In early 2023 I took a British Baking Class at King Arthur Flour Company in Vermont where we learned to make a few basic British classics, and scones were one of them.
The scones we created were SO GOOD, I’ve been using the basic recipe {made with currants} ever since.
It’s only been recently that I’ve been swapping out the currants for other dried fruit combinations and well, these cranberry orange scones I made yesterday are my favorite combo yet.
Seriously, if you have guests coming for the holidays and want to try something new, these cranberry orange scones are pretty much the best thing around.
They are so good in fact, my husband and I both ate two of them still warm from the oven.
I LOVE when that happens.
Buttery, flaky, and chocked full of fruity bits, these cranberry orange scones are spot on! They cannot be improved on! Even my husband agrees. Plus they are super easy to make. I promise.
Serve them with tea, give a batch to a friend, just make them!
You’ll be so glad you did.
~Mavis
P.S. These scones freeze well too!
Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
2 ½ cups {300 grams} all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons {85 grams} unsalted butter, cold
¼ cup {42 grams} dried cranberries
¼ cup {42 grams} dried sweetened orange slices, chopped
1 large egg, separated {reserve the white for brushing on top of scones}
⅔ cup {155 grams} milk, cold
1 tablespoon {18 grams} sparkling sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 F
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
Cut the butter into small pieces, then cut in the flour, using a pastry cutter or your fingertips.
Stir in dried cranberries and chopped orange bits.
Mix the egg yolk with the milk, then pour the mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir the liquid into the dry, mixing just until the dough holds together without crumbling.
For the dough into a disk {about 1 ½” thick” on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush the tops with the reserved egg white.
Sprinkle the dough with sparkling sugar.
Cut the disk into 8 even wedges, then slightly separate the edges.
Bake the scones for 15 – 18 minutes or until lightly golden and baked through.
Tracy says
Oh yum! I love cranberry orange scones, I will have to give your recipe a try.
Peg says
How do you store the leftovers? Ziplock?
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes. 🙂 These scones freeze well too!
Deb from Ohio says
These look so good! I’m going to try a version tomorrow using fresh cranberries and orange, will use a little extra sugar
Jaime says
Well, I will be trying chocolate chips tomorrow morning since that is what I have but can’t wait to try the orange and cranberry!
Stacey says
I saw this post just before our Operation Deliver Christmas Presents trip to California earlier this week. We always stop at Trader Joe’s, and I made sure to get these exact cranberries and dried oranges. I can’t wait to try these scones!
Ang says
When I make orange cranberry scones, I zest orange into the dough instead of the dried sweetened pieces. This disperses the orange flavor evenly throughout. I also skip sprinkling them with sugar and make a basic powdered sugar glaze. I use fresh orange juice from the orange I zested, instead of milk and zest more orange into the glaze. After cooled or mostly cooled, drizzle on the glaze or hold the scones upside down and dunk the tops into the glaze. Turn right side up and let excess glaze drip off scones while they set on a cooling rack with wax/parchment paper underneath. This also allows the glaze to firm up and set.