Cranberry Orange Scones

Mar 25, 2021, Updated Mar 25, 2022

Classic English scones are denser, richer and crumblier than American biscuits because of the addition of egg and heavy cream, instead of milk or buttermilk. They’re also more savory and less sweet!

This recipe is a classic British scone base with plenty of orange zest and a generous amount of cranberries for a pop of extra sweetness.

You’ll want to eat the whole batch.

My STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO below will help guide you through the recipe. Subscribe to my YouTube channel for recipe videos every week!

Makes: 6 scones

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

The Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup dried, sweetened cranberries

1 cup water

¾ cup cold heavy cream, plus more for brushing

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large cold egg

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons real vanilla extract

2 packed teaspoons orange zest

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional: 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar for finishing

TIP: the cold temperature of ingredients listed above is key to tender scone!

The Steps

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

*You can use a stand mixer if preferred!

For cranberries: In a bowl, add cranberries and 1 cup water. Let cranberries reconstitute (plump up) in water for at least 10 minutes.

For dry ingredients: In a big bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest.

Add cold butter chunks, and use a pastry/dough cutter or fork to cut up and incorporate butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a fine crumble.

For wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together cold egg, cold heavy cream and vanilla. Add mixture to dry ingredients and butter. Mix with a spoon until just combined. Do not overmix! Mixture will be relatively dry and crumbly, just moist enough to form into a flaky ball. If it’s too dry to form a ball add a tablespoon or two more heavy cream.

Add cranberries that have been thoroughly drained and dried off with paper towels. Mix in cranberries until just incorporated.

To form scones:

Move dough to a clean, dry working surface. Form a 1-inch thick round disk. Use a bench or regular knife to cut the round into 6 even-sized wedges.

Move each wedge onto baking sheet, lightly pressing any loose pieces into the scones. Use a basting brush to brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream (about a tablespoon in total).

To bake: Bake for 15-18 minutes until scones are light golden brown. If you’d like to sprinkle with turbinado sugar, add sugar halfway through the baking process!

Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.