk. Avoid thinner liquids such as milk or almond milk—the result is often dry, bland, and flat scones.
- Egg: 1 egg adds flavor, lift, and structure.
- Orange Zest: The zest from one orange provides bright flavor and pairs perfectly with the tart cranberries. Don’t leave it out!
- Cranberries: I prefer to use frozen cranberries because they keep the scone dough super cold. Fresh or even dried works too. Use the same amount.
Before baking, brush the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. These extras add a bakery-style crunch and lovely golden sheen.
Frozen Grated Butter
I’ve learned that frozen grated butter is key to scone success.
Like when we make pie crust, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients. The cold butter coats the flour. When the buttery flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, they release steam which creates pockets of air. These pockets add a flaky center, while keeping the edges crumbly and crisp. Refrigerated butter might melt in the dough as you work it, but frozen butter will hold out until the oven. Timing is KEY! And the finer the pieces of cold butter, the less the scones spread and the quicker the butter mixes into the dry ingredients. Remember, you don’t want to over-work scone dough.
I recommend grating the frozen butter with a box grater.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
Since there’s no yeast, these cranberry orange scones go from the mixing bowl to the oven relatively quickly. First, mix the dry ingredients together. Second, cut cold butter into the dry ingredients. You can use a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your hands for this step. A food processor works too, but it often overworks the scone dough. To avoid overly dense scones, work the dough as little as possible. I always use a pastry cutter.
Next, whisk the wet ingredients together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the cranberries, then gently mix together. Form the dough into a disc on the counter, then cut into 8 wedges.
One of my recent tricks! To obtain a flaky center and a crumbly exterior, scone dough must remain cold. Cold dough won’t over-spread either. Therefore, I highly recommend you chill the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes prior to baking. You can even refrigerate overnight for a quick breakfast in the morning.
After that, bake the scones until golden brown.
The scones are WONDERFUL right out of the oven, but taste even better with an orange glaze on top—a must on cranberry scones. 🙂 Or try a swipe of homemade honey butter or the cranberry curd from this cranberry curd tart. You can’t go wrong!
More Cranberry Orange Recipes
- Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
- Orange Cranberry Bread
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies
These scones should most certainly be on your Thanksgiving breakfast menu! A perfectly festive prelude to all those Thanksgiving pies later in the day. 🙂
Print
Glazed Cranberry Orange Scones
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 large or 16 small scones
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These cranberry orange scones are buttery and moist with crisp crumbly edges and soft flaky centers. Crunchy coarse sugar and an orange glaze are the perfect finishing touches! Read through the recipe before beginning. You can skip the chilling for 15 minutes prior to baking, but I highly recommend it to prevent the scones from over-spreading.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (about 1 orange)
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup (125g) frozen cranberries*
- optional: 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream and coarse sugar
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2–3 Tablespoons (30-45ml) fresh orange juice*
Instructions
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. See video above for a closer look at the texture. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
- Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, the egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the cranberries, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
- Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.
- Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
- Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your fridge has space!) and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes as you make the glaze.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice together. Add a little more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or more juice to thin. Drizzle over scones.
- Leftover iced or un-glazed scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed.
- Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing. I usually freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or container. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare scones through step 4. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Continue with the recipe the following day.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Box Grater | Pastry Cutter | Bench Scraper | Pastry Brush | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper
- Over-spreading: Start with very cold scone dough. Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and press back into its triangle shape (or whatever shape) using a silicone spatula.
- Cranberries: I prefer to use frozen cranberries because they keep the scone dough super cold. Fresh or even dried works too. Same amount.
- Orange Juice: I prefer fresh orange juice. You’ll have an orange anyway—the one you zested for the scone dough! Store-bought orange juice works too, of course.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Im not a big baker but these are certainly worth it! Pretty easy too. Good balance. I didnt have unsalted butter so i just decreased the salt added a bit and they worked out beautifully. Everyone was impressed! Absolutely delicious!
Very good! If you don’t have a bench scraper get a 6″ stainless steel putty knife. Good for collecting chopped garlic and onions to put into the pot. Also good for drywall! Versatile tool.
These were a hit. I didn’t have the heavy cream so I used sour cream as you suggested to another commenter. Beautiful!! Will definitely keep in my recipe box
I am a scone snob. I regularly travel over an hour to get the best ones in my area. I made these today and was blown away. They are absolutely the best scones I have ever had. I normally share my baked goods with friends, but I’m keeping all of these. I can’t wait to make some of the other varieties. Thank you for all of the great tips.
We’re so happy to read this, Sandy!
The best scones we have ever eaten!
Can I used dried cranberries with almond????
Hi Barb, yes, you can use a combination of dried cranberries and almonds here.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream?
Hi Jen, I have used sour cream instead of heavy cream in these scones before, but not Greek yogurt. I imagine the results will be the same: tender, dense, still delicious.
My favorite scone recipe! I’ve made these several times and changed up the flavor, too (blueberry-lemon, lemon, etc.). So moist and delicious, best scones I have ever had. I’m currently trying with King Arthur messure-for-measure gluten free flour (for a bake sale) and found it needed the full amount of heavy cream plus a bit to make most enough to even stick together. So not exactly measure-for-measure, I’m hoping they will turn out ok after a short time in the freezer. When made with all-purpose flour though, these are perfect. No changes needed. Thanks Sally! Love all your recipes, they always turn out amazing!
My husband thought I bought them at a bakery. And yes… a really good bakery. Haha. They came out beautiful. Did the recipe exactly as you wrote it.
I do have a question. What if I cut out 16. So smaller size scones. What would the bake time be?
Hi Lisa, we’re so glad they were a hit! For mini scones, bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
These have absolutely changed the way my family feels about scones. However, even after chilling a solid hour, I can’t keep them from spreading! Help!
Hi Sara, Did you use heavy cream (thinner liquids can change your results)? Make sure all of your ingredients are very cold. You can even place your bowl of flour in the refrigerator if needed. 15 minutes is the minimum we recommend chilling the dough but you can chill it longer – up to overnight. Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and press back into its triangle shape (or whatever shape) using a silicone spatula. Thanks so much for giving these a try!
2nd time even better than first try at Christmas— even on 90 degree day and no A/C— special shout out to frozen butter and cranberries!
I’ve made this recipe twice, substituting dried cranberries. The flavor is great however both times they were overcooked far before the recommended time (outside edges browned and crispy). My oven temp is accurate and I’m using a light colored aluminum baking sheet. Next time I think I’ll drop the temp when I put them in the oven.
Hi Jill, Any chance you are using convection (fan) settings in your oven? We ask because the flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly (the outside usually turns brown before the inside is baked). If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Fantastic recipe. My family and coworkers love all of your recipes that I make. Thanks for sharing!!
I loved these scones. I added a little bit more orange zest though, I like orange! I just love your recipes, thank you for sharing them all.
I would like to know where I can find my saved recipes though. Thanks
Hi Kathy, you can find your saved recipes by clicking the search button in the top right corner of the website, or by clicking on the heart and banner found in the bottom left hand corner of every recipe post. This will show you your saved recipes or prompt you to sign in. Hope this helps!
I am so excited to try these! Making them currently 🙂
However I do have a question I’m hoping you can answer…
I’m going to be putting the shaped scones in the fridge overnight and I’m wondering if I should cover them with kitchen towels or plastic wrap for a more airtight option?? Hope to hear from you soon, thanks for all your amazing recipes, they never disappoint!!
Hi Allie! We would cover them with plastic wrap overnight.
I make scones for my husband every year on his birthday. Have loved this recipe but I must be doing something wrong cause my scones always come out with black bottoms that I have to scrape out. Any suggestion to prevent this? Alternate temperature/time suggestion?
Hi AB, are you using a darker pan by chance? Darker pans can sometimes cause the bottoms of baked goods to bake through too quickly. You can certainly try a lower temperature, knowing that the time will change, too. You can also try moving the pan a rack down (away from the heating element). Thank you for giving these a try!
The last time I made these I doubled my baking sheet part way though the baking time. Then I removed the bottom pan towards the end and the bottom of my scones were a lovely color, the same as the tops.
I made these for my family this morning and must say they were delicious! We used dried cranberries pre-soaked in orange juice. I worked through step 4 and let them refrigerate overnight to make my Sunday morning easier. This recipe is easy to follow and makes delicious scones!
This recipe is the best scone recipe I have used! I’ve used this one now over 1/2 dozen times. I’ve made blueberry, Choc. Choc. Chip, raspberry, and cranberry orange/ ALL GREAT!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Sally, thank you for this recipe!! SO good! SO easy to make!
This is my all time favorite scone recipe! I made the first batch just as you suggested. The second one, I used my food processor to grate the butter. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT METHOD! The box method took longer but the scones didn’t spread. I love this recipe!
What a great recipe! Frozen butter is the best….love the tangy cranberry explosions! you’re a great teacher, mine turned out fantasically! Thanks a bunch!….p.s. So fun to make!
These were terrific. I always place the cut scones in the freezer for a few (10-15) minutes before baking.
This recipe was perfect!!! I made it exactly as written and they came out amazing. I loved using frozen cranberries and fresh OJ, it really intensified the flavor. Tomorrow I’m going to use blueberries and lemon!
Can I substitute dried cranberries for the fresh. I am thinking I would soak them in hot water first to plump them up?
Hi Gayle, you can use dried cranberries—no need to soak them, but you certainly can if you’d wish. Hope you enjoy the scones!
I substituted wild partridgeberries and these were beautiful, thanks for the great recipe!!
I loved your recipe, I made both the lemon blueberry with the lemon glaze put lemon zest in it was wonderful. Made the orange cranberry scones put zest and orange juice in both the batter and glaze. They were also out of this world. Thanks for the wonderful recipes.
I made these (and your blueberry version) which were both delicious. I did have a problem with spreading, however. I weighed my ingredients, used frozen grated butter and frozen fruit, and chilled the dough overnight, placing it into a fully preheated 400 degree oven. The dough was anything but over-wet, and gently pressed together. The scones spread severely, with quite a lot of butter leakage. They looked nice, just more like griddle cakes, and tasted delicious.
I then tried again, this time upping the baking powder to a tablespoon (and increasing the salt to a teaspoon, which we preferred). This dough I worked slightly more to make sure the butter was better incorporated (but not overworked). I also made my dough disk taller. These I baked on the same day after 20 minutes in the freezer. I preheated the oven to 450, then turned it down to 400 after I put the scones in the oven. I set a time for 5 minutes to check for spreading. Again, they were beginning to spread. I shored up their sides with a spatula, turned the oven up to 425, and baked them. They were much better than the first batch, but I’d like to know how to achieve good, well-shaped scones without shoring them up and hoping for the best. My go-to scone recipe is an old Sunset bread book recipe which uses only half as much butter. Those are very good, but these are better flavor wise and texturally, and I dearly want this to be my go-to recipe! Any suggestions? Thanks, and I love your site and your recipes!
Hi Celia, it sounds like you’re doing everything right! You should expect some spread, and can remove from the oven and press back into its triangle shape using a rubber spatula as you’ve been doing. If you’re still finding they’re spreading more than they should, you can try adding an additional Tablespoon or two of flour to your dough. So glad you love these scones!
These are delicious and the recipe is so user friendly. Can’t wait to have some for breakfast today!
These were absolutely delicious. I made one small change. I added some orange zest to the glaze. It really added to the flavor. I am going to make another batch to take to work next week!
When making mini scones, will the cooking time be shorter than with the standard size? I am afraid of drying them out. Thank you! You are my go to for reliable baking recipes and info.
Hi Jessica, for mini scones, you can following the baking times and directions for these mini sprinkle scones as a guide. Enjoy!
Your cranberry orange scones have become my Christmas gift to friends. (I do give you credit for the recipe!) Please tell me if you think I could make the scones in a mini-scone baking pan. I’ve been asked to make them for a tea, and I’d like to make them smaller. Many thanks. Carol
Hi Carol, absolutely! We’re unsure of the exact bake time in a mini scone pan, but you can follow the baking times from these mini rainbow scones as a guide. Thank you for making and sharing our recipe!