Flaky and just sweet enough with a bit of tang, these Cranberry Orange Scones are the perfect winter breakfast treat. They are easy enough to make at home, yet just as good as, or better than, what you’d get at a fancy bakery.
Scones for breakfast are always a good idea! Add this cranberry orange version to your repertoire, along with these Pumpkin Scones and these Lemon Scones with Nutmeg and Cherries.
One thing I love about winter break is that it gives me the chance to make breakfast more often.
During the school year, breakfast needs to be fast and no fuss. But when I have the time, I love to bake up muffins or a breakfast casserole.
Or these Cranberry Orange Scones, which make the best breakfast leading up to Christmas.
I love these scones because you can have a bakery quality treat without a lot of effort. In fact, I think these are much better than what you can find in most bakeries!
Ingredients
Make sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post with full ingredients, amounts, and instructions.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour.
- Sugar: You will need granulated sugar for in the scones, and powdered sugar for the orange glaze that goes over the top of the scones.
- Baking Powder: This will give the scones some of their lift.
- Salt: The salt will balance the flavors.
- Butter: You want to make sure you are using cold butter. Since it needs to be cut into small pieces, I like to cut my butter and then place it in the freezer for a bit. You could also grate the butter.
- Cranberries: I love anything with fresh cranberries. I roughly chopped them before adding them to these scones, just so that they were more evenly distributed.
- Cream: I tested these with plain Greek yogurt, as well. I preferred the cream version. But in a pinch, you could sub in the yogurt.
- Egg: You just need 1 egg.
- Orange Zest: All of your orange flavor for both the scones and the icing come from the orange zest, so it’s pretty important. Just make sure to only zest the orange part of the skin, and not into the white underneath.
- Milk: You’ll need a little bit of milk for the glaze. I use 2%, but feel free to use what you have on hand.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together.
Add teh butter, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in. You should have what looks like coarse crumbs.
Stir your chopped cranberries in. (I just roughly chop these – mostly cutting each cranberry in half.)
In another bowl, whisk the cream, egg, and zest.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
Mix this just until it starts to come together.
Pour your dough onto a floured surface, then press it together. Press it out to an 8-inch circle.
Cut that circle into 8 wedges.
Place the wedges on a baking sheet, then bake until golden brown.
Make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk, and zest. Spread this glaze over the tops of the scones.
Tips and Tricks
You don’t want to overwork your dough. For the most tender scones, only mix until ingredients are combined.
You don’t have to use the glaze, but it does bring some extra sweetness and adds even more orange flavor.
Store any leftovers in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze these scones. Freeze the baked scones by placing the un-glazed scones in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the unbaked scones for up to 3 months. To bake, do not unthaw, but bake from frozen. You’ll probably need to add a few more minutes to the bake time.
More Cranberry Orange Recipes
Cranberry Orange Bread
Cranberry Orange Cookies
Cranberry Orange Cheesecake
Cranberry Orange Baked French Toast Casserole
Cranberry Orange Cupcakes
Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
Scones:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup fresh cranberries chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, and using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the cranberries into the mixture.
- In another bowl, mix together the cream, egg, and orange zest. Pour this into the large bowl and mix until the dough starts to come together.
- Flour a counter or work surface, and pour the dough out onto the surface. Work the dough just until it comes together, then flatten it out into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.
- Cut the disc into 8 wedges. (I like to use a bench scraper.) Transfer the wedges to the prepared baking sheet.
- (If the oven is not preheated at this point, I like to transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. If it is preheated, I don’t place them in the freezer.)
- Once the oven is hot, bake the scones until they are golden brown on the edges, about 18-22 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the scones cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and orange zest. Spread the glaze over the tops of the scones.
Pam says
Can you use “Craisins” instead of fresh cranberries?
Deborah says
I haven’t tried it with craisins. I would guess it would work, but with a little bit of altering. You might need to add some extra moisture, and you would use less craisins than fresh cranberries. If you try, please let me know how they work out!
Roae says
What can u substitute for heavy whipping cream
Deborah says
Hi Rose, I have tried these with plain Greek yogurt in place of the cream, and it worked successfully. You should also be able to use sour cream, although they will have a bit of tang to them. If all else fails, I would try using milk, but then also adding a bit more butter. (Maybe 1-2 tablespoons.)