Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe
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These tasty cranberry orange scones have a deliciously rich, tart flavor that comes from just the right mix of cranberries and oranges. With a crisp, flaky outside that’s drizzled with sweet orange glaze, these flavorful homemade scones are totally worth waking up for!
Cranberry Orange Scones
I’m not one for getting up early but if I know I’ve got cranberry orange scones waiting for me, I’m going to jump out of bed just a little faster! Not only are they perfect for breakfast, but they’re great for bunches and or even just a midday pick-me-up snack.
The best part is that they’re easier than you’d think! I’m all about the easy breakfast recipes, like these stuffed crescents or make ahead egg muffins. I always thought making scones recipes would be so much more work…until I actually made them. Now I love these baked treats even more!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Flexible: One of the best things about this is that you can make it using either fresh or frozen cranberries. This means you don’t have to wait until fresh cranberries are in season to enjoy them.
- Flavorful: The cranberry orange combination gives these delicious scones a vibrant citrus flavor, making them irresistible. Serve them for your next brunch or holiday breakfast…they’re always a crowd-pleaser!
- Perfect texture: Another thing we love about these scones is their texture. They are crumbly on the outside but soft & delicious on the inside. However, to achieve this perfect texture, you must be careful with your ingredients.
Ingredients
Here’s a rundown of everything you’ll need for these cranberry orange scones:
- Flour: Flour forms the base of this recipe, holding all the other ingredients together. You’ll need two cups all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Brown sugar: ¼ cup brown sugar to give your scones a sweet taste and add a touch of color.
- Baking powder: Acts as a leavening agent helping the scones rise and puff up nicely. You’ll be using one tablespoon baking powder for this recipe.
- Ground cinnamon: Use ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon to add a touch of flavor to your scones.
- Salt: For this recipe, you’ll need ¼ teaspoon salt to enhance flavor.
- Cold unsalted butter: Butter enhances flavor and makes the scones light and flaky. Here you’ll need ¼ cup or ½ stick unsalted butter. Be sure to use cold butter and cut it into small cubes.
- Heavy cream: In this recipe, you’ll need ¾ cup heavy sour cream to make your scones moist and flavorful.
- Egg: Here, you’ll need one large egg to help bind the scone dough well, thus enhancing structure.
- Chopped cranberries: You’ll need one cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries to add enough tart flavor to the scones and give them an eye-catching look. If you have leftover, you can make this wonderful Cranberry Salsa.
- Sugar: 1/3 cup sugar to add flavor.
- Fresh orange zest: In this recipe, you’ll use zest from one orange to add a rich orange flavor.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts: You’ll need ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to enhance the flavor and appearance of your scones.
For the glaze:
- Powdered sugar: You’ll use ½ cup powdered sugar to give the glaze a sweet taste.
- Orange juice: For the drizzle, you’lladd two tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice to enhance the flavor.
How To Make Cranberry Orange Scones
Don’t be intimidated by the lengthy ingredients list; making cranberry orange scones is pretty simple and takes approximately less than 30 minutes from preparing your ingredients to baking.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare your baking tray by lining it with parchment paper, then set aside.
Step 2: Add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt) to a food processor and blend well.
Step 3: Cut cold, unsalted butter into cubes and add to the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles a course meal. (You can use a pastry blender for this step if you prefer).
Step 4: In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and egg. Add the resulting smooth mixture into the food processor and pulse until the dough comes together.
Step 5: In a large mixing bowl, mix the chopped cranberries and sugar. Add the orange zest and chopped nuts, then toss well to give the ingredients a good mix.
Step 6: Carefully add the dough and press the nuts, zest, and cranberries into it.
Step 7: Place the dough on a floured surface and divide it into two equal portions. Pat the dough or use a rolling pin to roll each section into a 6-inch circle.
Step 8: Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut each circle into six wedges, for a total of 12. Place wedges onto the prepared baking sheet. (To make smaller scones and double the recipe, you can cut these wedges in half.)
Step 9: Place the baking tray into the preheated oven and bake scones for about 20-22 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. Remove the scones from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
Step 10: To make the glaze, mix the fresh orange juice and powdered sugar and stir until smooth. You can add more juice or powdered sugar to achieve your desired glaze thickness. Pour into an icing bag or a plastic storage bag and cut off the tip.
Step 11: Drizzle the sweet orange glaze over the tops of the scones and serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
These scones may just be my new favorite treat! There’s really nothing better than fresh, warm scones to go with your morning coffee (try these tasty apple scones too). If you love the taste of cranberry and oranges together, give this delicious cranberry orange bread a try!
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few tips & tricks that’ll come in handy when making your scones:
- Always use cold butter because it helps the dough rise easily and makes the scones light and flaky. Frozen butter works even better!
- When making the dough, don’t overmix. Overmixing the scone dough may make them tough.
- Be careful not to scrape off the white pith of the orange peel when zesting your orange. It’ll give your scones a bitter taste.
- Chill your scone dough for 15-20 minutes before baking to make the scones flakier. The colder the dough, the less likely it is to spread during baking too.
You can store your baked scones in an airtight container and preserve them at room temperature for 1-2 days. When refrigerated, baked scones can last for a week. Not sure they’ll last that long though…they are pretty irresistible!
Yes, you can!
Freezing the dough: After cutting the dough into wedges, you can place them in plastic freezer bags and freeze for later. Before baking, thaw the wedges overnight.
Then in the morning all you have to do is pop ’em in the oven for delicious, freshly baked scones! You can bake them frozen too but you’ll want to add a few more minutes into your cooking time.
Freezing baked scones: You can freeze your baked scones as well. Just be sure they’re completely cooled before placing them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Frozen scones can last up to 3 months in the freezer.
I suggest freezing them before glazing but if freezing glazed scones, start by laying the scones on a baking sheet and flash freezing for an hour, then place in a freezer bag and freeze as usual. This will help keep your glaze in place and make things a little less messy.
Want more delicious breakfast recipes?
Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter cold or frozen
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Zest from one orange chopped
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare your sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper, then set it aside.
- Add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt) to a food processor and blend well.
- Cut cold, unsalted butter into cubes and add to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles a course meal. (You can use a pastry blender for this step if you prefer).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and egg. Add the resulting smooth mixture into the food processor and pulse until the dough comes together.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the chopped cranberries and sugar. Add the orange zest and chopped nuts, then toss well to give the ingredients a good mix.
- Carefully add the dough and press the nuts, zest, and cranberries into it.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and divide it into two equal portions. Pat the dough or use a rolling pin to roll each section into a 6-inch circle.
- Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut each circle into six wedges, for a total of 12. Place wedges onto the parchment-lined baking tray.
- Place the baking tray into the preheated oven and bake for about 20-22 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. Remove the scones from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
- To make the glaze, mix the fresh orange juice and powdered sugar and stir until smooth. You can add more juice or powdered sugar to achieve your desired glaze thickness. Pour into an icing bag or a plastic storage bag and cut off the tip.
- Drizzle the sweet orange glaze over the scones and serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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