Candied Orange Cranberry Scones (Printable)

Buttery scones packed with candied orange peel and tart cranberries for a perfect festive brunch.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Fruits & Flavorings

05 - 1/2 cup dried cranberries
06 - 1/3 cup candied orange peel, finely chopped
07 - Zest of 1 orange

→ Wet Ingredients

08 - 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
09 - 2/3 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
10 - 1 large egg
11 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Optional Glaze

12 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
13 - 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - Add cold butter cubes to the dry mixture. Using a pastry cutter or fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
04 - Stir in dried cranberries, candied orange peel, and orange zest until evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
05 - In a separate bowl, whisk together heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined.
06 - Pour the wet ingredients over the dry mixture. Mix gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Do not overwork the dough.
07 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick disc. Cut into 8 equal wedges.
08 - Arrange wedges on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart. Brush the tops with extra cream.
09 - Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.
10 - Whisk powdered sugar and fresh orange juice together until smooth. Drizzle over cooled scones if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They bake in under twenty minutes, which means you can pull warm scones from the oven before your coffee gets cold.
  • The candied orange peel and cranberries do all the flavor work while you stay out of trouble, so even nervous bakers end up with something beautiful.
  • One batch serves eight people or feeds you for a week if you hide them in the back of the fridge like I do.
02 -
  • The moment you add the wet ingredients is when you stop being a baker and start being a guardian of restraint; overmixing even by two or three extra stirs turns these from tender wedges into tough hockey pucks, and there's no coming back from that.
  • Cold butter isn't just a preference, it's the difference between scones with actual layers and dense, one-note discs that taste more like heavy pound cake.
03 -
  • Keep everything cold: your butter, your cream, even your hands if you can manage it, because warmth is the enemy of flaky, tender scones.
  • The glaze is optional but transforms these from lovely breakfast food into something that feels slightly fancy enough for company, so even if you skip it most mornings, make it when people are coming over.
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