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Cranberry Orange Scones are buttery, tender and flaky with a creamy orange glaze, and they are the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning.
Enjoy them on their own with a cup of coffee or make them part of your Christmas morning spread, along with some Baked Egg Muffins and Air Fryer Bacon.
Why I Love This Easy Scone Recipe
- Best Flavor – These Cranberry Orange Scones are full of tangy cranberry and zesty orange flavor, baked until flaky and tender, and then topped with a sweet orange glaze.
- Easy to Make – They are a lot easier than you might think. It’s really just mixing the dough, shaping and cutting it into triangles, and baking.
- Best Texture – They are flaky and crisp on the outside, and buttery, tender and moist on the inside with bits of chewy cranberry and a hint of orange with each bite.
- Affordable – Skip the Starbucks line and make your scones at home – they’re cheaper, they taste better, and it’s faster than running to the coffee shop!
recipe walk-through
Ingredients
The best part about this recipe is that you don’t need any fancy ingredients. I had everything on hand to make them, except the buttermilk but luckily I know How to Make Buttermilk.
- Orange Glaze – The glaze is simple, made with just powdered sugar, buttermilk and orange juice.
- Dried Cranberries – Don’t try to use fresh it just won’t work.
- The other ingredients are basic pantry finds – flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, unsalted butter, and eggs.
How To Make Cranberry Orange Scones
- Mix dry ingredients. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then cut in the very cold butter. You can grate frozen butter, cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or 2 forks. You want the dough to come together in pea-sized crumbs.
- Combine wet ingredients. Mix together the egg and buttermilk.
- Combine ingredients. Gently fold everything together to form the dough.
- Form a ball of dough and cut into wedges. Once the dough is formed, you will form a ball with the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Press down to form a thick disk, then cut the disk into triangles. I recommend using a pizza cutter to roll easily through the dough for the most precise cutting.
- Bake. Arrange the triangles onto a baking sheet and bake at 350℉ for 15-18 minutes. Set on a wire rack and drizzle with the glaze.
- To make the glaze: Whisk together butter, powdered sugar, and some orange zest. If the glaze is too thick, add in small splashes of milk or heavy cream until you have the right consistency.
Pro Tip: Freeze Your Butter
Freeze your stick of butter, then grate it. The small pieces of butter are easily incorporated into the dough, and as the cold butter bakes it creates pockets of air, making the scone fluffy, tender and moist.
Storage Tips
Storing and Freezing Scones
- Storing at Room Temperature: Scones are best enjoyed fresh, within 1-2 days of baking them. Store leftover scones in a resealable plastic bag at room temperature.
- Reheating: If frozen, thaw at room temp for 20-30 minutes. Bake, loosely covered with foil, at 350℉ for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
- Freezing baked scones: To freeze, place the scones in a freezer-safe plastic bag or container and freeze for up to 4 months.
- Freezing unbaked scones: Cut into wedges and freeze on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for about 2 months.
- Baking scones from frozen: No need to defrost, just put the frozen scones directly onto a baking sheet. Bake as directed, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overwork the dough. Similar to making Homemade Biscuits, you want to be careful not to work the dough too much or it will become dense rather than light and airy.
- Instead of glazing the scones, sprinkle them with confectioners’ sugar for a pretty “snowy” effect.
Recipes to Bake Next
- Baked Strawberry French Toast
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Cranberry Walnut Quick Bread
- Cheese Scones
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
Recipe
Cranberry Orange Scones
These Cranberry Orange Scones are buttery, tender and flaky with a creamy orange glaze, and they are the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons Baking powder
- 1/2 cup Butter cubed (1 stick)
- 2 Large eggs divided
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup Dried cranberries
- Zest of 1 orange divided
Glaze
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 2 cups of powdered sugar
- zest of ½ an orange
- 1 teaspoon of milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Work the cubed butter into the flour mixture, until pea-sized, using a pastry cutter or a fork.
- In another bowl, whisk together one egg + one egg white and the buttermilk. Set the extra yolk aside for later.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula, then stir in the cranberries and half or your orange zest. [Your dough should be lumpy].
- Place the dough on a flour surface and shape it into a ball. Press down on the ball to make the dough about ⅝ inch thick circle. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 triangles.
- Arrange the scones on a baking sheet. Whisk the leftover yolk with a couple teaspoons of water and brush the tops of the dough with the wash.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
- While they are cooling, make the glaze. Whisk together the melted butter, powdered sugar and the remaining orange zest. If glaze is too thick, add in a teaspoon of milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Frost the tops once they are cool and enjoy with your favorite cup of coffee or tea!
Nutrition
Calories: 563kcalCarbohydrates: 90gProtein: 8gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 350mgPotassium: 419mgFiber: 2gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 641IUCalcium: 185mgIron: 3mg
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Quick easy tasty
Love the feedback Erica! Thanks for stopping by.
Dying for one of those gorgeous, tasty scones right now!