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!
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!