Perfectly dense and flaky, these cranberry orange scones are bursting with tart cranberries and fresh orange zest. These festive scones look and taste like they came from the bakery, but are surprisingly easy to make at home!
These Cranberry Orange Scones are my favorite festive treat to make for a Christmas brunch! They’re loaded with juicy cranberries and fresh orange zest, making every bite a citrusy delight. Finished with a light orange glaze, they look and taste like a bakery masterpiece but are super easy to make at home.
These scones use the same base recipe as my very popular blueberry scones and chocolate chip scones… Which means the dough can be made the day before and baked fresh the next morning OR frozen to be baked another time. I always make a double batch, that way I can whip them out anytime we have surprise guests.
“This was my first time making scones and they were way easier to make than I expected AND tasted amazing! They were moist, dense, soft and flaky with the perfect amount of tart cranberries and fresh orange flavor.” — Haley, busy mom of two and passionate home cook and baker.
Key Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- All-Purpose Flour: Fluff the flour, then measure it by spooning it into a measuring cup. Don’t dip the cup straight into a packed bag of flour – that results in using too much flour!
- Unsalted Butter: It’s VERY important to use cold or even frozen butter!
- Buttermilk: Heavy cream also works just fine, but use buttermilk for extra tang. Buttermilk not only adds flavor but also reacts with the baking powder for a better rise and fluffier texture.
- Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen cranberries for lots of cranberry taste. Frozen berries work great and don’t need to be thawed – just stir them in straight from the freezer. (See variations below for using dried cranberries.)
- Orange: You will use orange zest in the scones themselves and orange juice in the glaze. Make sure not to grate the bitter white pith when zesting your orange.
- Powdered Sugar: You can add more or less depending on how thick you want your glaze to be.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
Visit the printable recipe card below for full directions.
Use very cold or frozen butter. Just like when making biscuits, cold butter (and buttermilk!) is key to flaky scones. This butter melts and creates steam that forms the tender layers within the dense scones.
Grate the butter. Grating frozen butter makes it easier to evenly cut into the flour, which helps avoid overmixing.
Don’t overwork the dough! Mix just until combined to keep the scones soft and flaky. If you work the dough too much, they will be very dense.
Handle the dough gently. Press it into shape with your hands instead of rolling it to avoid overworking the dough and making it tough.
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Cut evenly sized wedges. Even slices bake more uniformly and ensure all your scones are done at the same time.
Don’t skip chilling the dough. That 20-minute chill in the fridge helps the scones keep their shape and rise taller in the oven.
Brush with cream or buttermilk before baking. This gives the tops that beautiful golden-brown bakery-style finish.
Make the glaze thick or thin. Adjust the powdered sugar and orange juice ratio to your preference…. Thicker for drizzling, thinner for a light coating. I personally prefer a thin glaze so the scones are not overly sweet.
Cool slightly before glazing. Let scones cool for about 10 minutes before adding glaze so it sets nicely and doesn’t melt off.
Variations To Try
- Make mini‑ccones. Cut smaller wedges or shape smaller rounds for bite‑size scones, great for brunch spreads or sharing. Just watch the bake time, they will cook faster!
- Use dried cranberries. While they aren’t as juicy and don’t have the same tart flavor, they will work in a pinch! I highly recommend soaking them in warm water for 10 minutes to plump them up before mixing in.
- Add warm spices. For a cozy twist, try folding in a hearty pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom into the dry ingredients.
- Add a crunch or chocolate. Chopped walnuts or pecans add a nice crunch and extra flavor. For a red and green color combo, try pistachios! For an extra sweet twist, add some white or dark chocolate chips to the dough.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing Scones
- Make Ahead: Prep the dough the night before, wrap it tightly and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Cut, brush, and bake fresh when ready.
- Storing: You can store leftover scones in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just make sure they’re in an airtight container! Store them with a slice of bread in the container to keep them from drying out.
- Freeze Unbaked: Place sliced scones on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- Freeze After Baking: Double wrap each scone in plastic wrap and then store in an airtight freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge overnight or at room temperature for about an hour.
Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, grated and very cold or frozen
- ½ cup buttermilk or heavy cream, plus more for brushing on top
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh, or frozen cranberries
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice, or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or your hands, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add liquid ingredients, cranberries, and orange zest to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened, and mixture is well combined and holds together in a ball.
- Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto parchment paper or counter. Press dough into 8 inch circle, about ¾ inch thick. Brush top with additional buttermilk.
- Using a sharp knife, cut circle into 8 wedges. Divide triangles and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, leaving enough space for the
scones to expand when cooked. - Place scones in refrigerator for 20 minutes. While scones chill, preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bake scones for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice and vanilla extract – until smooth. Drizzle the tops of each scone generously with glaze. For even more orange flavor in your glaze, feel free to add orange zest as well.
- Serve warm or let cool completely before storing.
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Notes
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More Festive Recipes To Try
- This cranberry cheese ball is the best make-ahead holiday appetizer.
- Try these easy cranberry muffins with a sparkly sugared top.
- Start your Christmas morning with some fun Grinch pancakes!
- Prep my breakfast casserole with ham to make Christmas morning a breeze.
- These cranberry pecan goat cheese balls have over 1,000 glowing reviews!
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My family loved these! I did blueberries and lemon with this recipe too!!
Very disappointed that one has to sign up to either instagram or TikTok to watch your video, when some of us have absolutely no interest in these sites.
Also you might consider your international followers and start using grams and deciliters. A lot of sites now have the converter.
Happy holidays – will try the scones today.
Hi Mietta, you can always watch the video right here on my site as well! If a recipe has a video, it can be viewed in the bottom of the recipe card. As for the gram converters, they are often wrong when I have checked. So I am nervous to offer one and readers have recipes not turn out correctly, but know that I am actively working on it and looking into options!
So good!!!