Glazed Cranberry Orange Scones (Tender, Flaky Wedges)

If your scones usually come out dry, flat or heavy, the problem is almost always warm butter and too much mixing. Scones get their tender, flaky layers from small pieces of cold butter that melt in the oven and leave pockets behind. When the butter softens before baking, or the dough is kneaded like bread, those pockets disappear and you end up with something closer to a dense biscuit.

These glazed cranberry orange scones are built to avoid both. The butter is frozen and grated straight into the flour, the dough is mixed only until it holds together, and frozen cranberries help keep everything cold right up to the oven. A short chill after cutting the wedges helps them hold their shape, and a simple orange glaze on top adds a bright, sweet finish to the tart berries.

Ingredients

For the scones

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, plus a little for your hands and the work surface.
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar.
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt – the baking powder gives the scones their lift.
• 2 tsp finely grated orange zest, from about 1 orange – keep the orange for the glaze.
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, frozen – frozen butter grates into thin shreds that stay cold and create flaky layers.
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, cold, plus 1 tbsp for brushing.
• 1 large egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
• 1 heaping cup (125 g) frozen cranberries – fresh or dried work too (see the table below).
• Coarse sugar, for sprinkling, optional.

For the orange glaze

• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar.
• 2 to 3 tbsp fresh orange juice – start with 2 and add more for a thinner glaze.

How to Make It

1. Mix the dry ingredients – 3 minutes

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Rubbing the zest into the sugar with your fingertips first releases more orange flavor.

2. Add the frozen butter – 3 minutes

Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater directly into the bowl. Toss with a fork until every shred is coated in flour. The mixture should look like coarse, shaggy crumbs with visible pieces of butter.

3. Make the dough – 3 minutes

In a small bowl, whisk the cold cream, egg and vanilla. Pour it over the flour mixture, add the cranberries and stir gently with a spatula just until the dough comes together. It will look a little dry and crumbly; that is right. Overmixing makes scones tough.

4. Shape and cut – 5 minutes

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and, with floured hands, press it into a round about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cut it into 8 wedges with a sharp knife and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each one.

5. Chill – at least 15 minutes

Refrigerate the wedges on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes while the oven heats to 400°F (200°C). Cold dough spreads less and rises taller in the oven.

6. Bake – 400°F (200°C), 22 to 25 minutes

Brush the tops with the extra tablespoon of cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using. Bake until the edges are golden and the tops are lightly browned. A wedge should feel set, not soft, when you press the side gently.

7. Cool and glaze – 10 minutes

Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Whisk the powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of orange juice until smooth, adding more juice a little at a time if it is too thick, then drizzle it over the scones. Glaze applied to hot scones melts and soaks in; a short cool lets it set on top.

Why Frozen Butter Makes Better Scones

When cold butter goes into a hot oven, the water inside it turns to steam and pushes the dough apart, leaving small pockets that become flaky layers. Butter that is soft or warm simply blends into the flour, and the steam has nowhere to work. Grating the butter while frozen is the easiest way to get thin, even pieces without warming them with your hands or a pastry cutter, and it takes less than a minute. Frozen cranberries add a second cold element, which is why many bakers prefer them here. The same cold-butter idea is behind our cinnamon sugar biscuit bites.

Which Cranberries to Use

Fresh cranberries are easy to stock up on in the fall. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, cranberries can be stored frozen for up to one year, so it is worth keeping a few extra bags in the freezer for scones out of season. If you have more to use, they also go into our cranberry bliss bars.

Storing and Freezing

Glazed scones are best the day they are baked, but they keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 days. To get ahead, freeze the unbaked wedges on the baking sheet until firm, then store them in a freezer bag; bake them straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the baking time. Baked, cooled scones can also be frozen without the glaze for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature, warm briefly in the oven and glaze before serving.

For a full fall brunch, set them out with pumpkin muffins or apple cider donut muffins, and find more morning ideas among our breakfast recipes.

Glazed Cranberry Orange Scones

Tender, flaky cranberry orange scones made with frozen grated butter and frozen cranberries, then finished with a simple fresh orange glaze.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Chilling and Cooling Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 8 scones

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Calories: 400

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 250 g, plus more for shaping
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 g
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp orange zest about 1 orange
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 g, frozen
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 120 ml, cold, plus 1 tbsp for brushing
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 heaping cup frozen cranberries 125 g, do not thaw
• coarse sugar optional, for sprinkling

For the orange glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar 120 g
• 2-3 tbsp fresh orange juice

Method

 

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest in a large bowl.
2. Grate the frozen butter into the bowl on the large holes of a box grater and toss with a fork to coat.
3. Whisk the cold cream, egg and vanilla. Pour over the flour mixture, add the frozen cranberries and stir gently just until the dough comes together.
4. Press the dough into a round about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick on a floured surface, cut into 8 wedges and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Refrigerate the wedges for at least 15 minutes while the oven heats to 400°F (200°C).
6. Brush with cream, sprinkle with coarse sugar if using, and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden around the edges.
7. Cool for 10 minutes. Whisk the powdered sugar with 2 to 3 tbsp orange juice until smooth and drizzle over the scones.

Notes

Storage: best the day they are baked; keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 days.

Make ahead: freeze the unbaked wedges until firm, store in a freezer bag and bake from frozen, adding a few minutes. Baked, unglazed scones freeze for up to 3 months.

Substitutions: fresh cranberries (halved if large) or the same amount of dried cranberries; vanilla glaze with milk instead of orange juice.

Without a box grater: cut the frozen butter into small cubes and work it in quickly with a pastry cutter or two forks.

Nutrition: calories are an estimate per scone (1/8 of the recipe, with glaze), calculated from standard ingredient values, not a laboratory analysis.