Cranberry Orange Scones

Close up side shot of dried cranberry orange scones served on a white plate with a drizzle of glaze

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

These bakery-style Cranberry Orange Scones are moist, buttery, and finished with a sweet orange glaze!

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry and orange scones, cranberry orange scones, dried cranberry scones

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Chilling Time 15

Total Time 50

Servings scones

Calories 502kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick (½ cup) salted butter, diced and chilled
⅔ - 1 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
1 large egg
2 teaspoons orange zest
½ cup dried cranberries

FOR THE GLAZE:

½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment or silicone mat.
In the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and, with the mixer on low speed (or the food processor on “pulse”), mix the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of peas. If you don’t have a stand mixer or a food processor, you can freeze the butter and grate it into the dry ingredients, or you can cut the butter into the flour by hand with a pastry cutter or with two knives.
In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together ⅔ cup of cream, egg and orange zest. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir, mix or pulse just until blended. Do not over-mix. The dough should be damp and should hold together when pinched. If it's too dry, add a little bit more cream (up to 1 cup may be necessary). If it's too wet, sprinkle in a little bit of extra flour. Gently fold in the cranberries.
Dump the dough onto a very well-floured surface and knead it lightly and quickly just a few times. It helps to put flour on your hands to prevent sticking. Pat the dough into a circle that’s 1-inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or knife that is sprayed with cooking spray before each slice, cut the circle into 8 wedges.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each scone.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Remove the cover, brush the tops of the scones with a little bit of cream, and bake for 20-25 minutes (or until the tops are lightly browned and the insides are fully baked). Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes while you prepare the glaze.

FOR THE ORANGE GLAZE:

Whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice. Drizzle over scones. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Properly measure the flour. Always spoon and level the flour or weigh it on a kitchen scale -- do not scoop it out of the package. Incorrectly measuring the flour packs it too tightly into the measuring cup and results in dense, dry scones.
Keep the dough cold. I'll say it again -- the key to tall, fluffy and tender scones is cold ingredients. Don't forget to chill the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking.
If the butter or the dough gets too warm, the scones will spread and fall flat in the oven. That's why it's important to work quickly and not handle the dough too much.
Use an electric stand mixer or a food processor to quickly and easily cut the butter into the dry ingredients. If you don't have either of those appliances, no problem! You can freeze the butter and grate it into the dry ingredients, or you can cut the butter into the flour mixture by hand using a pastry cutter or two knives.
Be careful not to overwork the dough. The food processor or stand mixer are great to quickly pulse the ingredients, but stop processing as soon as the dough comes together (in order to keep the scones moist). Otherwise you’ll end up with tough, dry scones.
The heavy cream is an important ingredient in these scones. Avoid thinner liquids such as milk or almond milk, which will just lead to dry, bland, flat scones. Brushing the tops of the scones with extra cream before baking helps them brown in the oven, too!

Nutrition