Cranberry Scones
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Winter-inspired cranberry scones filled with dried cranberries, rosemary, and orange zest. An easy cranberry scone recipe for afternoon tea!
Why Make These Cranberry Scones?
I first started making traditional, British style scones (not to be confused with their sweet, oversized American cousins!) when I moved to London for pastry school back in 2019.
British-style scones are round in shape and usually served at tea time, alongside jam and clotted cream. They’re often plain, but you’ll find scone recipes with mix-ins like fruit, nuts, herbs, cheese, chocolate, and citrus peels, too.
I based this cranberry scone recipe around my love of cranberry and orange, an ingredient combination I think works especially well for the festive season. (See also: My cranberry and orange parfait, cranberry compote, cranberry punch, and cranberry curd tart recipes…) I’ve also added rosemary, which I also love for holiday recipes because it reminds me of other woody, wintery scents, like pine needles and juniper berries.
The result? A flaky, buttery scone with plenty of tart cranberries and just the right amount of orange peel. Best served warm, accompanied by a pot of black tea…or a mug of mulled wine!
Cranberry Scone Recipe Ingredients
To make this cranberry scone recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Rosemary – You’ll need about 3/4 teaspoon (one 6-inch sprig) of finely chopped fresh rosemary. Don’t use dried rosemary for this recipe. If you have fresh rosemary left over, use it to make sugared rosemary or rosemary shortbread.
- Orange Zest – Zested on a Microplane rather than a box grater. For other citrus suggestions, see my notes below.
- Dried Cranberries – Use dried cranberries for this recipe, rather than fresh or frozen which contain too much moisture. And save the extras! They’re great for making florentines.
- Self-Rising Flour – This recipe uses self-rising flour, which already contains baking powder and salt.
- Baking Powder – Paired with self-rising flour, baking powder produces the tallest, fluffiest scones.
- Unsalted Butter – Starting with cold, cubed butter gives the scones their flaky texture. Rather than a mixer, my recipe employs the “rubbing in” method to work the butter into the dry ingredients. See my classic scone recipe for more detailed instructions on how to incorporate the butter.
- Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture. You can substitute caster sugar or superfine sugar, but you’ll want to use a kitchen scale to measure by weight, rather than volume.
- Whole Milk – Milk moistens and adds flavor to the dough. You can substitute skimmed milk, or plant milk.
- Egg – Egg washing turns the tops of the scones a pretty shade of golden brown.
Tools and Equipment for Making Homemade Scones
To make and cut the dough, you’ll need a Microplane for zesting the orange peels (I don’t recommend using a box grater, or the pieces of zest will be too big); a plastic bench scraper to bring the ingredients together; a 2-inch round metal cutter for cutting the scones; and a pastry brush for egg-washing.
For baking, I recommend a half sheet rimmed baking tray (a standard half sheet measures 13 x 18 inches, so you can bake them all at one time) and a silicone baking mat to prevent the dough from sticking to the tray.
Recipe Adaptations
Enjoy this recipe as written, or adapt it to suit your personal taste. You can add:
- Nuts – Try adding finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or pistachios.
- Citrus – Vary the citrus flavor by including lemon or lime zest, either instead of or in addition to the orange.
- Chocolate – Mix in chopped white or dark chocolate, or chocolate-covered cranberries.
- Spices – For seasonal spice, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or mixed spice to the dry ingredients.
How to Enjoy Cranberry and Orange Scones
These scones are best enjoyed while still slightly warm, ideally along with a cup of black tea; as part of a traditional cream tea; or included in a full afternoon tea party spread. (In the UK scones are traditionally served at tea time, but feel free to save a few for breakfast too!)
To serve, you can’t go wrong with the staples: Clotted cream, jam (cranberry, blackberry, or fig would be nice!) or orange marmalade. Or pair your cranberry orange scones with homemade orange curd, cranberry compote, or even brandy butter.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Store leftover cranberry orange scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To freeze: Layer baked and cooled scones between sheets of parchment and freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature.
Other scone recipes you might enjoy:
Classic British Scones
American-Style Funfetti Scones
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Print
Cranberry Scones
- Total Time30 minutes
- Yield12 scones 1x
Cranberry scones filled with dried cranberries, rosemary, and orange zest.
Ingredients
350 grams self rising flour (1 3/4 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (about 1 6-inch sprig)
90 grams unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (6 tablespoons)
50 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
10 grams orange zest (1 tablespoon, packed)
180 milliliters whole milk (3/4 cup)
45 grams dried cranberries (1/3 cup)
1 large egg, beaten with a fork
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425° F / 220° C. Line a half-sheet rimmed tray with a silicone mat.
In a large bowl, whisk together self rising flour, baking powder, and chopped rosemary.
Add the butter and use your fingertips to combine, rubbing the mixture together until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Stir in the granulated sugar and orange zest.
Form a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk.
With a bench scraper, mix everything together until just barely combined. Mix in the dried cranberries.
Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, bring the dough together until a ball forms. Do not overwork.
Flatten into a disc, about 7 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.
With a floured 2-inch (4-5 cm) round cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Reshape scraps into a 2-inch thick disc and cut remaining rounds. When finished, you should have about 12 discs.
Arrange on prepared tray.
With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg.
Bake in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, or until risen and lightly golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or layer between sheets of parchment and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
