Cranberry Orange Scones are tender and lightly sweetened, with an orange glaze drizzled on top. You’ll love how easy this scones recipe is to make!
I love starting the day with something sweet. If you do too, you’re going to want to make these golden brown, tender, lightly sweetened Cranberry Orange Scones asap.
Cranberry Orange Scones
Scones are a type of quick bread, similar to biscuits. They don’t have yeast in them, so scone recipes don’t take as long to make. Instead of yeast, scones are made with either baking soda or baking powder.
Scones are really easy to make, the key is to not over work the dough so they’re tender. You can cut the scones with a biscuit cutter, but the easiest way to make them is to shape the dough into a circle and cut the dough into wedges.
The glaze on these scones totally makes them! It adds a little extra sweetness and a brighter orange flavor to the cranberry orange scones. And I think it just makes them look more fun.
Ingredients
- Sugar
- Orange zest
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Dried cranberries
- Milk
- Powdered sugar
- Orange Juice
Recipe Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar and orange zest until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk to combine. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds. Add cranberries.
- Dump dough on a work surface and knead dough just until it comes together. Pat the dough into an 8-inch circle. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut dough into 8 wedges.
- Place wedges on an ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the top of the scones lightly with milk or cream. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until scones are firm to the touch and the tops are light brown.
- Prepare Icing: Whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice to create a thin glaze. Drizzle icing over warm scones.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Something that will elevate your scones to the next level is using cold ingredients. Using cold butter will create the flakiest texture since the butter won’t begin to melt until it is in the oven.
If you are noticing that your scones are tougher or harder than you prefer, you may be overworking the dough. Mix the ingredients until they just start to combine.
Scones will last a couple of days when stored at room temperature or about a week in the refrigerator.
You can use a sharp knife or even a pizza cutter to cut the scone dough.
More Recipes
- Dreamy Cream Orange Cherry Scones
- Homemade Pancake Syrup and Utah Scones
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Buttermilk Biscuits aka Australian Scones
If you’ve tried these Cranberry Orange Scones or any other recipe on Barbara Bakes, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.
Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sugar
- Finely grated zest from 1 orange
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream for glazing
Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar and orange zest until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk to combine. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds. Add cranberries.
- Dump dough on a work surface and knead dough just until it comes together. Pat the dough into an 8-inch circle. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut dough into 8 wedges.
- Place wedges on an ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the top of the scones lightly with milk or cream. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until scones are firm to the touch and the tops are light brown.
- Prepare Icing: Whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice to create a thin glaze. Drizzle icing over warm scones.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Bring a little sunshine to your cold winter mornings by baking this Cranberry Orange Scones recipe. They are flaky,
Ellen Hood
The Cranberry Orange Scones were delicious. Thank you
Rocky Mountain Woman
Looks amazing, Barbara! I’m all over something sweet for breakfast, especially on the weekends.
Carol knutsen
Can I use fresh cranberries, and how much?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Carol – that should work. I’d use 1/2 cup halved cranberries.
Carol
Gosh, I’ve never made, nor have I ever eaten scones. My mother in law raves about them. You sure couldn’t go wrong with that flavor combination. How great is it to make something in your own kitchen that you enjoy at a restaurant? That looks like the perfect pick-me-up with a cup of hot chocolate. 🙂