Skip links

Baked by an Introvert logo

Main navigation

You are here: Home » Breakfast » Scones » Cranberry Orange Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones

[heart_this] · · 57 Comments

Jump to Recipe

These Cranberry Orange Scones are the best fall scones you’ll ever have! This recipe yields tender, flaky, and ultra-moist scones.

Orange juice and orange zest add loads of flavor. Each bite is speckled with tart fresh cranberries. Serve these scones for breakfast with a warm cup of coffee.

high angled view of cranberry orange scones on brown paper

Making Cranberry Orange Scones

Several months ago I made these peach almond scones. They had become my favorite summer scone.

Now that we are well into fall, I felt that I needed to add a fall scone recipe to my collection. I used my blueberry buttermilk scones recipe as a starting point and made a few changes to achieve the desired results for these cranberry orange scones.

When making scones it’s important to remember to use cold butter.

When the scones are baking the cold butter will melt inside, releasing steam which creates little pockets of air. This will make the scones light and airy on the inside while the outside remains crisp and flaky.

Handle the dough as little as possible. Avoid overworking the dough when mixing the ingredients together. You only want to mix until the mixture begins to stick together.

Cranberry Orange Scones on brown paper

Knead just enough

Knead the dough just a few times. If you over knead, gluten will develop. Gluten will make the scones tough. No one likes tough scones.

Shape gather the dough into a ball and press it together. Then you are ready to place it on your baking sheet and press it out into a 7-inch circle.

Remember to work fast to avoid warming the butter.

I topped the scones with a sweet orange glaze. This enhances the orange deliciousness.

I also topped them with coarse sugar just before baking. The sugar adds a slight crunch to the tops, a great contrast in texture.

glazed Cranberry Orange Scones on brown paper

Helpful tools

More scone recipes you’ll love

  1. Carrot Cake Scones
  2. Honey Citrus Sweet Potato Scones
  3. Apple Cinnamon Scones
These Cranberry Orange Scones are the best fall scones you’ll ever have! This recipe yields tender, flaky, and ultra-moist scones.

Cranberry Orange Scones

These Cranberry Orange Scones are the best fall scones you’ll ever have! This recipe yields tender, flaky, and ultra-moist scones. Orange juice and orange zest add loads of flavor. Each bite is speckled with tart fresh cranberries. Serve these scones for breakfast with a warm cup of coffee.
4.89 from 9 votes
Print Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yields: 8 people
Calories: 389
Author: Jen Sobjack

Ingredients

For the scones

  • 2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 3/4 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup milk, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sugar

For the glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Instructions

Make the scones

  • In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange zest together. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingertips. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Gently fold in the cranberries. Whisk the vanilla, orange juice, and milk together then gradually add it to the flour mixture. Stir just until the dough comes together. You may not need all the orange juice mixture. Add a little at a time until the dough is moist but not too wet. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead four or five times. Pat the dough into a 7-inch round circle. Cut the circle in half, then cut each half into four triangle shaped wedges. Arrange the scones 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the scones in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  • Position the oven rack to the center of the oven and heat to 400°F. Brush the tops of the scones with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and drizzle with glaze.

Make the glaze

  • Combine all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

Make ahead tip

  • You can refrigerate the dough overnight then simply shape the scones and bake them the next day.
  • You can keep leftover scones for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
  • Unglaze scones can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then reheat and glaze before serving.

Notes

The scones need to be cold when going into the oven. Placing the shaped dough into the freezer for 30 minutes ensures the scones will bake up light and fluffy. Alternatively, you can place the scone dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 1scone | Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 297mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 8.4% | Vitamin C: 14.7% | Calcium: 9.4% | Iron: 12.1%

Nutritional values here on my recipes should be used as a general guide only. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the values shown are just an estimate.

Tried this recipe? Share it on Instagram!Mention @introvertbaker or tag #bakedbyanintrovert!

Nutritional values here on my recipes should be used as a general guide only. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the values shown are just an estimate.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. These are perfect scones. A little crunch on the outside but buttery flaky on inside. I was skeptical with no egg but they did not disappoint!

    Reply

  4. is it possible to freeze these like 2 days in advance and then pop them in the over the morning of? They are amazing by the way!

    Reply

  5. Delicious but taste best warm…maybe right out of the oven! I rehydrated dried cranberries & sprinkled scones with slivered almonds before baking & only used half of the glaze. Yummy!

    Reply

  6. I found this recipe very easy to make due to your instructions. The scones turned out delicious. The only change I made was adding more cranberries. Do you have a recipe for blueberry scones with lemon?

    Reply

  7. BEST SCONES EVER !!!!! I’ve made tons of scone “bricks” before , and was prepared for another one today , but what I got instead was was crunchy yet soft and light scone babies . Thank you !! One question , can frozen cranberries be used ?

    Reply

  10. Phenominal! Seriously, out of the oven and into my mouth… I’m baking assorted scones as a thank you gift to my doctor & his staff. I’m far from the best baker so all the credit goes to you for your easy to follow & ohhhh so delicious recipes!
    They deserve only the best and that’s exactly what they will get. Thank you!!

    Reply

  12. I just made these (after having them on my pinterest and thinking about them for about 3 years), and they are INCREDIBLE. Seriously, thanks so much for sharing this with us!!!

    Reply

  13. The orange cranberry scones are delicious. My taste testers loved them. I combined your recipe with one I have for gluten free and they are yummy!

    Reply

  14. Hi Jen,
    Ah, the joy of Pinterest! On November 5, 2017, I’m asking a question about your post from November 3. 2014. These orange and cranberry scones look so good! Perfect for Holiday entertaining of family members who love orange and cranberry. You mention the scones should be put in the freezer for 30 minutes or refrigerator for 2 hours so they will be cold when they go into the oven. Do you think they could be refrigerated overnight so they only need to be baked in the morning? Not sure if that would have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the baking powder and baking soda. Well, I guess while I’m asking, what about freezing them? As shaped dough or after baking? I can’t wait to try them! Thanks!!!

    Reply

    • You certainly could freeze the dough! Place them in the freezer for 30 minutes then add them all to a freezer safe container. Set the scones on the counter while you preheat the oven then bake as directed.

      Reply

  15. These were wonderful!! My husband doesn’t like fall and asked for glazed orange cranberry scones to get him in the mood for cooler weather. I came across your blog and this recipe, and they were a huge hit! Thank you! The recipe turned out perfectly. I really liked the consistency of the finished batter. It was dry enough to easily shape into a round, but the resulting scone was very tender and moist. Thank you for the great tip about freezing the dough before baking. I earned huge brownie points from my family last Sunday, and I look forward to finding more recipes here that will keep the smiles coming. Thank you! -Meg (a novice introvert baker 🙂

    Reply

  16. I just made these and they were incredible. Thank you so much for great info in keeping everything cool. I’m now using this recipe for the best tasting scones ever.

    Reply

  17. Cranberry and orange is a classic combination but I’ve never had them in a scone. What a great idea! Would love a couple of these for breakfast in the morning!

    Reply

  24. Good grief, you’re making me swoon over here! There is nothing more delightful than freshly baked scones and I adore the flavor combo here (makes me want Christmas/holiday baking to begin immediately–oh wait, it has :)!

    Reply

    • I may have started the whole holiday flavors a bit early but I just HAD to share these. At least I’m not playing Christmas music quite yet, haha. Thanks for stopping by, Amy!

      Reply

  27. Jen, I just love the bright colors you coaxed out of these scones; cranberry and orange go so well together! Thank you for explaining the importance of keeping the butter as cold as possible… I’ve had some boring, flavorless, hard scones before and yours look just perfect! Pinned to try these with my kids:)

    Reply

    • I don’t like hard, dry scones. I try my best to make them moist. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you are going to choke on dry bread. No one wants that! Thank you for the kind words, Heather. 🙂

      Reply

  28. Jen, these are gorgeous scones! I love the bright colors you coaxed into them! Thank you for explaining the importance of keeping the butter in the dough as cold as possible. I’ve had some pretty boring, flavorless, and hard scones, but yours look perfect! And cranberry and orange go so well together:)

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.