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October 20, 2020

Bakery-Style Cranberry Orange Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! These are so festive and perfect for breakfast or brunch. And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! Perfect for breakfast or brunch! And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

Cranberry Orange Scones

Guess what? We finally moved into our new home! It took almost 2 years to get it to this point… but we couldn’t be happier. I promise a house tour is coming SOON… I can’t wait to show you the kitchen and my new workspace.

But for now, how about some cranberry orange scones? AKA the very first recipe I baked in our new oven! They’re rustic, buttery, and loaded with flavor! The perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea!

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! Perfect for breakfast or brunch! And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!Choosing the right Cranberries…

For this recipe, you may use fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries! But I don’t recommend using dried cranberries. They don’t omit very much juice or flavor, and when I found the scones I tested with the dried variety very flat and boring. That said, if you’re going to go ahead and use dried cranberries (because I know someone will lol), I would suggest soaking them in some hot water for 15 minutes or so to rehydrate the fruit a bit. Or just make one of my other scone recipes! I have a ton!

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! Perfect for breakfast or brunch! And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

Why Cold Butter is KEY

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when it comes to making flaky scones, cold butter is your best friend!

And when I say cold, I mean COLD!!! No room temperature butter will do! I actually suggest you pop your butter in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes before you plan on working it into the scone dough. This reducing the risk of the butter softening too much as it’s worked into the dough. In terms of how you work the butter into the dough, you have options! You can use two forks, a pastry cutter, or your hands!

In addition, I recommend keeping all of your other ingredients chilled until they’re needed. This includes your eggs, cream, and even your dry ingredients and flour mixture! The colder your ingredients are, the flakier your scones will be! Sometimes I’ll even grate my butter into the dough using the coarse side of a cheese grater!

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! Perfect for breakfast or brunch! And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

Don’t skimp on the Baking Powder

This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of baking powder. Yes, TABLESPOON! This ensures TALL and tender scones! Baking powder should not be substituted for baking soda!

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! Perfect for breakfast or brunch! And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

Oven Temperature

Unlike many scone recipes that call for you to preheat the oven to 400 degrees, this recipe will bake at 425! The slightly higher baking temperature gives the scones a rich golden brown color and ensures they’re fully baked in about 20 minutes! Be sure to place the baking pan on the middle baking rack, and as always, keep an eye as they bake.

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! Perfect for breakfast or brunch! And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

Can I make these Gluten Free?

Although I tested these with all-purpose flour, I think a GF cup for cup flour substitute would work well! I’ve had good experience with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and have heard good things about this Cup for Cup Gluten Free Flour. If you try either, let us know how it goes in the comment section!

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! Perfect for breakfast or brunch! And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

How to Make Scones in 5 Easy Steps:

  1. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients.
  2. Work in the cold butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and extracts. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients, add cranberries, and mix until a shaggy dough has been created.
  4. Pour dough out onto a lightly floured surface and work into a disc. Be patient! This will take a little elbow grease. Once you have your disc, cut into 8 triangles and place on the baking sheet.
  5. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown!

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! These are so festive and perfect for breakfast or brunch. And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

To glaze or not to glaze…

As the scones bake, you can decide whether or not you want to make a glaze. Personally, I love these scones as is! And don’t feel a glaze is mandatory. That said, an orange glaze really makes the scones pop and cuts the tartness of the cranberries.

And making one is so easy! You’ll simply whisk together a little orange juice, zest, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Then drizzle over the warm scones and tuck in!!!

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! These are so festive and perfect for breakfast or brunch. And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

More Cranberry Recipes:

  • Cranberry Ricotta Scones
  • Easy Apple Cranberry Crisp
  • Cranberry Orange Cake
  • Cranberry Bananan Muffins

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! These are so festive and perfect for breakfast or brunch. And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! Perfect for breakfast or brunch! And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

15 votes

Print

Prep 15 mins

Cook 20 mins

Inactive 5 mins

Total 40 mins

Author Ashley Manila

Yield 8 Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones are loaded with vibrant orange flavor, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze! Perfect for breakfast or brunch! And one of my favorite scone recipes to make during the holiday season!

Ingredients

For the Cranberry Orange Scones:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 
  • 1 Tablespoon orange zest, finely grated 
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, VERY cold and cut into tiny pieces
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream 
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange extract (optional but highly recommended) 
  • 1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, do not thaw 

For the egg wash:

  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon water 
  • 2 Tablespoons sparkling sugar, optional 

For the Glaze:

  • 1 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice  
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt, optional but recommended to cut the sweetness 

Instructions

For the Cranberry Orange Scones:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°(F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, and cardamom, mix well to combine.
  3. Cut the butter into small cubes then, using your fingers, two forks, or a pastry cutter, work it into the dough until it resembles a coarse meal. The chunks of butter should be about the size of peas. 
  4. In a glass measuring cup whisk together the egg, cream, vanilla, and orange exact.
  5. Pour the liquid mixture into the center of the flour mixture. Then add in the cranberries. Use a spatula to stir everything together until just moistened. Don't worry if the dough looks shaggy! 
  6. Empty the loose dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough a few times, then  shape it into an 8-inch disc. 
  7. Cut the disc into 8 even wedges and carefully transfer them to the prepared sheet, placing them 2" apart.
  8. Lightly brush each scone with the egg wash. Then sprinkle with sparkling sugar, if using. 
  9. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until light golden brown.
  10. Allow scones to cool for 5 minutes, then drizzle with glaze (if using), and serve warm! 

For the egg wash:

  1. In a small bowl whisk together the egg and water until well combined. 

For the Glaze:

  1. In a small bowl combine the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Drizzle over scones. 

Courses Breakfast

Cuisine British

6K Shares

Filed Under: Breakfast, Christmas, Scones

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patricia says

    October 21, 2020 at 7:17 pm

    Looks delicious. I gotta try this!

    Reply
  2. Jane Jacobs says

    October 22, 2020 at 11:44 am

    Hi can I make this with dried cranberries?
    Love your recipes xxx

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      November 22, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      Hi Jane. I don’t recommend it. But if you do, you’ll want to soak them first in hot water so they plump up a bit. Fresh or frozen cranberries work best!

      Reply
    • Norma says

      December 25, 2020 at 6:10 pm

      I made them with dried cranberries and they turned out great! I have made them both ways and prefer the dried. The raw are too tart.

      Reply
  3. The Book of Food says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:25 am

    I never tried scones, I think it’s time to make some !

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      November 22, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      Yes! They’re so easy and the perfect breakfast treat!

      Reply
  4. Mimi Smith says

    October 30, 2020 at 3:09 am

    These are the best scones I’ve ever made. They definitely taste like they came from a fancy bakery. I cut the frozen cranberries in half and I cut up the butter into small pieces and then put it into the freezer for the few minutes I was assembling the rest of the ingredients. I’m thinking of making them again with blueberries and lemon zest as I love their texture. thanks for another great recipe

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      November 22, 2020 at 2:44 pm

      This comment made my day, Mimi! Thank you so much! And I definitely think lemon and blueberry would work beautifully!

      Reply
  5. Camille Grabowski says

    October 31, 2020 at 10:53 pm

    Just made these delicious scones. I let a couple of pulses in the Cuisinart replace my warm hands incorporating the butter. I did need to add a tiny bit more cream but all eventually came together. Didn’t have orange extract so I used Fiori di Sicilia. Sprinkled with sparkling sugar instead of glaze and they are just yummy. Next time I might do what another baker suggested and cut the frozen berries in half. I think it would make incorporating and shaping a little smoother. Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      November 22, 2020 at 2:45 pm

      So glad these were a hit, Camille! And you can definitely chop up the cranberries for a more uniform dough. But the bursts of cranberry flavor will just be more subtle!

      Reply
  6. Kim says

    November 1, 2020 at 9:16 pm

    First time I ever tried scones. They came out tasting fantastic, just like the fancy, expensive bakery scones. I followed the recipe to the letter but the dough came out so *dry* it wouldn’t even hold together. I added about 2T of melted butter & it at least held together at least enough to form & cut.

    Keeping that in mind, I’ll be making these quite often, with different flavor combinations. Another poster mentioned blueberries & lemon – that sounds fantastic.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      November 22, 2020 at 2:46 pm

      Hi Kim! So glad you enjoyed them! The dough shouldn’t be that dry, so I’m wondering if you had a little bit too much flour? You could reduce the recipe by 1/4 cup next time, and then add if needed.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        December 7, 2020 at 2:15 pm

        I just made this recipe yesterday and I followed it to the letter. My dough looked like a desert rather than shaggy it was so dry. I ended up adding another 1/3 cup of cream and another egg before it would hold together. It was delicious. But I think I will try easing up on the amount of flour as well

        Reply
        • bakerbynature says

          December 8, 2020 at 2:36 pm

          Hi Elizabeth! How do you measure flour? If you don’t already, I would suggest fluffing it up in the bag first, then lightly spooning it into the measuring cup. You could definitely decrease the flour by 1/4 cup, but I wouldn’t suggest more. The dough should be quite dry and shaggy, but as you knead and work it, it will eventually come together.

          Reply
      • Norma says

        January 15, 2021 at 11:31 pm

        Be sure to used the spoon into the measuring cup method rather than the scope into the flour method. Also use a dry ingredient measure for flour and sugars, not a liquid measure. I bake a LOT and have learned by much trial and error!

        Reply
      • Kim says

        January 30, 2021 at 8:03 pm

        Can the ingredients be TOO cold? I grated my butter into the bowl directly from the freezer and used cranberries straight out of the freezer, too. I made the recipe to the letter using Baking 101 techniques & measuring cups & spoons and had the same problem.

        I love them, so I really want to get this problem ironed out.

        Reply
  7. Maureen says

    November 15, 2020 at 5:02 pm

    I made this recipe this morning to make Sunday happier-and it worked! The directions were accurate and easy to follow. I didn’t have to use more than one bowl, one measuring cup and a few spoons and a knife. And they are so delicious-I was shocked at how buttery they were, and that the cranberries weren’t too sour. Just wonderful. 6 people/8 scones? It was hard to divide them up the last two fairly! Thanks for a recipe I can use again and again.

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      November 22, 2020 at 2:48 pm

      Hi Maureen! I’m so thrilled to hear that these made your Sunday morning a happy one! And that you found the recipe easy to follow! Have a wonderful holiday season 🙂

      Reply
  8. Amy says

    November 28, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    How long will these keep for? And how is it best to store them please?
    Thank you for the great recipe can’t wait to try them!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      December 2, 2020 at 12:15 am

      Hi Amy. They’re best eaten the day they’re baked. But will keep, wrapped and at room temperature for 2 days and in the freezer for 2 months.

      Reply
  9. Linda M says

    November 28, 2020 at 5:39 pm

    These scones look wonderful and I will make them tomorrow. I happen to have cranberries on hand. Always try to this time of year. One thing I do is after making the disk and cutting, I pop them into the freezer, either for 30 minutes, then bake or until frozen, wrap and double wrap. There you have scones ready to pop into the oven at the drop of a Christmas bow. Thanks for the recipe

    Reply
  10. Nancy says

    November 28, 2020 at 11:05 pm

    Can I use my homemade cranberry sauce leftover from Thanksgiving in these?

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      December 2, 2020 at 12:13 am

      Hi Nancy. I don’t think that would work. But if you try, let me know 🙂

      Reply
  11. Kelli says

    November 29, 2020 at 3:17 pm

    Can you please share the nutritional information for this recipe?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      December 2, 2020 at 12:12 am

      Hi Kelli! I don’t share caloric information but there are lots of apps that will allow you to enter the ingredients and get the nutritional info 🙂

      Reply
  12. Cboss says

    November 30, 2020 at 1:30 am

    Anybody tried freezing these after baked? I’m doing lots of mini scones for employee gifts at work and will be making up quite a few batches over a few days and am hoping to freeze them so they can all be gifted at once.

    Reply
  13. Kayla says

    December 17, 2020 at 2:17 pm

    Just made these and love them!! Trying to figure out the best way to give as gifts. Have you tried making them and freezing them already cut into the triangles? Wondering if that would work to give people a bag of them and they could pop them in the oven when they need a yummy breakfast treat? Thanks for the great recipe!!

    Reply
  14. Anne says

    December 19, 2020 at 1:27 pm

    I have made these twice and both times had to add extra cream to get the dough to hold together. And yes, I did spoon it carefully into measuring cup so as to not have too much flour. Having said that, they are absolutely delicious and I will be giving them as Christmas gifts!

    Reply
  15. Virginia says

    December 20, 2020 at 4:40 pm

    I made these gluten free with King Arthur’s 1:1 gf flour and they came out great!

    Reply
  16. Michelle says

    December 23, 2020 at 11:25 am

    Has anyone made these with oat milk? They look amazing!

    Reply
  17. Jackie says

    December 23, 2020 at 2:27 pm

    Do you think this dough would be ok to refrigerate or freeze for 3 days before baking?

    Reply
  18. Baklava Babe says

    December 24, 2020 at 8:51 pm

    I made these this morning and they turned out amazing! A great Christmas Eve treat! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  19. Pat Oglesby says

    December 24, 2020 at 11:27 pm

    If I don’t have heavy cream could I use Half and Half or evaporated milk or a combination. I live ten miles from the grocery store so need to improvise sometimes. Love your recipes and instructions.

    Reply
  20. Gab says

    January 2, 2021 at 8:01 pm

    yum!! I added chocolate chips and almond extract instead of orange extract to mine too!

    Reply
  21. Rachel says

    February 2, 2021 at 2:08 am

    This is my favorite scone recipe ever (and I’ve been on a quest for a year now!)

    Reply
  22. Julie says

    February 2, 2021 at 8:16 pm

    These look great! Just wondering if you can substitute buttermilk for the heavy cream?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      February 4, 2021 at 12:53 am

      Hi Julie. I don’t recommend it! Buttermilk has a much lower fat content and will result in a drier scone.

      Reply
  23. Connie Engler says

    February 9, 2021 at 12:12 am

    I made these today, they were wonderful. This is the first time I have ever made scones but it will not be the last.

    Reply

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Meet Ashley

Hey! I’m Ashley, a creative spirit with a major sweet tooth. Most days you can find me in my happy place: the kitchen. If I’m not there, I’m probably snapping photos of food, planning a party… or dreaming about my next trip to Paris (AKA my favorite place in the entire world). I’m a story teller, recipe developer, and photographer who firmly believes that a homemade life is a happy life. Learn More.

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