There’s something about the combination of cranberry and orange that always brings me back to the cozy holiday mornings in my grandmother’s kitchen. Every year, just before Thanksgiving, she’d start baking her famous cranberry orange scones. The smell of citrus filling the house, with bursts of tart cranberries tucked into soft, buttery scones—it was heaven. I’ve since adapted her recipe to make it my own, and I’m so excited to share it with you! Whether you're making these scones for a special brunch or just want a bright pick-me-up with your coffee, these cranberry orange scones are the perfect choice.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour: This provides the structure for the scones. Too much flour can make them dense, so be sure to measure carefully.
- Granulated sugar: Adds just the right amount of sweetness, balancing the tartness of the cranberries and the tang of the orange zest.
- Baking powder: This gives the scones their rise, making them light and fluffy.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors and keeps the scones from tasting flat.
- Unsalted butter: The key to flaky scones! Cold butter creates little pockets of steam during baking, which gives the scones their irresistible texture.
- Cranberries: Sweet and slightly tart, cranberries are a classic pairing with orange. You can use frozen or fresh cranberries.
- Orange: Orange zest and juice is where you get that bright, citrus flavor. The oils in the zest really perfume the dough and complement the cranberries beautifully.
- Heavy cream: This adds richness and moisture to the dough without weighing it down.
- Egg: Acts as a binder, holding everything together while adding richness.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
Step 1: Preheat and Prepare Start by preheating your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. This ensures that everything is evenly distributed before you add the wet ingredients.
Step 3: Incorporate the Butter Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. The key here is to keep the butter as cold as possible—those tiny chunks will create steam in the oven, leading to flaky layers.
Step 4: Add the Flavor Stir in the cranberries, making sure they’re evenly dispersed throughout the dough.
Step 5: Combine the Wet Ingredients In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients, gently mixing until just combined. The dough should be a little sticky but not overly wet.
Step 6: Shape and Cut the Scones Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times to bring it together. Pat the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges (like a pizza) and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 7: Bake Bake the scones for 15-18 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and puffed. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
Step 8: Optional Glaze For a sweet finish, you can whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice to create a simple glaze to drizzle over the scones once they’ve cooled a bit.
FAQs About Cranberry Orange Scones
1. Can I freeze these scones?
Absolutely. You can freeze the scones unbaked, then bake directly from frozen—just add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Alternatively, you can freeze baked scones and reheat them in the oven or microwave.
2. Can I substitute the heavy cream with something lighter?
If you’re looking for a lighter option, you can substitute half-and-half or even whole milk, but the scones may not be as rich and tender. For the best texture, I recommend sticking with heavy cream.
3. Why does my dough feel sticky?
The dough for scones is naturally a little sticky to create a tender crumb. However, if it feels too sticky to handle, try adding a bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it's manageable.
4. How do I keep my scones from spreading too much?
Make sure your butter and cream are as cold as possible, and avoid overworking the dough. This will help the scones keep their shape and rise nicely without spreading too much.
Cranberry Orange Scones
The perfect blend of tart cranberries and bright citrus, these fluffy, buttery cranberry orange scones are easy to make and perfect for breakfast or a cozy afternoon treat.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 scones 1x
- Category: brunch
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, frozen
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup orange juice
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 cup frozen cranberries
Glaze
⅔ cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Grate the frozen butter into the bowl and use a fork to combine the mixture until the butter is integrated.
- Mix in the cranberries until they are incorporated. Place the flour mixture in the fridge while you combine the wet ingredients.
- In a small bowl combine the heavy cream, orange juice, egg, vanilla extract and orange zest.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture and gently stir to combine, just until everything is combined.
- Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick.
- Cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops of them with a little bit of heavy cream.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, until golden.
- Remove scones from the hot baking sheet and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes
- Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Add a little more orange juice or powdered sugar until you reach your desired thickness.
- Drizzle the glaze over the scones, let the glaze set and then serve.