Scones are one of my favorite weekend pastries, especially when they are from Starbucks, paired with a Chai Tea or Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. BUT, why buy a single scone from Starbucks for $4 when you can make a whole dozen from scratch for less than $10. They'll be ready in less than 40 minutes, and eating them out of the oven with this homemade orange glaze will be the highlight of your weekend!
I also have a Blueberry scone recipe which you will absolutely love!
For a lovely tea time, I have some suggested accompaniments to serve with these Cranberry Orange scones. Click below for the recipes!
Ingredients:
For the Scones:
2 Cups All Purpose Flour (+ a bit more for rolling out)
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 1/4 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Tablespoon of Orange Zest
1 Stick of Butter (1/2 Cup, cold and cut into quarter-sized pieces)
1/2 Cup Cold Heavy Cream + 2 Tbsp. for Brushing on Top
1 Large Egg (Cold)
2 Tsp. Orange Juice
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 Cup Cranberries, fresh or frozen
Turbinado Sugar
For the Glaze:
1/2 Cup Confectioner's Sugar
1 Tbsp. +1 Tsp. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Directions:
Pre-Heat your oven to 400°F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add all of your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, orange zest), along with your 1/2 cup of cold butter, which has been cut up into small pieces. (You can use an electric hand mixer in lieu of a stand mixer.
Mix the ingredients with the hand mixer or stand mixer paddle attachment until the mixture is crumbly; about 2-3 minutes.
Once you have achieved small, even crumbs, add your cold heavy cream, 1 large egg, and orange juice. Mix just until a dough begins to form (about 1-2 minutes).
After sticky dough has formed, add the cranberries and mix in until just combined. Don't over-mix! PRO TIP: (If you just washed your cranberries, make sure they are dry before adding them to your mixture, else you will have to add more flour.
If you want to make "Drop Scones" you can simply drop 1/3 cup dollops of the scone dough onto parchment paper instead of going through this step, then move on to step 7. If you want to make triangular scones, continue with this step: Flour a clean and flat work surface, and drop your big ball of scone dough onto the area. Dust with more flour and begin to gently work it into a long rectangle, about 3/4-1 inch tall. cut the rectangle into triangles moving from left to right (watch my video on Blueberry Scones to see how I did this step!)
Brush the tops of the scones with the extra heavy cream you set aside, then sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Transfer to a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake in the pre-heated oven until puffed up and golden brown! (The baking time may vary depending on how large you made your triangles). *The scone dough should be cold when placed in the oven to be baked. It sometimes helps to put the prepared scones in the fridge or cold area for 5-10 minutes before baking.
Once you remove the scones from the oven, sprinkle a little more turbinado sugar on top for extra crunch. Gently transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.
Serve at tea time brunch, or ANY time!!! (As far as we're concerned, just waking up in the morning is the perfect occasion for scones!)
