Apr 1, 2013
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
One of my favorite “mom-treats” are cranberry orange scones from Starbucks. Once a week, I drive through and treat myself to an iced coffee and a cranberry scone. Since I already make so many scones at home, like my Almond Flour Scones made with blueberries and even my pumpkin scones, I decided to try my hand at homemade cranberry orange scones next!
One day, I realized that I could make my own… and this was one recipe I didn’t mind testing since I love scones. Most scone mixes and recipes require butter -not this one. I’m not saying it’s a “low-fat” scone, all I’m saying is that you won’t have to cut the butter into tiny little cubes, use a special tool to mix the scones… you know what I mean.
*Note: the scones in the front are chocolate chip scones. Same recipe, omit all things cranberry and substitute with ½ cup chocolate chips.
Cranberry Scones
This recipe is a one bowl-wonder, easy to make and it has that same cranberry paste filling I’ve come to love. You didn’t think I was going to forget about that yummy cranberry filling, right? Oh no. I often wish the ones from Starbucks had more.
It takes a lot of caffeine to power up this mom. Just ask my husband. I once tried to give up caffeine a couple of years back and that was not a good idea -for any of us.
Monday is the busiest day of the week for us. The “big ones” get picked up from school at 2:45pm, we come home to change clothes, eat a snack, pick up Gabriel from school, and head out to our after-school activities.
First up: Sofia. She gets dropped off at ballet and Alex and I have a good thirty minutes until he needs to be dropped off at gymnastics. This is when the drive-through routine happens.
While Alex is at gymnastics Sofia gets picked up from ballet and is dropped off at piano lessons. While she’s at piano, I pick up Alex and head back to get her with just a few minutes to spare.
By this time, it’s now 5:35pm and this family is worn out! Ok, not this mamma. I got my 3pm caffeine fix! That afternoon pick-me-up is just what I need to get through the afternoon activities, get home with the 3 kids, help with homework, make dinner and get baths done.
One reason I love this scone recipe is that I can take a single scone out of the freezer and pop it in the oven while I am getting dressed and I prep that Monday night easy dinner.
I highly advise that you double or triple the recipe and keep the scones in the freezer for when you need them. Do I use a scone baking pan? Not always. I prefer my scone dough to be hand-pliable… but sometimes I have to use my scone pan when I’m testing new recipes.
As you can see, scones are winners in my household. This is one recipe I have made in many occasions and it’s easy to substitute for other ingredients. I’ve even made chocolate chip scones before with this very recipe (see note above)
I should mention that I’ve added a light glaze to the recipe directions even though I didn’t have a chance to photograph mine with it. The kids were anxious to eat the scones and take breakfast outside.
Cranberry Orange Scone Recipe {Starbucks Copycat}
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar divided
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold butter cubed -or coconut oil.
- 1 cup buttermilk regular milk or dairy free milk
- 1 ½ cups dried cranberries divided
- 2 ½ teaspoons orange zest
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon orange zest
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Instructions
Dough:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add butter cubes or coconut oil and mix in with your hands until dough becomes coarse crumbs.
- Stir in buttermilk (or substitute) until just moistened. Mix and fold in 1 cup dried cranberries and 2 teaspoons orange zest.
- Turn dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead gently until dough is no longer sticky.
- Divide dough in half and gently form each half into a 7" circle (about 1” high). Using a sharp knife, cut each circle into six even pieces. Separate.
- In a small food processor or blender, mix remaining ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ teaspoon orange zest, 1 Tablespoon hot water and 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup. Blend until a rough paste forms (you want some cranberry remnants).
- Using a sharp knife, slice scones through the middle –beginning at the tip stopping ¾ way back.
- Spread about a teaspoon of cranberry paste and sandwich it closed. Repeat with remaining scones. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the scones (optional).
- Place scones onto the lined baking pan and bake for 10-13 minutes or, until tops are lightly browned.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
Oh yes, in case you were wondering what the Cranberry Orange Scone from Starbucks looks like…
Susan Woodward
Hi Laura: Have you ever made these scones using half butter and half coconut oil?
Laura Fuentes
Yes, just make sure the coconut oil is at a solid-state (put it in the fridge for about 30 min if not). Enjoy!
Gail Caines
Can’t wait to make these, I have missed them since going vegan a few years ago but this is so easily veganized!!!!
Laura Fuentes
Oh, absolutely! you can easily make these Cranberry Orange Scones vegan by using coconut oil, coconut milk as shown in the recipe. They turn out delicious every time! I hope you enjoy them.
Anna
Have been craving Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones but they no longer carry it. It was easy to make and they were delicious. I like, another reviewer, rolled mine into a rectangle, spread “jam”on half and folded. I then cut them into squares, then again in half into triangle. I was very pleased with results!
Laura Fuentes
I’m so glad you enjoyed these! I wish they carried them too… even though I usually make my own 😉
Kathryn
Hi there! I’m eager to try these but I wanted to double check with kind of dried cranberries you use. I have had both Oceanspray brand and the dried ones from a local producer which have little to no sweetener. Will the sweetened ones be too much for this or is that what you have used? Thanks so much!
Laura Fuentes
Hi Kathryn, both will work for this recipe. I usually go with Oceanspray. Happy baking!
Shar Hollingsworth
These scones are delicious and worth the little extra effort to make the filling and the glaze. Thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Laura Fuentes
Truth be told, I stock up on cranberries and stash them in the freezer around Thanksgiving for the entire year! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
Shirley White
Made these for a women’s bunch today. They were a hit. I did not use maple syrup, used 1/2 and 1/2 instead of milk and substituted about a quarter of the white sugar with dark brown. Yum! I am taking some tonight to church choir for someone who wanted more for her family.
I also made some orange butter with orange zest and a little sugar. (Of course forgot it this morning, but I enjoyed it when I got home.)
Laura Fuentes
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Shirley!
Maggie
Loved this recipe! Most recipes called for heavy cream and I didn’t have any, so I substituted milk and lemon to make buttermilk. It’s not too sweet so as to be enjoyed with some jam of one liked. I enjoyed making this.
Ty,
Maggie
Laura Fuentes
I’m thrilled you enjoyed these Maggie!
Elsa
How much of a difference would there be if I was to use milk instead of buttermilk? I am getting ready to try these and I am sooooo excited, specially now that my absolute favorite scones have been discontinued from Starbucks.
Laura Fuentes
You can totally use regular milk + 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (optional but helps). Enjoy!
Moti
So, after my successful first try at this recipe I decided to make them again. They are right now out if the oven and cooling down. I can’t wait to eat them!
I did come across one of the reviews about folding in the filling instead of cutting the triangles and then filling. (One has to be quick using this method or else the dough which has butter starts to warm up and makes it a bit challenging).
I used the cinnamon roll method. I divide the dough into two equal halves. Each half I shaped into a 14″ rectangle. I applied the filling and folded. I cut 3″ pieces bringing the total count to 10. They do look like the Starbucks ones that you see in their glass display. Next time I might do 2″ pieces and get 12. I thought about it during this batch but they looked too small! Lol!
Again, I followed the recipe proportions – all thanks and credits to Laura the author.
I did find at my local Giant – Cooking and Baking Cranberries. They are “new” from Paradise Meadow and come in two versions; Julienne Cranberry-Orange and the other just plain Cranberry. I didn’t care for the recipe on the package as I am already a fan of Laura’s Starbucks recipe. Why change something that you have made and tasted!.
Laura Fuentes
I am so glad these were so great for you! Thank you for trying my recipe once, making them again, and leaving valuable feedback for others.
Moti
Just made these this morning. I followed the instructions all the way. I wish I could post a picture. The whole house is smelling really good. I can’t wait to try them!
Laura Fuentes
I’m so glad! These are some of my favorite scones! Enjoy
Jill
Hi! I made these a while back for a church brunch. Today one of the ladies asked if she could pay me to make her some more of them! They were a huge hit!
Ellis
This is my first time trying to bake scones, and I chose your recipe over several others on the internet since it’s so simple and easy. And boy am I glad I did! They turn out so good looking and great tasting, with crispy crust and crumbly, moist insides. I had doubts about whether the orange flavour would carry through since this recipe doesn’t call for the juice, but the zest alone does the job! Also, I’d say this recipe is quite foolproof. I’ve just realized that I mixed up the filling and glaze recipe (thought they are one and the same, since there’s no separate section of ‘filling’ under the ingredients part, and no glaze-making method under the instructions part). I made the filling with the addition of the powdered sugar meant for the glaze (no wonder the paste looks odd) and no glaze over it afterwards. They still taste wonderful! Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing this great recipe
Laura Fuentes
I’m so glad Ellis! I love this recipe too.
Jay
I was wondering….when u make the chocolate chip scones, do you use the orange zest?
Laura Fuentes
I sometimes do! Love the added hint of orange flavor.
Nicole
these turned out excellent, and were easy to make for a first time scone baker. didn’t have quite enough orange zest since i only used one orange, but i squeezed some juice into the scone mix and jam mix and the flavor carried through. thanks for saving me trips to starbucks to pick up my favorite snack!
Codi
Made these this morning for my card group and was asked for the sake of our waistlines to not make them again! 🙂 I think that’s a winner!!
Also, the recipe calls for “⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar, divided”, but the 2T never is asked for in the rest of the recipe…
Teresa
I love copycat Starbucks recipes!!! These look great. Thanks for sharing!
Laura Fuentes
Thank you!
Renee R
I made these for my brother’s birthday, after he ate my Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Scones he said Starbucks Cranberry Orange ones were his favorites. Searched and found your recipe, the only major change I did was after getting frustrated at cutting each individual scone open to put in the Cranberry paste I rolled out the dough into a long rectangle and spread the paste on then folded it over onto itself and then cut my scones out – MUCH easier plus they held their triangular shape much better than the split open ones. Thanks for sharing this version, none of the other recipes have the paste and that is what made the scone so yummy!
Laura Fuentes
Renee, what a great tip! i love the idea of doing a rectangle and folding it over! i guess i am used to slicing down the middle but i will try to do the split!
Helen Conner
These are over the top! Better than Starbucks! I’ making cranberry jam for the next batch.
Laura Fuentes
SUCCESS!!!!!
Now you know why I HAD to make my own. Yes, the cranberry filling is quite handy to have on hand. 🙂
Lexie
These are WONDERFUL. I’ve used this recipe multiple times and am never disappointed.
Laura Fuentes
thank you Lexie!
Tara
I was wondering why the recipe was so sticky!! Thanks so much for fixing it! I look forward to making these again!!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
these look AMAZING! Must try!
Tiffany C
Once again, your photos ROCK! this sounds delish!! YUM! How do you find the time????
Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily
Oh dear! These look so good. I love the idea of popping them out of the freezer for an emergency scone fix! 😉
Laura Fuentes
And I love that you called it “an emergency scone fix!” Note to self: remember that line 😉
Monika
I have a scone emergency every afternoon. Like clockwork. Energy falls, tea and scone needed STAT!
Laura Fuentes
This totally cracked me up! I love your “scone emergency”!
maryam
Thanks for the effort and excellent guidance ♥