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 made your amazing scones today!!! Wonderful!! Thank you for sharing your talents!
I am not much of a baker, can follow a recipe easy enough, BUT, how do you grate frozen butter and not make a mess? I ended up using reg. butter when it took forever to get the 1/4 cup grated. They did come out good and taste delicious.
I just unwrap half the wrapper, and old the other (wrapped) end as I grate it.
If I use dried cranberries do you suggest soaking them first to rehydrate them?
Either way would be fine! If you’d like them to be more “plump” rehydrating them would be great. But they will taste great either way.
Great recipe, the came out nice and tender, substuted half the flour for white whole wheat. Added 1tsp orange zest to glaze for a little added orange flavor. Fantastic!
I love it! First time making scones and I’ll go back to this recipe again. I ran out of regular all purpose flour and had to use my gluten free king arthor 1:1 flour, and it’s still amazing. Aside from that didn’t change a thing.
Excellent recepie! Easy to follow, the sconce came out absolutely delicious!
Not sure what happened, but the dough was too wet. *I did follow the measurements properly*, but it was wetter than my other scone recipes, and they spread out rather flat in the oven.
They turned out more flat muffins than a biscuit, and the outsides crystalized like there was too much sugar.
I make scones often, but this is my first time trying a scone recipe from this website. I’m not going to make this again.
I wanted a bit more orange flavor, so instead of orange zest I put 1/4 of an orange (peel and all) in my food processor. Came out to 30 g, or a short 1/4 cup. I also coarse chopped the cranberries. Perfect!!
This is my new favorite recipe/thing to bake! It turned out perfect, and honestly, better than any scone I’ve had before. It was a very fast recipe to whip up. I used the Metric measurements and frozen cranberries. I added orange zest to the glaze as well because that’s my preference, and I do recommend it!
Thank You Lauren 👏🏼👍🏼❤️YUM😋 These LOOK SUPER ❗️I Pinned Your Orange Muffin s And DIDNT realise That I Forgot to Leave Message. SORRY 😔 They Look GREAT ALSO ❗️G-d❤️Bless
This is my third time making these scones. I follow the recipe and love how moist and flavorful they are! I decided to split the dough in half and make 16 mini scones when I made them for our grandkids. They were the perfect size and then they could have them the next morning as well. I can’t wait to try other flavors.