Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Scones

These Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Scones are tender, buttery, and bursting with tart cranberries and fresh orange flavor. They're an easy homemade treat for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea.

Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, American, English, Southern

Keyword cranberry-orange-scones, cranberry-orange-sour-cream-scones

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings large scones

Calories 405kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

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 whisk flour with sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Using a pastry cutter or 2 forks cut the butter into dry ingredients until it resembles cornmeal. Mix in cranberries until evenly distributed. Make a well in the center.
In a separate bowl whisk together sour cream, heavy cream, 1 egg, orange zest and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gradually mix into dry ingredients until fully moistened.
Turn the dough out onto a nonstick 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. Place wedges on pan with at least 3 inches between.
Egg Wash: Beat together remaining egg with 1 Tbsp water. Brush the top of each scone and sprinkle with almonds and turbinado sugar.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream and orange marmalade.
Optional Glaze: In a small bowl 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.

Notes

Sour Cream - You could substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream.
Cranberries - You can use dried cherries, dried blueberries (and lemon zest!) or craisins.
Leave Room for Spreading - These scones will naturally spread while baking. Place the wedges at least 2-3 inches apart on the baking pan to prevent them from sticking together.
Don't Overwork the Dough - Scones, by their very nature, have a slightly crumbly texture. That said, when working with fresh dough, It's important not to overwork the dough. Doing so and the scones or Southern biscuits for that matter, will be dry and tough. Mix the ingredients together until just fully combined for the best result.

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