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Glazed cranberry orange scones on parchment and a cooling rack, one broken open to show a tender crumb with cranberries and orange zest, a halved orange beside them

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.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chilling and Cooling Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
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.