Cranberry Orange Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones are a tantalizing treat that are surprisingly easy to make at home. Whether you're looking for the perfect accompaniment to your morning coffee or tea or a delicious snack, homemade cranberry orange scones are the perfect solution!

With just a few basic ingredients and some easy-to-follow instructions, you can have freshly-baked scrumptious scones in no time.

If you haven't had a chance to have a scone yet, you're in for a real treat. If you're a scone lover, you need to try our lemon blueberry scones (a Starbucks copycat recipe) that will go with just about any hot drink. 

Why You'll Love These Scones

• ​The orange and cranberry combination is pure heaven
• Homemade scones ready in under an hour
• You can easily double or triple this recipe to make more tasty scones with the best cranberry and orange flavor
• This is the perfect thing to make during the holiday season when cranberries are fresh and in season
• These scones are so simple to make that you don't have to be a baking expert in order to whip up a batch

Ingredients Needed

Get all the details on these ingredients below in the recipe card. 

• all-purpose flour
• butter
• baking powder
• salt
• heavy cream
• large eggs
• orange zest
• fresh cranberries
• powdered sugar
• fresh orange juice

How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones

Preheat oven to 350F while you line your baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat. 

Carefully wash and dry your cranberries and remove any ones that aren't firm or are starting to show signs of going bad. 

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt together. 

Slowly work your grated butter into the large mixing bowl using your fingertips until it is all well distributed and broken down. 

In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs, cream and orange zest together. 

Pour the egg wash mixture from the smaller bowl into the flour mixture. Stirring the wet ingredients carefully until a shaggy dough ball starts to form. 

Work the cranberries into the dough.

Use your hands to help form the dough ball and work with it just enough so that is stays together. Do not overwork the dough. Flatten the dough ball into a 1-inch thick disk on top of a lightly floured surface. 

Safely cut this into 6 equal pieces and place them on the lined baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the scones appear a light golden brown color.

pIn a separate bowl, mix the orange juice into the powdered sugar so a thick glaze forms. While the scones are still warm, transfer the scones to a wire rack with parchment paper lined underneath, pour the sweet orange laze over them. Allow to harden. 

Serve and enjoy your homemade scones.

Storage

Orange and cranberry scones are best enjoyed within a day of baking. To store them, wrap each scone individually with plastic wrap before transferring them into an airtight container.

Place the container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, or keep in the refrigerator if desired. 

The scones can also be frozen for longer storage - wrap each scone with plastic wrap, then again with foil and place in a freezer bag or airtight container before freezing. 

When ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature for several hours until no longer cold. 

How to reheat scones

If you wish to reheat the scones, preheat your oven to 350° F. Place the scones on a baking sheet and heat for about 5 minutes or until lightly warm.

Enjoy!

Why do I need to grate the butter? 

Grating frozen butter makes all the difference. Cold butter is easier to incorporate into your scone batter mixture. It's more efficient and easier to do than using a food processor or pastry cutter. 

Can I use frozen cranberries? 

Yes, you can use frozen cranberries when making cranberry orange scones. The frozen cranberries will thaw as they cook and help keep the scone batter moist throughout the baking process.

Frozen cranberries also have a rich red color that adds to the look of the finished scones. It's best to try and break up any large pieces of frozen cranberries with your hands before adding them to the dough mixture.

Can I use frozen orange juice? 

If you don't have fresh orange juice, don't worry!

Yes, you can use frozen concentrated orange juice instead in the scone mixture. You just need to remember to dilute it with water as per the instructions on the packaging.

This will help to balance out the flavor and texture of your scones. It's important to add enough liquid ingredients so that you can achieve a light and airy scone dough.

Tips

• This easy scone recipe makes the perfect breakfast, dessert or pairs perfectly with a steaming mug of afternoon tea or coffee. 
• Using cold ingredients, especially cold butter will help you form the best dough. 
• Adding the glaze to the tender scones while they cool down a tad on the wire rack really helps bring the most flavor out of the orange cranberry scones. 
• If you don't use a grater to grate your butter into coarse crumbs or very small pieces, you could cube it into pieces the size of peas. But I find using a greater makes it the easiest to work with them mixing into the with your hands.

The result should be golden, crumbly scones that you can enjoy with or without the orange cranberry glaze. The buttery, lightly sweet scones are delicious and will be popular among family and friends. With the combination of flavors, this easy scone recipe is a must try for everyone!

📖 Recipe