Cranberry Orange Scones (Easy Recipe + Video)

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 35

These cranberry orange scones are buttery, flaky, and perfectly sweet with just the right hint of orange zest. They're your coffee’s new best friend.

5 from 33 votes

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
½ cup whole milk, more for brushing
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 large orange zested, reserve a pinch for the glaze

Glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon orange zest
1 Tablespoon milk

Instructions

Prep:

Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease a scone pan.

Make the scones:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and mix with your hands until the texture resembles coarse crumbs. Cold butter is key to flaky scones, not dense ones. Stir in the milk, cranberries, and orange zest and mix until the dough comes together. It should be moist but not sticky.
Lightly flour your counter and press the dough into a ball. Place it on top of the parchment-lined pan (or move the parchment onto the counter) and then shape it into an 8-inch round circle about 1½ inches thick. Similar in size and height to a small round cake pan.
Cut the dough into 6 triangles and lift the parchment paper to transfer the cones to the baking sheet. Separate the sliced scones, leaving about 1 inch between each wedge. Brush them with a little milk for shiny tops. If using a scone pan, divide the dough into the wells.
Bake them for 12-15 minutes until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted through the middle comes out clean. Let them cool down to room temperature before glazing.
To glaze the scones, combine the powdered sugar, orange zest, and a splash of milk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled scones and let the glaze set before eating.

Storage:

Store baked scones in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze them already baked. To serve from frozen, microwave gently or heat in a 300F oven for about 5 minutes, until warmed through.

Notes

To freeze unbaked scones, place shaped dough triangles on a lined sheet pan and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag and store frozen for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen, taking them out after the oven is preheated; which will add about 3-5 minutes to the bake time.

This recipe was updated and improved in 2025. If you're looking for the OG cranberry filled scones, click here.

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