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Flaky Cranberry Orange Scones

Tender, buttery scones packed with fresh cranberries and bright orange zest, with a craggy golden top and flaky layers throughout. Made using a grated-butter method that keeps the dough cold from start to finish for the flakiest possible texture.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, frozen
  • 3/4 cup (150g) fresh cranberries
  • 1 large orange, zested and juiced (2 tablespoons juice)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream, plus more for brushing
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Coarse or turbinado sugar, for topping

Equipment

  • Box grater
  • Mixing bowls
  • Microplane or zester
  • Bench scraper or sharp knife
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Pastry brush
  • Wire cooling rack

Method
 

  1. Freeze butter and chill mixing bowl, 15 minutes.
  2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Grate frozen butter into the flour mixture.
  4. Rub butter into flour with fingertips until pea-sized crumbs form.
  5. Zest orange into the bowl; juice it after making wet mixture.
  6. Whisk egg, cream, vanilla, and orange juice separately.
  7. Fold cranberries into the flour mixture.
  8. Pour wet ingredients into dry; let sit briefly.
  9. Fold gently, 10-12 strokes, until shaggy.
  10. Pat dough into a 7-inch disc.
  11. Cut into 8 wedges with straight downward cuts.
  12. Freeze wedges 15 minutes; preheat oven to 400°F.
  13. Brush wedges with cream; top with coarse sugar.
  14. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden and firm.
  15. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes before serving or glazing.

Notes

For best results, keep every ingredient as cold as possible until the moment the scones go into the oven. If your kitchen runs warm, chill the dough between steps as needed. Dried cranberries can replace fresh in a pinch — use 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup. Unbaked shaped wedges freeze well for up to 2 months; bake straight from frozen, adding 3-4 extra minutes.