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.
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 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!