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Cranberries bring a lot of moisture, and too much of it throws off scone dough. That was my biggest fix across four rounds of testing these cranberry orange scones. An extra ¼ cup of flour and exactly 1 tablespoon each of orange zest and juice keep the dough soft and workable. The payoff is tall, flaky scones with juicy cranberry pockets!
This is my third scone recipe from Beth that I have tried. Everyone loved them! I think she is right – lamination is the key… I actually saw the flaky layers this time!
-Diane
These Orange Cranberry Scones Are Better Than The Bakery
These cranberry orange scones start with my scone recipe. I spent weeks developing that base, so this round was about the cranberries and the orange. I tested four versions of this flavor combo and adjusted the flour and mix-ins each time.
Versions 1 through 3 each had something off. Some spread too much. Some didn’t have enough flour, and some came out too dry. Others just didn’t have enough orange flavor.
My biggest problem was moisture. Cranberries add liquid that throws off the dough, especially fresh ones. An extra ¼ cup (30g) of flour fixed it. The dough stayed soft and workable, and I didn’t lose any flakiness.
The orange took some dialing in too. I landed on 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest and 1 tablespoon of juice. That brightens the dough without adding too much liquid.
I tested fresh, frozen and dried cranberries, and nothing else in the recipe changes between them. So use whatever’s in your kitchen. Once the base was right, I also tried white chocolate chips, a sanding sugar top and a lemon version. They’re all in the variations below!
Why You’ll Love These Orange Cranberry Scones
- Tall, flaky layers: A full tablespoon of baking powder and a few rounds of folding the dough give you real height and flaky layers.
- Any cranberry works: Use fresh, frozen or dried. Don’t thaw frozen ones, and nothing else in the recipe changes.
- Glaze or crunch: Drizzle on the orange glaze, or skip it and finish with sanding sugar for a crunchy top.
- Room to switch it up: Add white chocolate chips, or swap the orange for lemon in the same amounts.
- Bake from frozen: Freeze the unbaked scones for up to 6 months and bake them whenever you want fresh scones.
- One recipe for the whole table: A 1:1 gluten free flour blend works in place of all-purpose flour.
Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what goes into these scones and why. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card.
- All-purpose flour: This recipe includes an extra ¼ cup (30g) of flour to handle the moisture from the cranberries.
- Baking powder: A full tablespoon gives these scones a lot of lift. That’s how you get tall scones.
- Orange zest and orange juice: 1 tablespoon of each, freshly zested and squeezed. Two oranges give you about a tablespoon of zest. Want lemon instead? Swap in the same amounts.
- Unsalted butter: Cube it and keep it cold. I put the cubes in the freezer before mixing. Unsalted lets you control the salt.
- Buttermilk: It goes into the dough with the orange juice and egg. You can also brush it on top before baking.
- Cranberries: Fresh, frozen or dried all work, with no other changes to the recipe. Don’t thaw frozen cranberries. Stir them in straight from the freezer.
- Coarse sanding sugar (optional): Sprinkle it on top before baking for a crunchy finish.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
Follow my easy step-by-step instructions to make cranberry orange scones like a pro:
- Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter: In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Add in the cold, cubed butter and use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until pea sized amounts of butter remain.
- Mix in wet ingredients: Create a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk, orange juice, and egg. Use a spatula to gently combine until the dough is thick and sticky. Gently stir in the fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw), or dried cranberries.
- Knead dough: On a silicone mat or kitchen counter, gently knead the dough, until all the flour is incorporated.
- Adjust as needed: Add 1-2 additional tablespoons of flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Lamination (folding the dough to create flaky layers!): Fold the dough in half, press it down slightly, then turn the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again. Repeat this folding and turning process 4-5 times.
- Shape and chill dough: Shape the dough into a 8-10 inch disc that is about 1.5 to 2 inches tall. Refrigerate the scone in a disc for 5-10 minutes.
- Cut dough: Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the scones into 8 equal wedges.
- Prep scones on baking sheet: Place the scones 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet that’s lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Freeze the scones for 30 minutes. The last 5 minutes, preheat the oven to 400º F.
- Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash (1 large egg + 1 Tbsp water), buttermilk or heavy cream. Add coarse sanding sugar if desired.
- Bake for 20-26 minutes or until the scones are lightly golden. Allow the scones to cool.
Glaze (optional)
- Combine ingredients and drizzle: Combine the powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp of orange juice. Add more orange juice as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Drizzle over the scones.
Cranberry Orange Scone Recipe Tips
These three things make the biggest difference:
Don’t skip the freezer: Freeze the cut scones for 30 minutes before baking. That keeps the butter solid, so the scones hold their shape and don’t spread. When that cold butter hits the hot oven, it creates steam, and that’s what gives you tender, flaky layers.
Start with cold butter: Cube the unsalted butter and put it in the freezer before you mix it into the dough. Cold butter is what gives scones their texture.
Weigh your flour: I measure all my flour in grams, and this recipe uses 300g. If the dough still feels too sticky after kneading, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more.
Cranberry Orange Scone Variations
White Chocolate Cranberry Orange Scones
Stir in 1 to 2 cups of white chocolate chips along with the cranberries. Keep the full cup of cranberries, and don’t change anything else. You can glaze them or skip the glaze and finish them with sanding sugar.
Sanding Sugar Top Instead of Glaze
Brush the tops with egg wash, buttermilk or heavy cream, sprinkle on coarse sanding sugar and skip the glaze. It’s a different finish. The sugar gives you a crunchy top, and the glaze adds a bit more flavor.
Lemon Cranberry Scones
Some people just prefer lemon with their cranberries. Swap the orange zest and juice for lemon zest and juice in the same amounts. Use lemon juice in the glaze too, and keep the cranberries.
How to Make Gluten Free Scones
Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend in place of all-purpose flour. I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour with great results. For more gluten free scones, check out my gluten free scones.
How To Make Tall, Flaky Scones
Lamination is just folding the dough, and it’s how you get tall, flaky scones! Folding sandwiches layers of butter between layers of dough. In the oven, the butter melts and creates steam, and that steam pushes the layers apart.
To laminate, fold the dough in half and press it down slightly. Turn it 90 degrees and fold it in half again. Repeat 4 to 5 times.
How to Store Orange Cranberry Scones
Let the scones cool completely before you store them. If you pack them up warm, condensation makes them soggy. Keep them in an airtight container or zip top bag at room temperature, in a cool, dry spot, for 1 to 2 days. Skip the fridge, because it dries them out.
Baked scones freeze well for up to a month. Thaw them at room temperature when you’re ready to eat them.
Want fresh scones on demand? Freeze them unbaked for up to 6 months and bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes if needed.
Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe FAQs
Yes! I tested fresh, frozen and dried cranberries, and all three work with the same recipe. Add frozen cranberries straight from the freezer. Don’t thaw them. The extra ¼ cup (30g) of flour already in the recipe handles the moisture, so nothing else changes.
Yes! Shape and cut the scones, then freeze them unbaked for up to 6 months. When you’re ready, bake them straight from frozen. They may need a few extra minutes in the oven.
The best butter for scones is cold, unsalted, high-quality butter. Unsalted butter lets you control the salt content in the recipe.
Chilling keeps the butter cold, so the dough holds its shape and doesn’t spread too much. That cold butter also helps the scones rise taller and gives you a light, tender texture. I freeze the cut scones for 30 minutes right before they go in the oven.
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Cranberry Orange Scone Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp orange zest, about 2 oranges
- ½ cup (113g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup (118ml) buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup (99g) fresh or frozen cranberries, or dried cranberries, do not thaw frozen cranberries
Glaze, optional
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Add in the cold, cubed butter and use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until pea sized amounts of butter remain.2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (99g) granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 Tbsp orange zest, ½ cup (113g) cold unsalted butter
- Create a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk, orange juice, and egg. Use a spatula to gently combine until the dough is thick and sticky. Gently stir in the fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw), or dried cranberries.½ cup (118ml) buttermilk, 1 Tbsp orange juice, 1 large egg, 1 cup (99g) fresh or frozen cranberries
- On a silicone mat or kitchen counter, gently knead the dough, until all the flour is incorporated.
- Add 1-2 additional tablespoons of flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Lamination (folding the dough to create flaky layers!): Fold the dough in half, press it down slightly, then turn the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again. Repeat this folding and turning process 4-5 times.
- Shape the dough into a 8-10 inch disc that is about 1.5 to 2 inches tall. Refrigerate the scone in a disc for 5-10 minutes.
- Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the scones into 8 equal wedges.
- Place the scones 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet that’s lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Freeze the scones for 30 minutes. The last 5 minutes, preheat the oven to 400º F.
- Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash (1 large egg + 1 Tbsp water), buttermilk or heavy cream. Add coarse sanding sugar if desired.
- Bake for 20-26 minutes or until the scones are lightly golden. Allow the scones to cool.
Glaze, optional
- Combine the powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp of orange juice. Add more orange juice as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Drizzle over the scones.1 cup (113g) powdered sugar, 2-3 Tbsp orange juice
Last Step: I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a rating and comment here.
Delicious! Loved these scones and flavor and texture. Definitely best the first day.
These scones are amazing! Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes. I will definitely be making these again. I want to keep them all to myself, but I already promised to share them with family 🤣
This is my third scone recipe from Beth that I have tried. Everyone loved them! I think she is right – lamination is the key. Each time I hve made scones they have turned out better than the previous time. I actually saw the flaky layers this time! Such an easy and delicious recipe!
Have you tried freezing them before baking? I’m looking to bake a batch and cook as needed so they are fresh
Yes! In the instructions I recommend freezing for 30 minutes before baking!
These scones are the very best I have ever made. So it’s obviously worth the trouble of following the instructions to the letter! Thank you 😁
Bit disappointed as it was more cake like than scone like. Some research tells me this is due to the addition of the egg, which I thought was odd since most others I’ve seen do not add that. Apparently it’s a difference between American and British scones.
So if you want soft cakey scones, this recipe is great for you. If you want dry traditional scones (perfect with a hot coffee or tea!) find a recipe without egg.
Hi Al! Correct, this is an American scone, not a British scone.