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My homemade cranberry orange scones are flaky buttermilk scones bejewelled with dried cranberries and loaded with fresh orange zest. Scones are very easy to make with one bowl and simple pantry ingredients. They’re perfect for everyday baking and holiday brunches!
Scones are a quick pastry with endless flavor possibilities! You might also like these cinnamon scones and pumpkin scones.
This is a version of my vanilla orange scones with the addition of juicy cranberries. It makes them a bit more festive, don’t you think? These cranberry orange scones have been keeping my cortado coffee company in the mornings. They’re tender and flaky, made with buttermilk and fresh orange zest. I added a sweet, creamy glaze, which is optional, but so good!
You’ll Love These Cranberry Orange Scones, Here’s Why!
- No yeast. Like banana bread and quick bread recipes, scones don’t require yeast or rising time. They go from the bowl to the baking sheet in minutes.
- Festive flavors. Bright, juicy cranberries and real orange zest fill these scones with holiday cheer.
- Adaptable. These orange scones are easy to adapt with dried, fresh, or frozen cranberries. You can even swap the cranberries with blueberries to make orange blueberry scones.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The best part about baking scones (besides eating them) is how easy they are to make with simple ingredients. They rely on baking powder and baking soda for leavening. Have a look at what you’ll need here, and scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe with the full amounts.
- COLD Butter – Emphasis on cold! I use unsalted butter, but salted butter also works. Just make sure it’s cold from the fridge, or you can even place the butter in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Check the expiration dates on your leavening so you know it’s fresh.
- Orange Zest – You can adapt the amount of zest depending on how strong a flavor you’d like in your scones. One medium orange yields approximately 1 to 3 tablespoons of zest.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make a homemade buttermilk substitute with white vinegar and regular milk.
- Cranberries – I use dried cranberries in this recipe. If you’d like to use fresh or frozen cranberries, they’ll work, too. Fresh cranberries will have a more tart, tangy flavor, while dried cranberries are sweeter. I suggest roughly chopping the fresh cranberries.
- Powdered Sugar and Milk – To make the glaze. You can adjust the amount of milk to make the glaze pourable. I usually add about 2 or 3 tablespoons.
Tips for Baking Perfect Scones
- Use cold ingredients. Like baking a pie crust, cold butter is essential in scone recipes. The butter melts and steams as the scones bake, creating pockets of air and light, flaky layers.
- Measure correctly. Measure the flour using a kitchen scale if you have one. If not, use the spoon-and-level method, where you spoon the flour from the bag into the measuring cup. Afterward, level off the flour with the back of a knife. Don’t scoop directly from the bag, as this leads to overmeasuring and dry, crumbly scones.
- Check the scones early. All ovens bake differently. To avoid overbaking, I recommend checking these scones at the 15-minute mark (the earliest suggested baking time). If they’re not quite done, check them every minute after that until they’re golden brown on top.
- Juice the oranges. After you’ve zested the oranges for the batter, save them and juice them! You can add the fresh orange juice to the glaze for more flavor, or make a mimosa while you bake. Win-win.
What to Serve With Orange Scones
I love eating these sweet cranberry orange scones while I sip on my afternoon cinnamon dolce latte or eggnog latte during the holiday season.
Serve scones on a winter morning or for Christmas brunch with a tall stack of buttermilk pancakes, or these fun cinnamon roll sheet pan pancakes. Add a side of crispy bacon and sheet pan eggs, or a savory quiche or egg bites.
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Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-4 tablespoons orange zest, depending on how strong you want the orange flavor to be, I use 3 tablespoons
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup dried cranberries
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk, add until you have a thick but pourable glaze
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Set aside.
- Dice the butter. Cut your butter into cubes.
- Work in the butter. Add the chilled butter to the dry ingredients and work it in with your hands until the butter is spread evenly throughout the flour mixture and has reduced to pea-sized pieces.
- Add the cranberries. Mix in the cranberries.
- Add the buttermilk. Drizzle in the buttermilk and mix until combined.
- Roll out the dough. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and shape it into a ball. Flatten it with your hands, then gently roll it out with a rolling pin. Fold the dough over itself and flatten one more time. On your final fold, roll the dough out to a 2-inch thickness.
- Cut. Cut the dough into 8 to 10 triangles.
- Prepare to bake. Lay the scones out on the prepared baking pan, making sure to leave 2 inches of space between the scones.
- Bake. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until light golden brown. Start checking your scones at the 15-minute mark.
- Make the glaze. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar and milk until you have a thick and smooth glaze that is easily pourable.
- Glaze the scones. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones. Allow to set for 10-15 minutes, then dig in.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
Like my blueberry biscuits, these cranberry orange scones are quick and easy to prepare without having to activate yeast or wait for the dough to rise. They’re a super forgiving pastry recipe, and you can follow the steps below:
- Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 400ºF while you line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Next, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest together in a bowl.
- Work in the butter. Cut cold butter into cubes. Use your hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have pea-sized crumbles.
- Add the cranberries and buttermilk. Fold in the cranberries, and drizzle the buttermilk into the dough, mixing until it’s just combined.
- Roll out the dough. Turn your scone dough out on a floured work surface, and press it into a ball. Flatten the dough with your hands before rolling it out with a rolling pin.
- Fold and flatten the dough. Now, fold the dough over itself, and roll it flat one more time. You want it to be about 2” thick.
- Cut the scones. Cut the dough into 8 to 10 even-sized triangles, and place them on your baking sheet. Be sure to leave space in between so the scones can rise.
- Bake. Lastly, bake these orange scones at 400ºF for 15-18 minutes, until golden. I usually start checking them after 15 minutes, just to make sure they don’t overbake. Cool the scones before you glaze them.
- Glaze the scones. Whisk powdered sugar with milk to make a smooth, pourable glaze. Drizzle this over your cooled scones, let it set, and enjoy!
How to Store Scones
- Store airtight. Store these cranberry orange scones in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Freeze. Try to freeze the scones before you glaze them. Store the scones in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag (separate any layers with parchment paper), and freeze them for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
