Glazed Orange Cranberry Scones

These Glazed Orange Cranberry Scones are a delicious way to start off your day! They’re tender, buttery, and flaky with a bright orange flavor and chewy dried cranberries.

Something you should know about me: I love oranges. I eat them almost every single day, and I always carry extra mandarins to school for my friends (or rather, I did back before schools closed). I’m also pretty sure that scones are the best breakfast food ever, except for maybe a classic Eggs Benedict.

Naturally, I wanted to combine my love for scones and my obsession with oranges, and the rest is history! These orange cranberry scones were an instant hit and have quickly become a family favorite. With those golden, crispy edges and that buttery, flaky goodness in the center, these scones are seriously irresistible. And the sweet orange glaze is just the icing on top. Literally.

If you’re somehow not as into oranges as I am, check out my other scone recipes here. I promise they’re just as buttery and tasty as these scones.

Chilling the Dough: Cold dough is the key to preventing over-spreading and flat scones, especially during hot summers. Chilling the dough keeps the butter cold, so that it can melt in the oven, release steam, and create air pockets to give our scones a tender, flaky texture. However, you can skip chilling the dough if needed – I would just recommend using chilled wet ingredients and working extra quickly to make sure the dough stays cold.

Over-spreading: Expect a little spreading in the oven. If your scones are over-spreading, remove them from the oven and use a rubber spatula to push them back into their original shape.

Glazed Orange Cranberry Scones

Course: Breakfast

Yield

16

small scones

Prep Time

30

minutes

Cook Time

20

minutes

Total Time

1

hour 

25

minutes

These orange cranberry scones are deliciously buttery and crumble easily to reveal tender, flaky interiors. Top with orange glaze for an extra burst of flavor and sliced almonds for extra crunch.

Ingredients

• Scones

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for hands and work surface

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons (1 orange) orange zest

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) frozen unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

• 1 and 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream, divided*

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 heaping cup dried cranberries*

• Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange juice*

• Optional: sliced almonds, for garnish

Instructions

• Scones
• Whisk flour, granulated sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture using your fingers, two forks, or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse meal and only pea-size pieces of butter remain. Place this mixture in the freezer while you prepare the wet ingredients.
• In a small bowl, beat 1 and 1/4 cups heavy cream, the egg, and vanilla extract together with a fork. Drizzle over the chilled flour mixture, add the cranberries, and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Gently knead dough in bowl just until it comes together, being careful not to overwork the dough.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Pat each half into a 1-inch thick round. Cut each round into 8 wedges. Place scones on a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat oven to 375°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 1-2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush scones with remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream.
• Bake scones for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before topping with glaze.
• Glaze
• Whisk the powdered sugar and orange juice together to make the glaze. Drizzle over scones and garnish with sliced almonds, if desired.

Notes

• Make Ahead: Dough can be made 3 weeks ahead: freeze unbaked wedges in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Scones can be baked 3 days ahead: store in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Heavy Cream: If you don’t have heavy cream on hand, both buttermilk and canned coconut milk are great substitutes. Thinner liquids yield drier, flatter, and generally less flavorful scones, so stick to substituting with a thicker liquid for the best tasting scones.
• Cranberries: I typically use dried cranberries in this recipe, since I almost always have them on hand, but you’re welcome to use fresh or frozen cranberries. 
• Orange Juice: Although I prefer to use fresh orange juice for the glaze, store-bought OJ works great as well.