Cranberry Orange Scones Orange Glaze (Printable)
Buttery scones filled with tart cranberries and citrus zest, drizzled with a sweet orange glaze for a zesty finish.
# What You Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
→ Wet Ingredients
06 - 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
07 - 2/3 cup cold heavy cream
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Add-Ins
10 - 1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
→ Sweet Orange Glaze
11 - 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
12 - 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
13 - 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest.
03 - Add cold cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter or fingertips, cut butter into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract.
05 - Pour wet ingredients into dry mixture. Add cranberries. Stir gently with a fork until dough just comes together. Do not overmix.
06 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick circle (about 8 inches wide). Cut into 8 wedges and arrange on prepared baking sheet, spacing slightly apart.
07 - Brush tops with a little extra cream for a golden finish.
08 - Bake for 16-18 minutes, until scones are golden and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.
09 - For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over cooled scones.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- They come together in under an hour and taste like you spent all morning in the kitchen.
- The tartness of cranberries against sweet orange glaze is genuinely addictive—one scone never feels like enough.
- Cold butter creates those tender, flaky layers that just melt on your tongue.
02 -
- Cold ingredients are non-negotiable here—warm butter and cream turn these into dense cake, not tender scones.
- Don't even think about overmixing; the moment your dough comes together, you're done stirring.
- If you swap fresh cranberries for dried, soak the dried ones in hot water for 5 minutes first so they plump up and stay tender inside the scone.
03 -
- If using dried cranberries instead of fresh, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes before adding them to the dough so they stay tender and juicy inside.
- A pastry cutter or two forks works better than your hands for cutting in the butter because your hands warm everything up—I learned this after too many dense batches.