Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Scones
These made from scratch Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Scones recipe will make the perfect addition to your breakfast, brunch or tea time menu. Freshly grated orange zest adds a bright citrus flavor to the buttery dough, and the sweet cranberries add texture. Serve them with or without the glaze, for a sweet companion to a cup of coffee or tea.
Easy Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Scones Recipe
Scones to me, are a cross between a Southern biscuit and a sweet bread. The first time I had a scone at tea time as a girl, I was hooked. A delicious sweet biscuit, topped with marmalade and freshly whipped cream was a delight. I remember thinking scones were one of the most delicious treats I had ever had, and they paired perfectly with a cup of hot tea. The rest is history. Often scones are baked in the shape of a circle, scored before baking and then cut into wedges like a piece of pie. Just like our Southern biscuits, they can also be cut into rounds or made like a drop biscuit, if preferred.
How to Make the Best Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Scones Recipe
Whether you’re planning a special holiday event or casual gathering with friends, include these homemade scones on the menu. How are scones different from biscuits? Our Southern buttermilk biscuits are typically served savory. There are exceptions to this rule, of course. Scones on the other hand are usually sweeter with mix-ins. Again, there are always exceptions. These homemade cranberry orange scones are slightly sweet and glazed. If you love the scones at Starbuck’s you’ll love making these at home.
- Please note, these scones dough may spread while baking. Place the wedges at least 2 inches apart on the baking pan to prevent them from sticking together.
- Scones, by their very nature, have a slightly crumbly texture. That said, when working with fresh dough, there’s a very important rule of thumb. If you overwork the dough, your scones or Southern biscuits for that matter, will be dry and tough. Mix the ingredients together until just fully combined for the best result.
How to Make and Store Cranberry Orange Scones
- Scones are best eaten fresh the day they’re baked. If you’d like to freeze the scones before baking, place them separately onto a sheet pan and allow them time to freeze solid. Once frozen, place wedges into a freezer bag and keep for up to 2 weeks. Omit the egg wash until baking.
- Can I bake frozen scones? Yes, you can. Bake from frozen brushed with egg wash just before baking. They will take longer to bake so allow an extra 5-10 minutes and adjust the time accordingly.
- How do you serve scones? Scones are served with or without toppings such as lemon curd, cream and jam are delicious options. For those moments that you only need a small batch of scones, this recipe for Small Batch Lemon Scones from Dessert for Two, just may fit the bill.
- For a savory mini scones appetizer: Cut the homemade scones dough using a 1 inch round cutter. Bake them per the recipe, decreasing the time to adjust for the smaller size. Serve them as an appetizer stuffed with ham. To add a condiment, mix one tablespoon of Dijon mustard per 1/2 cup of orange marmalade, to spread onto the ham.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Scones
Servings: 8 large scones
Calories: 405kcal
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter cubed
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs divided, use 1 for egg wash
- 1 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh orange zest
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries or Craisins
- 3 Tbsp sliced almonds roughly broken
- 2 Tbsp turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
- Orange Glaze: (Optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
- 2 Tbsp juice from orange
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet or two standard size, with parchment paper. Set aside
- In a medium-size mixing bowl use a whisk to sift together the flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut butter into dry ingredients until it resembles cornmeal. Mix in cranberries until evenly distributed. Make a well in the center.
- Whisk together sour cream. heavy cream, 1 egg, zest and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients. Gradually mix into dry ingredients until fully moistened.
- Turn the dough out onto a non stick lightly floured surface. Turn it a few times to coat with flour to help with the stickiness. Do not overwork the dough. Pat the dough into an 8 inch circle that is about 1 inch thick.
- Use a sharp knife dipped in flour to cut into wedges. Beat together remaining egg with 1 Tbsp water. Brush tops and sprinkle with almonds and turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream and orange marmalade.
- To make glaze: Mix together the powdered sugar, orange zest and fresh orange juice. Add juice 1 Tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Drizzle over the warm scones just before serving, if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 450mg | Potassium: 322mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 751IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 2mg
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I want to share a trick that makes the recipe way easier to do!
I shred the butter just like cheese, and I leave it in the refrigerator until it’s time to add it. Hop it’s done very quickly!
Please share!
My first language is French, so if you see anything miswritten, feel free to make the correction!
Thanks a million for all the wonderfull Recipes and tricks you provide us with!
I think this scones are very good; I have one it is very old an so easy and the same ingredients ; is orange juice w/ milk that’s the only difference ; but they are so good.thank you for all the recipes.
First time trying to make scones. They were excellent!
Loved the taste but they melted into cookies instead of holding their shape. What did I do wrong?
That’s very odd. Was the amount of flour correct and was the butter cold? I’m not certain I have an exact answer as I haven’t experienced this. I do know, if those two things were off, it could effect the outcome.
When I get my scones on the cookie sheet, I set it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then pop it in the oven. My scones seem to hold their shape better if they’re chilled first.
These taste fabulous! The orange zest explodes with flavor! These are worthy of a pastry shop in England for tea time! Perfect for a Christmas treat!
I’ve made a lot of scones myself, and these are far better than any scone I ever made. They could be sold in bakeries all around the world. So moist and tender and airy, but not too airy, just enough little holes inside to make them a special treat.
Thank you so much!
Best scones yet,and I made lots of them
Thanks so much!
I have shied away from making scones because face it who wants to put in all that effort for a crumbly cookie? WRONG and boy have I missed the boat! I dove in head first and these were AWESOME DELICIOUS and best of all so easy to make!
Great recipe excellent tips and everyone GO MAKE YOU SOME 😜
Absolutely delicious! Do you think I could substitute blueberries and lemon zest for the cranberries and orange? I don’t want to experiment with another recipe because this one is perfect!
Thanks Maureen, you could but have you seen my recipe for Blueberry Scones? You can see that recipe here.
These are delicious. Family loved them.
Thank you!
I made these for my Mother’s Day meal today and they were wonderful. Since there is just two of us I halved the recipe. The only tricky part was the half an egg 😉 I usually don’t like to make scones because I hate to cut in the butter. I read a tip that said to grate the cold butter then freeze it for a bit. Then you just need to toss it with the dry ingredients. It worked like a charm. These were tender and flavorful. I will be making them again.
I’m glad you enjoyed these, thank you!
I added a Tbls of fresh orange juice to the batter as well! Then added a little over a Tbls of whipping cream to the glaze. Yum!! Thank you for sharing your recipes with us!
Made these this evening, very easy and so delicious
Thanks so much!
I’ve made this recipe several times and the scones always turn our perfect. Served them to my knitting club yesterday and once again they were a hit with many asking for the recipe. Having trouble printing it out though.i May have to go retro and write it on a recipe card (gasp!)
So happy you’re enjoying these! It shouldn’t be difficult to print using the print button in the recipe card.
I would like to make these scones substituting cranberry-orange relish for the dried cranberries. Since the relish has more liquid, I need to either increase the flour or reduce the total liquid content. What are your thoughts on the best way to make this change?
Great question, since I haven’t tested that, it’s difficult for me to tell you with certainty. When baking with fresh cranberries, they’re tossed with a Tbsp or so of flour to help contain some of the moisture. This may also work with your relish. Let us know how it goes.
Do you have to use turbinado sugar? Can regular sugar be used instead? Thank you!
You’ll get the best result with raw sugar. Regular sugar will work, just not as well.
Can you use fresh or frozen cranberries in the place of dried?
You can, sure.