Orange Cranberry Scones -for Easter, or anytime!

Orange Cranberry Scone Recipe — great for Easter or anytime!

Well hello Orange, Cranberry Scones!  Welcome to my Easter — or anytime — table!  

I’m so excited to introduce you to all of my friends…

Friends, meet my favorite new favorite scones…

I think you guys are going to like each other a lot. 

*Note: If you happen to be #glutenfree, see the bottom of this post, because I’ve got you covered too.  😉 

Though I honestly think it has taken me a really long time…I have figured out a few things about my personality over time:

• I am an Enneagram 3 with a 2 wing.  (and no, I’m not an Enneagram guru, but I know the basic number-types.)
• My love language is Words of Encouragement and Acts of Service (though I am happy to receive them all.)
• And though I don’t know how it fits in the world of personality tests, I am pretty sure I am what people would call “a connector.”  I love to introduce friends to each other.  I love to point people to the best resources, books, podcasts, and churches.And I seriously love to share the recipes that my family loves with anyone who they might bless!  I used to do this a lot more often, but the busyness of podcasting and book-writing kind of zapped any extra minutes from my day.  But, I sure do love to do it, so hopefully I will make more time in days to come!

Why I made scones:  I’ve always loved scones, but rarely make them myself.  (What are cafes and coffee shops for, if not for an afternoon scone and coffee?)  However, now with the Covid and all, sitting in a coffee shop is like a distant memory (😢) so I’ve been more motivated to make my favorite treats at home.

This month I’ve been craving flavors of spring.  Maybe because we have heaps of oranges ripe on our trees. 🍊  Maybe it’s because it’s been raining for what seems like, EVER, in Hawaii and I’m just ready to move on to sunshine and citrus. 

But whatever the reason, I have been working on a few versions of orange cranberry scones over the past few weeks. It took a bit of playing around before I settled on a winner.  And I’ve had more than a few taste-testers agree: these babies WIN.

A few notes about the recipe creation process:

Interestingly, all of the recipes I found for “orange scones” only called for orange zest in them. Now, call me crazy, but — I don’t think 2 teaspoons of orange zest adds a ton of orange flavor to an entire batch of scones. (right?)
👉 So, I added a 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed OJ to the batter along with the zest. and oh what a difference that made!  I think it improved the texture and flavor.  

🥛 Also, most recipes call for buttermilk or heavy cream, both which are probably wonderful, but I decided to keep it simple and use what I had on hand:  2% milk.  (I have a feeling a nut-milk would also work just fine as well.)  

🤚 Lastly, a lot of scone recipes call for all kinds of fancy kneading and folding rules.  (“Fold them like a letter.  Then refrigerate.  Then fold them like a box.”  — What? 🤷‍♀️) So, I decided to see what happens when you just knead the dough for 10 seconds, shape them into a disc, and cut them like a pizza.  And boom. 💥 In my humble opinion this was better than any of the more complicated methods.  So, take that, fancy recipe people.  

Simple, orange, (dried) cranberry, (with chopped pecans if you like) scones.  One of my new, best friends.

Print and try them for yourself.  (And I appreciate it if you pin and share this recipe as well!)

Print

Orange Cranberry Scones (with chopped pecans, optional)

Delicious, simple-to-make orange scones with dried cranberries and chopped pecans

Course Breakfast or snack

Keyword Easter, gluten free, Orange cranberry scones, scones

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Servings 10

Calories 303 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (all purpose gluten free works fine!)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2.5 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. orange zest
• 1/2 cup butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup cranberries (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 1 tbsp. milk or cream for brushing before baking plus a sprinkle of sugar

Orange Glaze

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 tbsp fresh orange juice

Instructions

1. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the dry mixture and combine with two forks, your hands, or a pastry cutter. Combine until the butter forms pea-sized crumbs. Place the bowl in the freezer while you combine the wet ingredients.

2. Whisk the milk, egg, orange juice, and vanilla together in a bowl.

3. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture, then add the cranberries (and chopped pecans, if using) and combine everything well. Mixture should be sticky but if too wet you can add a bit more flour.

4. Pour out onto a lightly floured surface and work with floured hands. You can knead briefly, turning over and pressing it until a ball.

5. Shape into an 8-10 inch disc and then cut into wedges witha sharp knife. (I cut mine fairly small because they do grow when they bake.) Place on a parchment covered baking pan and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Once scones have chilled in the refrigerator, brush the tops with the extra milk or cream and a sprinkle of sugar to add a nice crunch to the topping.

7. Place in oven and bake for 18-24 minutes. (My oven cooks hot so they are usually done around 18 minutes, but may take up to 22-24 for most ovens.) Check to see they are golden brown on top and around edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes as you maket he glaze.

Orange glaze

1. combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice with a whisk until smooth. if it is too thin, add more sugar, and if too thick add more juice.

2. Drizzle glaze over warm scones and serve! ENJOY!

3. Leftover scones will keep well in sealed container at room temperature for 2-3 days and in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Nutrition Facts

Orange Cranberry Scones (with chopped pecans, optional)

Amount Per Serving (1 scone)

Calories 303 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 42mg14%

Sodium 190mg8%

Potassium 217mg6%

Carbohydrates 42g14%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 19g21%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 346IU7%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 83mg8%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Oh and as promised for my #GF friends: I made a batch of these using Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour and they turned out surprisingly good!  They even puffed up a bit (which is hard to get with anything gluten free) and they tasted great! 

Hope you love them, however you make them.  
And feel free to comment with how your family likes them! ❤️ 
XO