The holidays wouldn't be complete without easy Cranberry Orange Scones! Extra glaze tops these tender and flaky scones made with dried cranberries and orange flavors.
Cranberry Orange Scones
Cranberry orange scones make me think of the holidays, and scones are easy to make.
The first time I ever had a scone was during a trip abroad as a foreign exchange student. Hello, friends from Queensland!
This was in the pre-internet era (gasp) and before Starbucks (how?!) or as my kids would call it, "the olden days".
For the record, it was the mid 1990's. But whatever, young-ins. Regardless, it was my first scone experience
We went to a botanical garden and had tea and scones and I have to admit, my 15 year old self was feeling very, very fancy.
I added copious amounts of milk and sugar to my tea and I went with it. I had no idea what I was eating except that it was very, very scrumptious.
Pinkies up!!!
But what is a scone, anyway?
Basically, a scone is a quick bread, which means it doesn't need time to rise like a yeast bread. And if scones had a cousin, it would be a biscuit, as in American biscuits, not British (or Aussie) biscuits which are to us as Americans, cookies.
Sigh. I'm getting in deep here. Confused yet?
So let's just agree that they're a quick bread recipe. They're light and flaky and tasty. And even though cranberry orange scones look a little intimidating, they're actually very easy to make!
If you want to explore more of the scones vs biscuits history, you can read up on that here.
But for now, let's move on....
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter with fork until butter is in pea-sized pieces.
In a separate bowl, combine the heavy cream, sour cream, egg, vanilla extract, orange extract, and orange zest. Whisk to combine.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined.
Add in the craisins and stir until just mixed.
Sprinkle ¼ cup of flour onto a clean work surface. Transfer scone batter onto floured surface and lightly knead into a ball. Press the dough down into a ½” high rectangle (approximately 6” x 10”).
Cut in half lengthwise, and then each half into 3 rectangles. Then, cut each rectangle diagonally to create triangle-shaped pieces.
Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1-2” between them. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Pre-heat oven to 400°F, then add the baking sheet to oven when ready. Bake the scones for 18-22 minutes, or until they are nicely golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes.
While the scones are cooling, prepare the orange glaze by stirring the powdered sugar and orange juice together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
Serve the scones warm drizzled with some of the orange glaze on top.
Tips for Making Cranberry Orange Scones
Let's just talk for a quick minute about the flavors here. We're using fresh squeezed orange juice plus orange zest.
Can you say FLAVOR??!
Then, we pair the citrus with the tang of tart, dried cranberries so you'll get a little burst of flavor in every bite.
Why dried cranberries? I'm so glad you asked! I use the dried berries so I can make this anytime of the year, not just during the holidays.
Also, the texture and dryness of the dried fruit works really well here. If we have too much moisture we run the risk of soggy scones.
That would be sad.
How long will cranberry orange scones keep?
Fresh baked scones last a day or two at room temperature.
If you want to hang onto them longer (and you haven't devoured them all), they'll keep in the fridge up to a week.
But truly, the flavors and textures really shine when they're freshly baked!
Other baked treats you'll love:
Pair these scones with a cup of hot tea or coffee for a breakfast that is sure to start your day out right!
Orange Cranberry Scones
Ingredients
SCONES
- 2 cups all-purpose flour + ¼ cup for work surface
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon orange extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cup craisins
GLAZE
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Line a large, rimmed baking parchment paper or a Silpat® baking mat. Set aside.
- Mix two cups flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter with fork until butter is in pea-sized pieces.
- In a separate bowl, combine the heavy cream, sour cream, egg, vanilla extract, orange extract, and orange zest. Whisk to combine.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. Add in the craisins and stir until just mixed.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup of flour onto a clean work surface. Transfer scone batter onto floured surface and lightly knead into a ball. Press the dough down into a ½” high rectangle (approximately 6” x 10”). Cut in half lengthwise, and then each half into 3 rectangles. Then, cut each rectangle diagonally to create triangle-shaped pieces.
- Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1-2” between them. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F, then add the baking sheet to oven when ready. Bake the scones for 18-22 minutes, or until they are nicely golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes.
- While the scones are cooling, prepare the orange glaze by stirring the powdered sugar and orange juice together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Serve the scones warm drizzled with some of the orange glaze on top.
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
