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
Thinking of making these as one of the breads for a ladies salad luncheon – sounds like it would go well with chicken salad, congealed salad and veggie salad -all arranged on a plate with fresh fruit.
I think you’ll enjoy them, Jane! They are delicious! xo
loved these scones! been looking for a recipe that wasn’t a rock but also wasnt like a cake or muffin! perfect texture, moist, dense like a scone should be in my opinion!
thanks!!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed them!
I would call myself a very inexperienced baker but I decided to try this out after googling what I could do with my leftover fresh cranberries. I had all the ingredients (except I used clementines instead of regular oranges) and they turned out perfectly! I also doubled the amount of cranberries just to use them up. My husband was incredibly impressed and the scones were delicious. I had to manually cut up the butter since I don’t own a pastry blender, but it was easy and turned out great. Thank you for the recipe Robyn, I’m going to start following your blog and trying out your recipes!
I’m very happy you found the blog and that you and your husband enjoyed the scones! It’s great to have you here! Hope you find many more recipes that you will enjoy! Thanks!xo
So good! This is a new favorite. As a shortcut, w used a food processor to combine butter into the dry ingredients.Â
Glad you liked them! Thanks Chris!
Amazing recipe. Just the right airy soft scone.Â
I need to work on using two cookie sheetsÂ
My first batch all ran together. Other than thatÂ
Super good!
These were delicious! I used half WW flour and I only had half and half, but they were so yummy! I will make these again, soon!Â
These scones are absolutely delicious!  Easy to make and will wow everyone who tastes them. I didn’t have any cream and used whole milk instead – perfection!! Would give them 10 stars if I could.Â
Oh yay, Susan! I’m so glad you loved them. Aren’t they fabulous!? I love making a large batch of them for the weekends and even as a make ahead for busy weekday mornings. Delish!
Have you ever used frozen cranberries? Fresh are out of season right now!
Yes, you can use frozen cranberries Linda. Just thaw them in refrigerator (be sure to drain well after thawing) before using. Enjoy them! So delicious! xo
Super simple recipe and they taste amazing. This was my first time making scones and I’ll definitely make these again!
Wonderful to hear, Wendy! So glad you enjoyed them! xo
I have always been slightly intimidated by making scones, but your recipe is simple and straightforward. I have made then twice so far, and both times they have turned out great! Thanks you!
I’m so glad you are enjoying them, Sarah! xo