Cranberry Orange Scones
These Cranberry Orange Scones are buttery and tender with crisp, sugary edges, tart cranberries, and fresh orange zest, finished with a sweet orange glaze. Make the dough up to 2 days ahead.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 13 tablespoons butter, frozen
- ½ cup whole sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons fresh orange zest, from 1 large orange
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 egg, + 2 teaspoons fresh orange juice, lightly beaten together (for egg wash)
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Optional Toppings
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling
- ½ cup white chocolate chips, melted for drizzling, instead of orange glaze
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Using large holes of a box grater, grate frozen butter into the flour. Use fingers to work in the butter until it resembles a coarse meal.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, egg, vanilla, and orange zest until smooth and incorporated.
- Use a fork to stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large clumps form. Gently stir in cranberries.
- Use hands to form dough into a ball. As you work the dough, it will come together; don't overwork dough. Lightly dampen hands with a bit of water for easy shaping.
- If dough is sticky and needs to firm up a bit, place dough ball in airtight container and chill about 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set oven to 400F, with rack on lower-middle position.
- On a lightly floured, flat surface, press dough ball evenly into an 8-inch circle, about 3/4 inch thick. Using a very sharp knife, cut the circle into 8 triangle wedges. Place triangles on lined baking sheet, 1 inch apart.
- Brush the egg wash on top of each triangle. If desired, sprinkle tops generously with coarse sugar.
- Bake about 14-17 minutes or just until tops are light golden. Do not over bake. Allow scones to cool completely to room temp.
- Whisk powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle orange glaze over cooled scones. For a white chocolate drizzle instead, melt the white chocolate chips and drizzle over cooled scones.
Notes
- Substitutions: Frozen cranberries work straight from the freezer. Don't thaw them first, or they'll streak the dough. Dried cranberries work too: soak them in warm water or orange juice for about 10 minutes, then drain. Plain Greek yogurt works in place of sour cream.
- White Chocolate Option: Skip the orange glaze and drizzle 1/2 cup melted white chocolate chips over the cooled scones instead.
- Prep Ahead: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill up to 2 days, then shape and bake as directed. Or freeze the unbaked wedges up to 2 months and bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes.
- Storage: Baked scones are best within the first 24 hours. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days, or freeze up to 2 months.
- Tips: Keep the butter frozen until you grate it, and mix just until the dough comes together so the scones stay tender. Slightly underbaked scones stay moist longer. Let them cool completely before glazing so the glaze sets.
- These are great on a brunch table with Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole or Hash Brown Tomato Breakfast Casserole.
- This recipe is part of our Sweet Breakfast Recipes Collection.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 260mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 149IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg