Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Scones
If you’ve ever been disappointed by a dry or crumbly scone, you’re going to love this recipe. My Buttermilk Cranberry Orange Scones are everything a bakery scone should be — buttery, moist, and perfectly flaky. The secret is in the balance of wet ingredients and cold butter, which keeps the dough tender without being heavy. The buttermilk adds a subtle tang and softness, while the fresh orange zest and juicy cranberries bring a bright, festive flavor to every bite. These are the kind of scones that melt in your mouth, not the ones that crumble from dryness!
Bright, buttery, and bursting with fresh flavor, these Buttermilk Cranberry Orange Scones are made with tangy buttermilk, fresh orange zest, and juicy cranberries, then finished with a sweet orange glaze. They’re soft on the inside and the perfect bakery-style scone for the holidays or cozy winter mornings!
Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Scones
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- zest of ½ an orange (or 2 tsp)
- 12 tbsp grated cold butter
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1½ cup fresh cranberries
For the Glaze:
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. In a large mixing bowl, mix together your dry ingredients of 2½ cups flour, 1 tbsp baking powder ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp granulated sugar and orange zest.
- With a cheese grater, grate your cold butter and mix into dry ingredients with your hands or mixing spoon until well incorporated throughout, reaching somewhat of a mealy texture. Add the 1½ cups of fresh cranberries, mix until combined throughout.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 egg, 1 cup buttermilk and 1 tsp vanilla. Add to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined. You want the dough to be just sticky enough to stick to your hands. Add more buttermilk 1 tbsp at a time if you feel it's too dry.
- Spread into a circle onto a lined baking sheet and cut into serving sizes, the same way you would a pizza. I cut into 8 slices.
- Bake at 350℉ for 22-27 minutes or until lightly golden on edges and the middle is set, not jiggly.
For the Orange Glaze:
- In a small bowl, combine ⅔ cup of powdered sugar with 1 tbsp orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Top scones with glaze once out of oven and have cooled for at least 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Thank you for the cranberry scone recipe!
I couldn’t believe I made these and they turned out so perfectly!
You gave me the confidence to try and have so much fun making them.
Lots of compliments from my family.
Cheers,
Dixie
Looking forward to making these scones – I am sure they’ll be just as delicious as the other ones I have tried.
A question can I use frozen cranberries and do I have to adjust the recipe at all if I do?
Flaky, tangy and not too sweet. Perfect.
I brought these scones to work on Black Friday and they disappeared!! Making them AGAIN today ❤️