Ingredients
Scones:
- 3 cups (381 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (100 grams) dried cranberries
Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice or milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
Directions
Make the scones:
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Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat to 400°F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, zest, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
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Add the butter and cut with a pastry cutter or a fork until the butter is the size of large peas.
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In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk, 1 egg, and vanilla extract.
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Make a well in the middle and add the liquid mixture. Mix until streaks of flour remain. Gently stir in the dried cranberries until barely combined. Don't over mix.
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Transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide into 2 equal parts. Lightly knead each into 3/4 inch thick, 6-inch diameter rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges and place on your prepared baking pans. Space them out about 2 inches apart.
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MAKE AHEAD: At this point the unbaked scones can be refrigerated overnight, or sealed and frozen for up to 1 month. If baking from frozen, add about 2 minutes to the baking time.
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In a small bowl, combine the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the shaped scones.
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Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. The scones are best served warm, or within a few hours of baking.
Make the glaze:
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Whisk all glaze ingredients together until thick but still pourable. Drizzle over cooled scones and let stand until set.
Recipe Video
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="cfPUXCtW" upload-date="2022-04-20T22:02:11.000Z" name="How to Make TALL Scones" description="Ever wondered how to make TALL flaky scones?! A little bit of lamination gets the scones to shoot up sky high with tons of flaky layers. Don’t worry, it sounds more complicated than it actually is. And if this seems like way too much work, just skip this step. You’ll still have tasty scones!" player-type="default" override-embed="default"]
The buttermilk was a nice change to the normal cream. It was very fluffy and great texture. However contrary to other respected bloggers, the dried cranberries did not deliver the expected flavor and I will revert to the fresh or frozen cranberries for that flavor.
The orange did not add much flavor and I will look to other recipes on how to gain that flavor.
I love your ingredient tests and always follow your advice.
Hi Earl! I’m sorry you didn’t find that these scones had enough cranberry or orange flavor for your preference. Perhaps different brands of dried cranberries give varying levels of flavor? As far as the orange goes, feel free to add more zest or even 1/4 teaspoon orange extract, for a real punch of orange flavor! 🙂
Hello Kiersten.
My tastebuds have deteriorated over time (77yrs old) so I could not enjoy how wonderful these are. Since then friends and family have raved about the recipe. They love it as is, but for me I will add in a little more flavor through using your suggestions.
I’m glad to hear that your family and friends have raved about this recipe, Earl! I’m glad that adding a little more zest will help you enjoy the flavor more 🙂 Happy baking!
Could I use fresh frozen cranberries?
Hi Esther! We’ve only tried this recipe with dried cranberries, but that should work just fine! Don’t thaw them before using, though! Let us know what you think once you have tried these out! Happy baking 🙂
Thank you so much for the quick reply! I will try it with frozen cranberries and let you know how they turn out 🙂
These scones are soft, flaky and delicious. Definitely one of my keeper recipes! I have made a lot of scones and this is the best.
So happy you loved this recipe!
This recipe was amazing! I loved the combination of cranberry and orange, the texture was light and airy, and the recipe was easy to follow. Highly recommend trying to scone lovers!
So happy to hear you loved this recipe, Michelle! 🙂
I brought the scones to share with my coworkers. My boss commented that they were “ restaurant quality”! She begs me to bring them again! Easy to make and so good!
So happy these were a hit!!
Very tasty.zall my friends loved them.Thx for the great recipe .
The absolutely best scones I’ve ever made. I used 1/2 almond flour to cut back a bit on carbs. They were so moist and tasty!
So glad you enjoyed these scones!
Absolutely delicious and easy to make!
Thank you so much, Jean!
I’ve made your basic scones so many times but wanted to try something different for the January challenge. I love the flavor combination of cranberry and orange! These are buttery and flaky and not too sweet. Just perfect! I didn’t glaze them just sprinkled some coarse sugar on top but they’re so yummy anyway.
I noticed that you indicated that this recipe uses fresh cranberries but yet the actual recipe calls for dried cranberries. Can I use fresh cranberries and if yes, how much?
Can’t wait to try this recipe, it sounds so good!
Never tried these but would like to try some
Thank you so much for this one cranberry orange scones. I love this cake & I will make this one with the help of your recipe.