Cranberry Orange Scones (My Favorite Scones – So Good!)

Cranberry Orange Scones are studded with tart cranberries and flavored with orange juice and zest, this Cranberry Orange Scone Recipe is a great make-ahead holiday breakfast idea!

Easy Fresh Cranberry Scones

We will be enjoying these yummy cranberry scones with fresh cranberries for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning – they’re perfect for the holiday season. This is such a good scone recipe, because orange and cranberry are the perfect combination this time of year.

My husband can hardly wait; he had to “sample” two of them to make sure the turned out just right. I’ve never before made the glaze because he usually can’t wait to dig into them.

I think for Christmas I will make the glaze with orange extract and milk instead of orange juice concentrate. That way I can dye the glaze green and they will look like little Christmas trees!

Kitchen Tools for Making Cranberry Orange Scones

Here’s a quick list of some of the different kitchen tools you’ll need to prepare this easy recipe for homemade scones with cranberry and orange:

• Large Bowl – use a large bowl to combine all of the dry ingredients.
• Small Bowl – a smaller bowl to combine the wet ingredients.
• Wire Whisk – sift the dry ingredients together and combine the wet ingredients using a wire whisk.
• Pastry Blender – cut the butter into the flour when making this easy scone recipe using a pastry blender.
• Wooden Spoon – a wooden spoon is used to gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
• Rolling Pin – rolling pins work great to shape the dough into an 8-inch disc.
• Parchment Paper – I like to lining pans with parchment paper so the orange cranberry scones don’t stick.
• Baking Sheet – use a large baking sheet to bake the scones on.

Ingredients in Cranberry and Orange Scones

This is a very simple fresh cranberry scone recipe that uses few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make this cranberry breakfast recipe:

For the Cranberry Scone Dough:

• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Granulated Sugar
• Salt
• Fresh Orange Juice
• Orange Zest
• Butter
• Eggs
• Fresh Cranberries

For the Sweet Orange Glaze:

To prepare the orange glaze for drizzling the tops of the cranberry scones, you’ll need these ingredients:

• Melted Butter
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Fresh Orange Juice

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make this Cranberry Orange Scone Recipe

Making cranberry orange scones is very simple! Here’s an overview of the process:

Preparing the Cranberry Orange Scone Dough

1. First, combine the dry ingredients with the orange zest.
2. Then, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Next, in a small bowl, whisk the liquid ingredients together.
4. Then, stir in the cranberries.
5. After that, stir into the flour mixture until the dough is moist, do not over mix.
6. Then, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a couple of times. Divide dough into two equal balls.
7. After that, pat each ball into an 8-inch circle. Place each dough ball onto the prepared baking sheet. Score each circle with a knife or bench scraper into 6 wedges.
8. Then, bake until lightly golden brown.
9. Lastly, cool the scones.

How Do You Cut Butter into Flour for Scones?

Don’t know what it means to cut butter into flour or what a pastry cutter is, then check out my tutorial with 4 different ways to cut butter into flour.

This is great information if you’re new to making a recipe for scones. The 4th method of cutting butter in flour on this list is my all time favorite kitchen tips, and also the best way to cut butter into flour if you’re wondering “what can I substitute for a pastry blender”!

Glazing the Cranberry and Orange Scones

1. First, place a sheet of parchment paper under a wire cooling rack.
2. Then, transfer the cooled scones to the wire rack.
3. Next, combine all of the glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk well.
4. Then, drizzle glaze on top of each scone with the orange glaze.
5. After that, let the glaze harden on the scones.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Tips for Making Cranberry Orange Scones

Have you ever wondered what the secret to making great scones is? Here are a few tips to use when preparing these homemade scones:

• Use cold butter. The best scones are tender scones, and cold butter is necessary for that.
• Don’t over measure the flour. Using too much flour is another reason that you might end up with dry scones. Proper measuring technique – fluff, scoop, and level. Or, you can use a kitchen scale and weigh 4 ounces per cup of all-purpose flour.
• The dough should resemble coarse crumbs with bits of butter the size of peas throughout the dough.
• Don’t over mix the dough when you’re preparing this cranberry orange scone recipe. Mix the dough gently until just combined. Overzealous kneading will cause even the lightest flaky scones to become tough.

Once you are confident with the method for making scones, they really are not that difficult. You can also try tweaking my Master Scone Recipe (+ Flavor Variations!) to come up with tall sorts of scone recipe variations

Ingredient Substitutions in this Cranberry Orange Scone Recipe

If you have frozen cranberries on hand, feel free to use them! You can add them to the batter straight from the freezer.

I’ve only made this recipe as written, but I imagine you could probably use dried cranberries if that’s all you had. But, the the flavor of these delicious scones won’t be as juicy when using dried fruit as they are with fresh fruit.

Can This Recipe for Cranberry Orange Scones Be Made in Advance?

These scones taste best fresh, but you can make the cranberry and orange scones up to 24 hours before you plan on serving them. However, I don’t recommend making them much further in advance than that, as scones dry out over time.

Can these Cranberry Orange Scones Be Frozen?

Yes, these fresh cranberry scones can be frozen without the glaze on top. Simply seal inside an airtight container or freezer bag (such as a gallon sized ziplock bag). Then, freeze for up to three months.

When ready to eat, thaw on the counter or gently reheat in the oven.

Try My Cranberry Orange Scones at Home!

I hope this recipe becomes one of your favorite scone recipes to make during the cooler months. If you do try it, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of these delicious Cranberry and Orange Scones!

More Cranberry Breakfast Recipes:

Do you want more recipes to make fresh cranberry recipes? Here are some of my favorites:

These Fresh Cranberry Muffins are flavored with classic gingerbread spices and molasses, making them the perfect holiday or Christmas muffin recipe!

Apple Cranberry Muffins are packed with oats, fall spices, fresh cranberries, and shredded apples. They’re the perfect fall or Thanksgiving muffin recipe and are so easy to make!

This Cranberry Mango Cherry Smoothie is a great year-round breakfast or snack and is easy to customize.

This recipe for Multi-Grain Pumpkin Cranberry Bread features white whole wheat, spelt, barley, and oat flours!

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