This EASY Cranberry Orange Scones recipe is perfect during the holiday season, or anytime of year! They are slightly crisp and flakey on the outside and perfectly moist in the center with delicious bursts of cranberry orange flavor.
Looking for more bakery sweets? Try my Cranberry Orange Muffins, Sticky Toffee Pudding, or Perfect Cinnamon Rolls!
Why this is the best scone recipe:
- Quick – These easy scones only take 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Flavor – The cranberry orange combination is fresh and delicious; perfect around the holidays.
- Perfect Texture – Follow my tips to ensure the perfect texture of slightly crisp and flakey on the outside and moist in the middle. These are better than any coffee shop or bakery.
How to make Cranberry Orange Scones:
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Grate frozen butter into the bowl and use a pastry blender or fork to combine the flour and butter until it resembles coarse meal. Stick bowl in the fridge while you combine the wet ingredients.
Combine sour cream, heavy cream, egg, vanilla, and orange zest in another bowl. Pour it over the flour mixture and gently stir to combine, just until everything is moistened.
Fold in cranberries. Use floured hands to gently work the dough into a ball and then press it (or use rolling pin) into a circle about 1 inch thick.
Cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place scones on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the tops with a little bit of heavy cream. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until barely golden on the edges.
Make glaze by combining powdered sugar and freshly squeezed orange juice until smooth.
Cool baked scones on wire rack for at least 10 minutes before drizzling the glaze on top. Enjoy!
Tips for Perfect Scones
- Frozen Butter makes it easy to grate the butter into small pieces. We want to keep the butter cold because as the butter bakes, it creates pockets of air which yields flakiness and tender, moist center. If the dough or butter is too warm when you bake the scones, they will spread more and wont puff up like we want.
- Don’t Overwork Dough: Just like when making homemade biscuits or pie crust, you don’t want to handle or knead the dough more than necessary because the more you mix it, the tougher your scones will be.
Storage and Freezing Instructions:
To Store: Cranberry scones are best served fresh, the day of baking, but leftover scones can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge for up to two days.
To Freeze: Skip the glaze and let scones cool completely. Freeze in airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can also freeze scones dough after pressing it into a circle. Cover well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge, then cut into wedges and bake as directed.
Recipe Variations:
- Cranberries: Frozen or dried cranberries may be used so you can enjoy them year round!
- Scone Flavors: For other flavors, try my Peach Scones or use my basic Homemade Scones recipe with a variety of mix-in ideas!
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Recipe
Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , FROZEN
- 1/3 cup sour cream , light, regular, or sub Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup fresh cranberries* halved
For the glaze:
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat 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 pastry blender or fork to combine the flour and butter until it resembles coarse meal. Stick the flour mixture in the fridge while you combine the wet ingredients.
- In a small bowl combine the sour cream, heavy cream, egg, vanilla extract and orange zest. Pour it over the flour mixture and gently stir to combine, just until everything is moistened.
- Fold in the cranberries. Flour or grease your hands and then gently work the dough together and pour it out onto a floured surface. Press the dough (or use a rolling pin to gently roll it) into a circle about 1 inch thick.
- Cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place the scones on your baking sheet and brush the tops of them with a little bit of heavy cream. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden.
- Remove scones from the hot baking sheet and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes before drizzling the glaze on top.
- To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and freshly squeezed orange juice and stir together until smooth. Add a little more orange juice or powdered sugar until you reach your desired thickness to drizzle over the scones.
Notes
Nutrition
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I use my food processor with shredding disc to make a quick job of grating the butter. Have made these several times and everyone loves them.
30 minutes total time is laughable and grossly inaccurate. It took one hour to prep all the ingredients (grate butter, slice cranberries, zest orange, etc.) based on the recipe. Then, another hour to assemble and bake.
I think the 6 tbsp of sugar is quite minimal, unclear how others feel it’s too sweet… it’s a scone!
I also think more milk was needed. My dough was so dry it couldn’t hold together. I recommend using 1/2-2/3 cup.
This was Ok. Grating butter is tedious. Better to dice it. Also better to use dried cranberries.
Best scones ever. Brilliant advising to grate butter! I used food processor for grating. Cut sugar in half. Thoroughly enjoyed for the King’s coronation.
to sugary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#notsorry
GREAT SCONES! I USED MY LEFTOVER CRANBERRY SAUCE FROM THANKSGIVING AND LACANTO BROWN SUGAR!
Made these for a fun Sunday treat and HOLY COW!! SO EASY AND DELICIOUS. Will be making again. Used the leftover orange and cranberries to make potpourri after.
Absolutely delicious!! My husband who loves scones, told me this ones were probably the best ones he ever tasted. I followed the recipe completely, perfect!
Is it possible to substitute plain full fat yogurt (whole milk yogurt) for the sour cream?
Yes, that’s fine.
I rarely leave comments under baking recipes but I had to for this one because it was so easy and tasted so good! It actually did take my only about 30 minutes and they were incredibly delicious! Highly recommend this recipe