Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe
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Cranberry Orange Scones make a quick and easy scone recipe perfect for breakfast or brunch. A delicious combination of sweet and tart!
I love the combination of fresh, tart cranberries mixed with the brightness of oranges. It is a combination I’ve turned to time and again in cranberry orange muffins and even my cranberry orange rolls. The flavor combination definitely doesn’t disappoint in this cranberry orange scones recipe either. It makes for the perfect combination for anytime of year, but especially throughout the fall and winter when fresh cranberries are readily available and oranges are at their peak.
I love them so much that I actually buy fresh cranberries now while they are in season and store them in my freezer so that I can use them anytime of the year for these scones and in other recipes.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
- flour
- sugar + more for topping
- baking powder
- salt
- butter
- cranberries
- heavy cream
- orange juice
- orange zest
Orange Glaze:
- confectioner’s sugar
- orange juice
- orange zest
Step by Step Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 400º F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking sheet.
- Make Dough. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter to the bowl and cut into the flour with a pastry blender until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of a pea and the flour mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cranberries, 3/4 cup of heavy cream, orange juice, and orange zest. Press dough together between the palms of your hands. If it doesn’t just hold together, add more heavy cream until is just holds together.
- For the Dough. Pour dough onto a lightly floured countertop or a pastry board. Pat dough into a large round disc, about an inch thick. Cut dough into equal sized wedges and place onto prepared baking sheet. Melt about 2 tablespoons butter and brush on top of dough.
- Bake. Bake scones for 20-25 minutes or until they are just beginning to turn lightly brown. Remove from the oven.
- Make the Glaze. Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until smooth and then drizzle on top of each scone after it has cooled for about five minutes.
Can You Use Dried Cranberries in Cranberry Orange Scones?
Yes! I love to use fresh cranberries in these scones, but if for some reason I don’t have them available, dried cranberries work well, too.
What If You Don’t Have Orange Zest?
To make my cranberry orange scones, I included both orange zest as well as juice in the scone as well as in the glaze to really bring out the orange scent and flavor in these scones. You can adjust the amount to suit your preference by backing off the zest in the glaze if you like, but I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love all that citrusy deliciousness in these!
You can omit it from this recipe if you don’t have it available. The orange flavor will not be as pronounced, but the scones will still be delicious!
How Long Do Cranberry Orange Scones Last?
Store on the counter for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5.
Can You Freeze These Scones?
Yes! Allow to cool completely and then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To serve, allow to thaw and then serve at room temperature or warm in the microwave or in the oven at 350º F for about 5 minutes.
Other Favorite Scone Recipes
Here’s my Cranberry Orange Scones recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe
Ingredients
Cranberry Orange Scone Recipe:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar , + more for topping
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 3/4 – 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Orange Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F. Line a rimmed baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick baking sheet.
For the scones:
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter to the bowl and cut into the flour with a pastry blender until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of a pea and the flour mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cranberries, 3/4 cup of heavy cream, orange juice, and orange zest. Press dough together between the palms of your hands. If it doesn’t just hold together, add more heavy cream until is just holds together.
- Pour dough onto a lightly floured countertop or a pastry board. Pat dough into a large round disc, about an inch thick. Cut dough into equal sized wedges and place onto prepared baking sheet pan. Melt about 2 tablespoons butter and brush on top of dough.
- Bake scones for 20-25 minutes or until they are just beginning to turn lightly brown. Remove from the oven.
Orange Glaze:
- Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until smooth and then drizzle on top of each scone after it has cooled for about five minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
My wife made these for Christmas and it’s become our favorite Cranberry Orange Scone recipe.
I made these and they were delicious. My neighbors, daughter and son-in-law said they were more moist than any the have bought at any bakery. They said I can make them anytime I want.
For some reason, I cannot successfully pin this post. I’ve been trying for thirty minutes. I even tried finding it on your Pinterest boards but couldn’t. The error is that it cannot fetch the image. I have tried all the images in the post.
Robin, I made these scones last night to see if they would be good for a Christmas evening supper. I like them, but was expecting a much drier scone like the ones I buy at the bakery. These were on a softer side, between a biscuit and traditional scone. I revisited the recipe and believe I did everything correctly. Do you know anything I could try to get them to be a little drier/harder texture? Thanks for all your Add a Pinch recipes. Really enjoy trying the new things.
Hi Kathyrn,
They are a bit more moist than a traditional scone. To get them to a drier texture, you would want to increase the amount of flour by another cup and increase the baking powder another teaspoon and a half as well. I hope that helps!
Is there a way to prepare these ahead of time? Or are they best prepared and baked the same day? Making these for Christmas breakfast.
Hi Stephanie,
I definitely love them warm on the day they are made, but they are still delicious if you make them ahead.
I made them ahead and put in the freezer, unbaked. Do I follow the same baking instructions or should I thaw them first? Thank you so much! Really looking forward to having these!?
A friend of mine makes a s similar recipe, they are so good.
How beautiful – and delicious – these look, Robyn! I think I found a treat for Christmas morning!
I love the video!
Thanks so much, Leigh! I hope they make your Christmas morning super easy and delicious! I appreciate you checking out the video! xo
Thanks for this recipe. So easy and scrumptious! I made it this morning and it was a big hit with everyone in my family!
Loved the video.
Oh goodness, I’m so glad you enjoyed them this morning! And I appreciate you checking out the video! I was fun!
These turned out so nice! I’m lactose intolerant, so I used coffee creamer (Italian Sweet Cream) in place of heavy cream, and the taste and texture is perfect. They’re bigger than I thought they would be, so next time I’ll cut them into smaller wedges. I’ll make these again soon!
Thanks, Joanne, for the tips on how you make these lactose-free.
Your photographs are stunning. I can’t wait to make this!
Aww, thank you, Jennifer! I hope you love them!
Robyn, these are gorgeous! Pinned for Christmas morning. Thanks.
Thank you so much, Mary! I hope you enjoy them! xo
I just made these scones, they were delicious!