Cranberry Orange Scones (Printable)
Flaky scones bursting with cranberries and orange zest, finished with a sweet citrus glaze.
# Ingredient List:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
06 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
07 - 2/3 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 1 tablespoon orange zest (from 1-2 oranges)
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Add-ins
11 - 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved if large (do not thaw if frozen)
→ Orange Glaze
12 - 1 cup powdered sugar
13 - 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
14 - 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
# Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients and cut in using a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk heavy cream, egg, orange zest, and vanilla extract until combined.
05 - Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix gently until nearly combined. Fold in cranberries just until dough comes together, avoiding overmixing.
06 - Turn dough onto floured surface and pat into an 8-inch circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges and place on prepared sheet.
07 - Brush scones with extra cream for a golden finish. Bake 16-18 minutes until golden brown, then cool on wire rack.
08 - Whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest until smooth and slightly runny.
09 - Drizzle glaze over cooled scones before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- These come together in under an hour and taste like you've been baking all morning.
- The cranberries stay tart enough to balance the buttery crumb, so they never feel cloying or one-note.
- Orange zest gives you that café-quality flavor without any special techniques or hard-to-find ingredients.
02 -
- Overmixing the dough is the number one reason scones turn out dense instead of tender—mix just until things come together and stop.
- Frozen cranberries work better than fresh because they stay firm during mixing and baking instead of breaking apart and staining the dough.
- Don't thaw anything if you're using frozen—cold ingredients are what create those beautiful flaky layers that make people close their eyes when they take a bite.
03 -
- Keep everything cold until the last moment—chill your mixing bowls if your kitchen is warm, and don't let the dough sit out while you're shaping it.
- Use a microplane to zest your oranges so you capture those precious oils without any bitter white pith that hides underneath.
- Fresh-squeezed orange juice makes an enormous difference in the glaze—bottled tastes flat and one-dimensional by comparison.