Cranberry Orange Scones

It’s getting really close to Christmas, y’all.

Every Monday during the month of December I take a minute to gather my thoughts. What Christmas presents do I have left to buy? When should I start shopping for Christmas dinner? What all needs to be cleaned before family comes down?

That list is getting shorter and shorter now. I don’t work a Friday for the rest of the month, and I’ll be using the extra time to finish plotting the ultimate Christmas. I finished up Christmas shopping this weekend, now I just have two more things to wrap and then I’m set.

My Christmas baking list is getting shorter, too. I’m also through with everything I wanted to bake before the holidays got here. I spent an epic amount of time in the kitchen yesterday preparing a ton of treats for my coworkers. Then on Wednesday, I’ll do it all over again—but with two dips I’m making for our work Christmas party.

I need a way to de-stress this weekend so a real hands-on baking recipe was the best solution I could come up with. Cookies are easy; your stand mixer does almost all of the work. Scones were the best option. You can’t use a mixer at all with them.

This scone recipe really took my mind off the zillion things I’ve been thinking about recently. The best part was kneading it into a circle and then cutting it into wedges. Oh man, that act alone was a great de-stressor.

This is a classic scone recipe. You’ve got the traditional pairing of cranberry and orange with a light orange glaze on top. There’s nothing wrong with simple or traditional recipes so long as you do them right.

The scones turned out wonderful. The cranberries are so tart and burst in your mouth with every bite. The orange flavor really comes out, and the glaze was a great addition because it adds some sweetness to cut through the tart. A scone this morning with my cup of coffee immediately put me in a good mood.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Scones

• Servings: 8
• Time: 45 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A classic scone with fresh cranberries and orange zest topped with an orange glaze.

Ingredients

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, frozen
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 heaping cup frozen cranberries

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest. In a smaller bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the cream, egg, sugar and vanilla.
3. Using a cheese grater, grate frozen butter into flour bowl. Using hands or two knives, knead butter into the flour until crumbly—pea size crumbs form.
4. Pour cream mixture and cranberries on top of flour mixture. Mix everything together until moistened.
5. Flour a counter top and your hands. Pour out scone dough on floured counter top and work dough into a ball. Dough will be sticky; if too stick, add more flour. If too dry, add more cream.
6. Form dough into an 8″ disc. Cut into 8 identical wedges. Place scones on prepared baking dish and brush with remaining cream. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
7. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Remove to a wire rack to let cool.
8. Make the glaze: whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice (one tablespoon of orange juice at a time) until you get the consistency you want. Drizzle over cooled scones and serve.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the cream, egg, sugar and vanilla.

Using a cheese grater, grate frozen butter into flour bowl. Using hands or two knives, knead butter into the flour until crumbly—pea size crumbs form.

Pour cream mixture and cranberries on top of flour mixture. Mix everything together until moistened.

Flour a counter top and your hands. Pour out scone dough on floured counter top and work dough into a ball. Dough will be sticky; if too stick, add more flour. If too dry, add more cream. Form dough into an 8″ disc. Cut into 8 identical wedges.

Place scones on prepared baking dish and brush with remaining cream. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Remove to a wire rack to let cool.

Make the glaze: whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice (one tablespoon of orange juice at a time) until you get the consistency you want. Drizzle over cooled scones and serve.