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These Cranberry Orange scones are tender, buttery and filled with fresh cranberries and zesty orange. A delicious orange drizzle tops these scones off making them truly irresistible!
Hello everyone, and happy Thursday before Christmas Eve!
Can you believe December is already almost over?!
I am excited to share with you all a treat that is sure to become a holiday favorite. These Cranberry Orange scones are bright, lively and filled with fresh cranberries and sweet orange zest-a true holiday classic! These are great for the holidays, but really these Cranberry Orange scones are great all year long.
Fresh cranberries can be hard to come by, so when cranberries are in season they are a real treat; especially when paired with fresh oranges. So when I’m craving the classic combo, these scones are the perfect fix! If you’re also a cranberry orange fan, then you’re going to love these!
Recently we made a refreshing Christmas Sangria that used both fresh cranberries and oranges. When we had a lot of left over cranberries, I knew this would be the perfect way to use them up!
So lets get to some of the basics so you can get to baking up a batch of these lovely scones!
Here’s a quick rundown:
Avoid using dried cranberries; you just can’t beat fresh cranberries for this recipe.
In a large bowl you will combine all the dry ingredients.
A secret to flaky scones is COLD butter. Not room temperature butter. If your butter isn’t quite cold enough, go ahead and pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. This will ensure the butter is cold when you go to work it into the dough.
When the butter is ready, use either a pastry cutter or your hands to work that cold butter into the dry ingredients, so that the mixture is coarse.
Whisk up all the wet ingredients: heavy cream, egg, and orange and vanilla extracts in a small bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, add the fresh cranberries on top and gently mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface, and form into an 8 inch disc. You may need to add more flour as you work, so that the dough isn’t too sticky to work with. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter and cut the dough into 8 triangles.
Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar! Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
These scones bake at a high temperature at 425 degrees F. ensuring that they rise fast and have beautiful golden tops!
While the scones are baking, whisk up the orange glaze.
I’m not always a fan of glazed scones, but for this particular recipe, the citrus glaze is just too good! Feel free to opt out if you don’t want them glazed, but I highly recommend it! It really pops that beautiful orange flavor.
When done baking, take them out to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Drizzle with some glaze and ENJOY!
As always, I would love to her from you if you make these!
And don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay up to date on all the deliciousness.
If you make this, be sure to tag #butternutandsageblog on Instagram!
Happy baking!
Looking for more cranberry recipes? Check out these refreshing holiday drinks that are sure to lift your spirits!
Recipe
Cranberry Orange Bliss Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup white cane sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into squares
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest *about the zest of 1 orange
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries *don't use dried cranberries! Frozen also works, just don't thaw first
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tespoon water
- 2 tablespoons sugar (for sprinkling over the tops)
For the Orange Drizzle:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, and mix well.
- Cut the cold butter into small squares and use your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter it into the dough until it is coarse, about the size of small peas. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, cream, vanilla, and orange exact.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid mixture into the center. Add the fresh cranberries and gently mix. The dough will be moist. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough a few times, until its not too sticky to work with and comes together. Don't over knead! Form the dough into an 8 inch disc. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the scones into 8 equal rectangles. Carefully transfer the scone slices to the parchment lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches apart.
- In a small dish, beat the egg and water for the egg wash. Lightly brush each scone with the egg wash and sprinkle with the two tablespoons sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops are golden brown.
- Allow the scones to cool on a wire rack. While the scones are cooling, make the drizzle. Whisk up confectioners sugar, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Drizzle all over the scones and ENJOY!
These look phenomenal! I can’t wait to try them!
Thank you, I cant wait to hear how these turn out for you!!!
These are so good! Refreshing with a bit of sweetness. One of the best scones I’ve ever had!!
That makes me so happy!! Thank you for being my official taste tester!
We made these for New Year’s morning and had such a treat! The recipe was easy to follow and the results were amazing! I had never put fresh cranberries in baked goods before and had such a pleasant surprise with the great mouth feel and pop of flavor they gave. These scones are not too sweet; use the full cup of sugar in the glaze. Definitely a keeper recipe!
This makes me so happy to hear! SO glad you loved them, Judy!! 🙂
These scones were so tender and flavorful. My extended family served these with bacon on New Year’s morning and one member who said they weren’t fans of scones ate two! Yep, that good.
Thank you for a wonderful start to 2021.
Cheers!
Yay!! This makes me so happy to hear! So glad everyone loved them! Happy New Year! 🙂