This Cranberry Orange Cream Scone Recipe makes the most flakey, tender scones that are never dry and always bursting with flavor. They’re topped with a sugary crust and a drizzle of orange glaze, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat.
Looking for more scone recipes? You can also try these Strawberry Cream Scones, Lemon Blueberry Scones, or Pumpkin Scones.
Cranberry Orange Cream Scone Recipe
When it comes to scones, there are usually two types: super flaky dense buttery scones and the light and fluffy cream scones. This cream scone recipe is the best of both worlds because it’s made with both butter and cream! And to make things even better, it’s loaded with juicy cranberries and sweet orange zest.
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The secret to making the orange flavor really pop is infusing the orange zest in the heavy cream. It soaks up all of that flavor which is then added back into the scones.
The edges of these scones are perfectly crisp while the insides somehow manage to be cakey, tender, and flakey. Finish them off with my super easy homemade orange glaze and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee or tea.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bursting with flavor! The brightness of juicy cranberries and sweet fresh oranges perfectly cuts through the rich and buttery cream scones. Each bite has little pops of flavor throughout.
- Tender and flaky. These scones are made with both cream and butter, making them ultra flakey, buttery, and tender.
- Perfect for freezing. You can mix, shape, and cut these scones, then freeze for up to 3 months. That way you can just pull them out and bake whenever you’d like!
Key Ingredients
- Flour – I use all-purpose flour, but pastry flour would work great, too.
- Butter – you want your butter to be cold to start, since it warms some when it gets pulsed and mixed for the dough
- Baking Powder – this is what will make your scones rise in the oven
- Sugar – you want to use granulated sugar to mix into your dough. For sprinkling on scones before baking you can use granulated sugar, or else a larger crystal sugar, like raw turbinado, would taste great.
- Heavy Cream – this is what makes cream scones cream scones! The high fat content of heavy whipping cream makes them rich, flavorful, and moist. Buttermilk is a great substitute, but avoid anything with more water content like milk.
- Cranberries – frozen cranberries work great in scones because you want the dough to stay nice and cold. However, fresh cranberries and even dried cranberries will also work.
- Fresh Oranges – you will need orange zest for the scones and orange juice for the glaze. About one orange should do it.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
- Combine the orange zest and cream. Stir and set aside.
- Pulse the butter and dry ingredients. In a food processor, add the flour and butter and pulse about 10 times until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add the baking powder, sugar, and salt and pulse again to combine.
- Finish mixing the dough. Transfer the flour mixture to the bowl with the cream. Stir until just combined, then fold in the cranberries. Don’t overmix.
- Shape. Crumple up a sheet of parchment paper and then flatten it to line a 9-10″ cake pan. (This helps it fit in the pan.) Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Lift the dough out of the pan using the parchment. Slice using a sharp knife to slice into 8 even triangles. Separate the wedges on the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake. Brush the tops of the scones with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Drizzle with orange glaze and serve. Remove from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet. In the meantime, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice in a bowl and drizzle over the tops of the scones. Serve slightly warm, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Keeping everything cold is the name of the game with scones. Using the food processor helps cut the butter into small pieces quickly before it can heat up, making these scones extra flakey.
- In order to get the parchment paper down into the baking pan well, crumble it up first and then flatten.
- If you have the time, refrigerate the scone dough before baking. Even 30 minutes in the fridge will help relax the dough and cool down the butter.
- Do not overmix the dough! There should still be little pieces of butter throughout. You want to mix the dough quickly but gently, making sure to avoid warming the butter too much or over-developing the gluten. This is one of the main culprits for dry scones, so mix only until the dough has come together and looks evenly combined.
Storage Instructions
- Room Temperature: store baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: store baked scones in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: scones are best frozen after they have been cut but before they have been baked. Freeze them on a flat tray until hard, then store them in freezer bags for 3 months.
- Baking frozen scones: to bake, pull directly from the freezer and bake at 425 degrees, adding a few extra minutes to your baking time.
More You’ll Love
These tender and flakey cream scones are filled with juicy cranberries and fresh orange. Enjoy them for breakfast and brunch during the holidays.
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Cranberry Orange Cream Scone Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons butter, cold
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cranberries, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, add the orange zest to the cream. Stir and set aside.
- In a food processor, add the flour and butter. Pulse about 10 times, until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add baking powder, sugar, and salt and pulse again to combine.
- Transfer the flour mixture to the bowl with the cream. Stir until just combined, then fold in the cranberries. Don't overmix.
- Crumple up a sheet of parchment paper and then flatten it to line a 9-10" cake pan. (This helps it fit in the pan.) Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Lift the dough out of the pan using the parchment. Slice using a sharp knife to slice into 8 even triangles. Separate the wedges on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges, and then remove from the oven.
- Meanwhile, make your orange glaze. Add the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of orange juice to a small bowl and mix well, making sure there are no lumps of sugar. Add up to 1 tablespoon more orange juice as needed to reach the desired consistency.
- Drizzle the warm scones with the glaze and serve. Enjoy!
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More of the Best Breakfast Recipes
This Cranberry Orange Cream Scone Recipe makes the most flakey, tender scones that are never dry and always bursting with flavor. They’re topped with a sugary crust and a drizzle of orange glaze, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat.
Categories:
Breakfast, Christmas, Desserts, Fall Recipes, Nut-Free, Quick Breads, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Winter Recipes,
