One of my favorite things about winter is cranberry-orange everything. That flavor combo is like a little bright spot in the middle of the cold harsh winter, and I can’t get enough. I decided to make my favorite mini two-bite cream scones in this classic flavor combo to give as edible gifts, but unfortunately not enough of them lasted through the night. *whistles innocently* Luckily, if you do want to pace yourself with these too-easy-to-pop-into-your-mouth Cranberry Orange Cream Scones, they freeze great. Keep them in a gallon-size freezer bag and thaw one or two at a time “as needed.” LOL They thaw quickly at room temperature.
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The Easiest of Easy Baked Goods
I love these cream scones because they really couldn’t be any easier to throw together. Heavy whipping cream replaces the use of butter, so you don’t have to worry about the arduous task of working butter into dry flour. Just stir everything together and go! So if you think you can’t bake, definitely give these cranberry orange cream scones a try.
Yes, You Must Use Heavy Whipping Cream
Or heavy cream. Milk or other milk substitutes will not work for this recipe because they do not contain enough fat. Heavy whipping cream and heavy cream both contain over 30% fat, which replaces the need for butter in this recipe. The fat keeps the scones deliciously light, tender, and moist. Using a lower fat liquid will produce heavy, dense, and dry scones.
Cranberry Orange Cream Scones
Servings 18 mini two-bite sconesIngredients
- 1 small orange ($0.42)
- 1.25 cups all-purpose flour (plus some for dusting) ($0.13)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, divided ($0.05)
- 2 tsp baking powder ($0.08)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries ($0.29)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream ($0.78)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ($0.07)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Use a zester or small-holed cheese grater to zest the orange. Squeeze the juice into a separate small bowl. Set the zest and juice aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and dried cranberries.
- Stir 1/2 tsp of the orange zest and the vanilla extract into the heavy whipping cream. Pour the cream mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir them together until a sticky ball of dough forms.
- Generously dust a clean work surface with flour, then scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the work surface. Divide the dough into three pieces and shape each piece into a disc, about 3-inches in diameter and about 1/2-inch thick. Cut each disc into six wedges.
- Place the cut scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the scones for 15 minutes, or just until they begin to turn slightly golden brown on the edges. Allow the scones to cool completely after baking.
- While the scones are baking or cooling, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 Tbsp of the orange juice (or just enough to make a thick glaze) and another pinch of orange zest.
- When the scones are completely cool, drizzle the orange glaze over top and serve.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Cranberry Orange Cream Scones – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. Use a zester or small-holed cheese grater to zest the orange, then squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Set the zest and juice aside.
In a large bowl, combine 1.25 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/3 cup dried cranberries.
Stir about 1/2 tsp orange zest and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract into 1 cup heavy whipping cream, then pour the cream into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until they form a sticky dough.
Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto a well-floured work surface. Divide the dough into three pieces, then shape each into a disc about 3-inches in diameter and about 1/2-inch thick. Cut each disc into six wedges.
Place the cut scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, or just until they begin to turn golden brown on the edges. Let the scones cool completely.
While the Cranberry Orange Cream Scones are baking or cooling, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 Tbsp of the orange juice and another pinch of the orange zest.
Once the scones are completely cooled, drizzle the orange glaze over top, then serve!
These are delicious=====however my scones were flat—not tall and fluffy. They were also a bit wet when I cut them. what went wrong?
Assuming that you didn’t intentionally make any substitutions in the recipe, there are a few things that could have happened. First, your baking powder could be expired, or perhaps you accidentally grabbed the baking soda instead of powder. Secondly, you may have over mixed the dough a bit. But keep in mind that these aren’t huge bakery-style scones by any means. We use heavy cream as our fat source instead of butter, and cold butter is often what gives scones that super tall appearance. I hope that helps!
To be sure, do I bake and glaze the scones before freezing?
Yes. :)
I just LOVE these great Scone Recipe’s you post, as they are quick, easy and DELICIOUS! This one was extra good as I added more zest to increase the orange flavor and they were devoured very quickly! I love the MINI sizes, as my four women friends, thought they were so cute and didn’t hesitate taking more than one!!! LOL
Whenever I need recipe’s, Budget Bytes Always comes through with delicious options in Every recipe!!! Thank you so much!!!
I’m shocked at how moist & delicious these scones were, even the next day!
I really limited the stirring of the batter as I heard that causes a dry hard scone. I poured the wet ingredients into the dry and mixed just enough to form a dough. I plopped the dough onto a floured surface, pushed it together to form 1 x 1/2 inch thick circle, then I cut it up like a pie into triangles. Bake time was 18 minutes.
One change I made was adding the zest of 2 navel oranges to the wet ingredients. I wanted to ensure a strong citrus flavor and it was perfect!
Had to add more flour because I used almond flour and it was like a soup. Easy and good thanks!
When I was reading the directions, I thought you said to squeeze the orange juice into the bowl with the zest….so when I went to make the frosting, it was all mixed together and too bitter so I had to start over with that which really stunk. If I had looked at the pictures, I would have seen them separated, but I don’t have time for that in the mornings. Maybe you could make that part of the written instruction a little more clear so someone else doesn’t make the same mistake. The scones turned out well. Mine were done at about 11 minutes. I do feel like the scone to frosting flavor ratio is a little off so if I make them again, I think I’ll make extra frosting and dip them while they’re hot to get some of the flavor to soak in and then add more on top once they’re cooled. Do you think I could add some of the orange juice to the batter? If I do, what other ingredient would I have to increase to counteract that?
Thanks for pointing that out, I just edited the directions for clarity! :) If you add juice to the batter it will change the ratio of wet to dry, so you’d need to add more flour. But adding more flour will then change the ratio of flour to fat, which affects the softness of the scone. So unfortunately there’s no easy answer there, it’s something you’ll need to experiment with to see what works.
I followed the recipe exactly and ended up with little morsels of deliciousness. So, I made them again just brushing the tops with some of the cream mixture and sprinkling with coarse sugar and they turned out well too. A wonderful, easy recipe with guaranteed professional looking scones!
This recipe was so fuss-free that I was amazed at how lovely these turned. out. The crumb was so tender and delicate — yet the recipe couldn’t be easier.
Yum! I don’t do a lot of baked goods but decided to give this a try since scones are so easy to make.
For anyone wondering if it’s possible to make this dairy free, the answer is YES. I used some canned Coconut Cream (usually located in the Asian aisle) after I learned it can be used to make vegan whipped cream. It turned out great! I just dumped the can into a bowl and mixed with a hand mixer for about 20 seconds, due to the fat separating from the liquid in the can. I then measured out a cup. I feel like I did have to add a little more flour than the recipe called for, but only a tablespoon or two I til I felt like the dough consistency matched the photos. It made the recipe more expensive to make, but that comes with the territory when you have dietary restrictions unfortunately.
LOVE this recipe! I made them twice and then decided to nix the orange zest/juice and replace the cranberries for cherries. Turned out great! Thank you for this simple and easy scone recipe!
I’m so grateful for your web-site you give me so much confidence in myself. I made these scones tonight an I’m over the moon at how well they turned out. They tasted amazing. Thank you for creating budget bytes. It’s a huge blessing.
So simple and I am still amazed that I baked something that tastes this good! Super fluffy; I could see this getting eaten quite quickly.
Agreeing with other comments–this would also be great with chocolate chips, or subbing raspberries or lemon for the flavor profile. Thanks again, Beth!
I’d always been intimidated by the idea of making scones. This recipe really was simple and soooo yummy! I will definitely be making these again and trying different flavor combos.
These scones are fantastic! I usually make them regular size and not bite-size and add at a little extra orange zest and they have always turned out great. I use the base recipe to make other types of scones to. I buy whipping cream when it’s on sale and then make the dough, shape and freeze. I bake them when we want, just like Budget Bytes freezer biscuits.
They are sooooooooo gooooooood! My husband and I loved it enjoyed for breakfast two days ago and made another ones this morning!! Thank you sooooo much for sharing this amazing delicious simple recipe!!
OMGGGG these were too good, and so easy! Got me thinking about using the same bones of the recipe to make some blackberry lemon ones. Yummmm.
Can you make gluten free versions?
Yes I’ve had success making these gluten free with using the Cup4Cup all purpose blend flour.
Very good recipe. I like it.
Thank you Amanda!
Slightly crispy outside, light and fluffy inside! So tasty! I’d add more orange zest next time, but these are delightful!
Can’t go wrong with more orange :)
so easy to make and so good! definitely impressed everyone with this recipe. thank you!!
This recipe was delicious, thanks Beth!
So good! I LOVE these scones, and they are so easy to make (and eat). After making a batch for my family, I made 4 batches for my husband’s team at work. That’s how easy and delicious these are! Quick question: can these be frozen and thawed and still taste good?
I just made these and they turned out great! So easy and delicious!! I’m definitely making these again.
Awesome! I made 2 small changes – doubled the orange zest and added 1/4 chopped walnuts. I highly recommend adding the walnuts!
I wanted to use up the rest of the cream I bought, so I made another batch, but instead of cran orange, I went savory- same base, but 1/4c chives, 1 tb onion powder, 1 tsp dried dill weed, and 1/2 c cheddar.
BTW these are very light and fluffy. Almost more like a biscuit than a scone, or maybe I just haven’t had very good scones in the past?
These were great! Definitely very easy to make, and taste excellent. I baked a couple of minutes less in my convection oven. Thanks for a keeper; will definitely make again!
These are freaking amazing! I made them with fresh cranberries that I had in the freezer left over from Thanksgiving, rather than dried. I sliced the cranberries in half before I added them to the mix. Fresh cranberries are a lot more tart than dried ones, so bear that in mind if you use fresh. I thought the fresh berries were a great addition; they’re little tart bursts of cranberry in an otherwise sweet scone. There is one problem with this recipe, though:
I can’t stop eating them!
I just made these with my kids and they were a HUGE hit! So easy and quick to make, even for my 4 and 5 year old, and yet they came out so fluffy and tender. I plan on mixing up the flavors – blueberry and maybe even some savory ones – so hopefully they come out just as well. THANK YOU for this great recipe!
I made these just as written and we loved them. So easy, tasty and just the right size. I dont have much of a sweet tooth, so i enjoyed a couple w/o glaze, but the fam loved them with the glaze. Thanks for another yummy recipe
Great recipe! We’re not huge on breakfast in my family, so this is probably the fanciest I’ve ever done, but I wanted something nice for a holiday breakfast with the whole family. And this was absolutely wonderful! The scones were moist and the orange zest made it super fragrant, and it was just sweet enough that eating it plain with butter was perfect. Made our holiday breakfast a little more special :)
Happy new year!
Thank you for the great recipe, Beth! I made these cream scones yesterday and they were absolutely delicious! My kids loved this dessert very much! Next time I want to use fresh cranberries instead of dried.
Merry Christmas, Beth! I wish you all the best!
Absolutely the best! You undersell these SO EASY SO Delicious. I substituted orange extract 1/2 tsp for the batter
and 1/4 tsp for glaze…. THANK YOU!
Great recipe idea! Just wondering here in Canad if powdered sugar is what we call “icing sugar” or is it regular, granular table sugar?
Thanks for the awesome variation on a Christmas morning staple!
I believe it’s what you call icing sugar. :) It has a powdery texture, not a granulated texture.
We made these the other night. Super easy and delish! They taste just as good as, if not better than, the cranberry orange scones from Target (Archer Farms brand).
These are amazing! They come together quickly and easily by hand, I usually break out the food processor for butter scone tecipes but no need to do that with this recipe. From ingredients to tasty scones in under 30 minutes! I didn’t add the glaze, to cut down on sugar a bit but I also don’t feel that they need it. Thanks for the recipe, this will be a new staple in my household.
I just made these today and they turned out fantastic!! I’ve made cranberry orange scones in the past with frozen butter and the whole deal- so much of a process. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this easier version.. so much better!! I will always make this version from now on. These were actually fun to make! I just wanted to add, too, my daughter isn’t a huge fan of orange flavored stuff but she loved the flavor of these. Will make again. Thank you!!
Hey Beth!
Thanks for the recipe. I made these yesterday, so good!!
I think there may be a small typo though for the icing- the ratio in the lemon poppy seed scones is 1 TBSP liquid per 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, and here is listed as 2 TBSP of liquid per 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. My icing ended up being runny – I fixed it by adding more sugar, but just fyi!
Thanks for catching that!
I tried a pumpkin scone recipe the other day and it came out really good! Now I’d love to try out this cranberry orange recipe next. thank you!
These came together so easy, I made it once as listed and then again replacing the flour with Cup4cup whole grain gluten free flour for my son. We took them to brunch and everyone raved. I was unable to get my glaze to look like yours though, even with more sugar it never dries on all cute, its clear and kind of runny.
I’m excited to try these! Is it possible to use fresh cranberries?
I haven’t tried it with fresh cranberries, but someone else just posted on Facebook that they accidentally made it with fresh after not reading the recipe thoroughly and it worked great for them! :D I would suggest slicing the cranberries in half to help them soften a bit faster during the short cooking time, though.
LOVE your Lemon Poppy Seed scones and can’t wait to make these. I appreciate that your recipe is for a small batch–a few to eat now and a dozen more for the freezer. And heavy cream is on sale in most supermarkets this time of year, as is flour and sugar. It’s a great time to stock up on baking supplies. I may add 1/4 c chopped nuts, either almonds or pecans. I find this not too sweet recipe perfect any time of year!