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Soft and tender cranberry orange scones are inviting and flavorful. They are topped with a delightful orange glaze.
Our Scones Recipe can easily be adjusted to add your favorite flavors. These cranberry orange scones use bright flavors and add a sweet glaze to the top!
We Love This HOliday favorite!
It’s no secret that we love breakfast in this house! We often eat it for dinner too and baked goods are frequently included in the spread.
Today’s Cranberry Orange scone is a favorite we love to make around Christmas!
Here’s why we love them:
- A classic. This starts with a classic scones recipe and takes it up a notch.
- Flavor. We love the wintery cranberry and orange flavor combination.
- Easy. This recipe is so simple and bakes up in no time.
Ingredients
- sugar
- orange zest – zest the orange before juicing it.
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour, but pastry flour can also be used.
- baking powder
- salt
- butter – cold unsalted butter is key! The colder the butter is the better and you can even use frozen butter.
- half and half
- egg
- orange extract
- fresh cranberries- or use frozen cranberries or an equal amount of dried cranberries cut in half.
- heavy cream
- sparkling sugar
- orange juice- one orange will yield 4-5 tablespoons
- powdered sugar
Just Mix + Bake
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with silicone or parchment.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together until fragrant. Add dry ingredients and stir.
- WET INGREDIENTS. Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and toss to combine. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, and orange extract.
- Combine all ingredients and mix until the dough just starts to come together. Gently fold in the cranberries, being careful not to crush them.
- SHAPE. On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough out into an 8-inch square, being careful not to overwork it.
- Cut 9 circles out of the dough using a biscuit cutter, and place on the prepared baking sheet (or cut into wedges).
- BAKE. Brush with the cream and sprinkle with the sparkling sugar. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Drizzle with Glaze
- To make the glaze, whisk the orange juice and powdered sugar together.
- Add the half and half as needed to make a glaze that’s easy to drizzle, but not too runny.
- Drizzle the glaze over the scones.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the butter. Use a pastry blender to “cut” the butter or use the fine section of a box grater to grate the butter. If the butter is frozen a box grater works better than a pastry cutter.
- Chill the dough if it gets warm (even for 15 minutes can help).
- Shape. Sometimes the scones can spread, if this happens, use a silicone spatula to press the still-hot scones into the desired shape gently.
Storing Tips
Store scone dough. Keep it in one ball of dough or form into smaller scones. Cover tightly with plastic and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Freeze scone dough. Shape the dough into scones, place them on a baking pan, then freeze. Once solid transfer them to a freezer-safe container (separate the layers with parchment paper or wax paper) and freeze for 3-4 weeks.
- Bake them directly from the freezer, adding a few additional minutes, or let them thaw in the fridge before baking. Do not thaw on the counter.
Storing baked scones. Store cooled leftover scones for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Freeze them for up to 3 months.
For More Cranberry Recipes:
Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe
Ingredients
Scones
- ½ cup sugar
- zest of one orange
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter cold
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 cup fresh cranberries cut in half
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- sparkling sugar
Glaze
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons half and half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with silicone or parchment.
- In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together until fragrant. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and toss to combine. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the half and half, eggs, and orange extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until the dough just starts to come together. Gently fold in the cranberries, being careful not to crush them.
- Pat the dough out into an 8-inch square, being careful not to overwork it.
- Cut 9 circles out of the dough using a biscuit cutter, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush with the cream and sprinkle with the sparkling sugar. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- To make the glaze, whisk the orange juice and powdered sugar together. Add the half and half as needed to make a glaze that's easy to drizzle, but not too runny. Drizzle the glaze over the scones.
Notes
- Bake them directly from the freezer, adding a few additional minutes, or let them thaw in the fridge before baking. Do not thaw on the counter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
