Orange Cranberry Scones use Fiori di Sicilia for orange-vanilla flavor, dried cranberries for sweet-tart contrast, & glaze just for fun. Yum!
I enjoy playing with my food.
By that I mean, taking a basic recipe and making different flavor combinations, and scones are a perfect place to start.
The beauty of a good recipe for cream scones is its adaptability. Like with Chocolate Chip Cream Scones, we can create a new scone by altering the flavorings and mix-ins.
Glazed Orange Cranberry Scones are just a variation of my favorite homemade Cream Scones recipe.
Let's play, shall we?
Jump to:
What you need
For Glazed Orange Cranberry Scones, Fiori di Sicilia adds a subtle orange-vanilla aroma and flavor, while dried cranberries provide a sweet-tart contrast.
Oh, and an orange glaze is drizzled on top for yumminess and fun!
For even more orange flavor, consider adding ½ teaspoon of grated orange peel to the dough and/or the glaze. You can't go wrong with more citrus flavor!
Making cream scones is easy with a recipe ratio
Biscuits fall under a 3-1-2 recipe ratio, 3 parts flour, 1 part fat, and 2 parts liquid. A cream scone is just an enriched biscuit, meaning eggs are added and the liquid is heavy cream. Just count the egg into the measurement of the cream (one egg is about 2 oz).
As with biscuits, start by mixing your dry ingredients together, then cutting in grated cold butter. After that you add your cream and egg, then mix until just combined.
In the video I forgot to add the Fiori di Sicilia to the cream mixture, so I sprinkled it on the dough before folding in the cranberries. Accidents happen!
Next, turn the dough out onto a mat and knead in the dried cranberries. Try not to overwork the dough so it doesn't get too warm.
After chilling the dough, cut it into wedges.
Brush the top of the scones with some cream and sprinkle coarse sugar for some extra sparkle and crunch. You can also do this step after transferring the scones to your baking pan.
Transfer the wedges to a half sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper, then bake until the scones are a beautiful golden brown.
While the scones are cooling, make a glaze with orange juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle the glaze on the still-warm scones and allow to set.
Yummm...
A flavor and texture treat
Golden brown with a crunchy exterior and flaky interior, this recipe for Orange Cranberry Scones is a winner.
The Fiori di Sicilia is just enough to add a hint of orange-vanilla flavor, but it's the dried cranberries that steal the show. I love their sweet-tart goodness!
For another orange and cranberry combination, there's also Orange Glazed Cranberry Bread, made with fresh cranberries. For another recipe using dried cranberries, check out my Cranberry Wine Babka.
And if you want more Fiori di Sicilia in your life, there's Orange Vanilla Pound Cake. Yum!
Glazed Orange Cranberry Scones are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or for an afternoon tea. You can't go wrong serving them with clotted cream or butter, and maybe a bit of jam.
It's fun to play with your food!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Recipes for scones
Homemade scone recipes are easy to create once you remember the 3-1-2 recipe ratio. The variety comes in when you play with the flavorings. Here are a few ideas to try...
Recipe
Glazed Orange Cranberry Scones
Equipment
- pastry brush
Ingredients
For the scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, frozen & grated, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing on top
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ¼ tsp Fiori di Sicilia
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling
For the glaze (optional)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- For the scones: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Grate the butter using a box grater and toss it into the flour mixture a little at a time. Once all the butter is grated, use a pastry blender, two forks, or even your hands, to work the butter into the flour until coarse, pea-sized crumbs appear.
- Mix the cream, egg, and Fiori di Sicilia together in a small bowl. Slowly add the cream mixture to the flour mixture and mix until the dough just holds together. Here you have to be flexible about the amount of cream to add as the actual amount will depend on the humidity of the day. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers and if it is very crumbly, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time (2 tablespoons maximum). If the dough is too wet, you can knead in more flour when you turn out the dough. Remember, do not over mix the dough...you want to keep that butter cold and separate from the flour.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and push together into a rough ball. Sprinkle some of the dried cranberries on the dough, then fold it in half to seal them in. Repeat a couple more times, reserving some to press into the surface of the scones before baking.
- Gather the dough, and flatten into a disc or a rectangle about 1-inch high. Use a bench scraper to release the disc from the mat. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to overnight.
- Once the dough is chilled, cut the disc into wedges or the rectangle into squares using the bench scraper. If cutting the rectangle into squares, trim the outside edges of the dough first so that the scones can rise evenly. Alternatively, use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out shapes (gather and cut the leftover dough again as needed, but hopefully not more than 2 times).
- Place the scones about 2-inches apart on a half baking sheet pan covered in a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper. Press in the reserved chocolate chips on the tops of the scones. Brush the tops of each scone with cream and sprinkle on some coarse sugar.
- Bake at 425°F for about 18 to 23 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool on pan for 2 minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Place the cooling rack back on the baking pan to catch the drips. Drizzle the glaze on the still-warm scones and allow to set.
- Serve the scones warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
