Get the Recipe: Cranberry and Orange Scones
These cranberry and orange scones are soft and tender with a ribbon of cranberry-orange jam and an orange sugar topping.
Ingredients
Orange-Sugar Topping
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, approx. 1 medium orange
- ¼ cup brown sugar, dark or light
Cranberry-Orange Jam
- ¾ cup cranberries
- ¼ cup orange supremes or wedges, approx. 1 medium orange
- ½ cup refined, granulated sugar, (See Notes)
Cranberry and Orange Scones
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, approx. 1 medium orange
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, very cold
- ⅔ cup heavy whipping (double) cream, plus extra for brushing the scones
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 large egg, (approx. 50-55g)
- 1 tablespoon Orange Juice
- 2¼ cup "00" flour, plus extra for shaping the scones
- 2 tablespoons powdered milk
- 2½ teaspoons aluminum free, double acting baking powder, See Notes
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Equipment
- measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- 1 kitchen scale
- 1 Small Sauce Pot
- 1 spatula
- 1 Microplane or citrus zester
- 1 paring knife
- 1 food processor or pastry cutter optional
- 1 bench scraper optional
- 1 ruler minimum of 12in (30.5cm) and preferably metal
- 1 baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat
- 1 pastry brush
Print Recipe
Instructions
Orange-Sugar Topping
- First, add the brown sugar to a small bowl and then zest and orange over top. Take your fingers and rub the zest into the sugar until you get a uniform mixture. It will moisten a bit as you rub, that’s supposed to happen. Set the bowl aside to continue infusing.
Cranberry-Orange Jam
- Next, add the cranberries and sugar to a small pot on your stove top. Then, take the zested orange and cut away the peel to make supremes. To do this cut off the top and bottom of the orange to make a flat/stable surface for cutting and easy access to the meat of the orange. Now, slide your knife from top to bottom, curving with the fruit, in between the orange flesh and the white pith. Once you’ve fully cut away the peel, use your knife to cut out a wedge of fruit (or supreme) from in between the white-lines membranes. Repeat the process until you have all the orange slices you need. (See Notes for short cut) Add them to the pot and turn on the burner to medium heat.
- The cranberries will start to pop, and the mixture will turn liquid after a few minutes. Once everything has broken down, start constantly stirring the sauce and bring the temperature up. (see Notes for a smooth jam option) This can take anywhere from 7-15 minutes depending on the heat and how wide the base of your pot is. Cook the jam until it reaches 220°F (104°C) and starts to pull away from the sides of the pot like a caramel.
- Remove it from the stovetop and do a quick cold test by dropping a small bit of jam onto an ice-cold counter (place an ice pack down a few minutes before the test) or a freezer-cold plate. If the jam is malleable/spreadable without being runny it’s good to bake with. Scrape up as much jam from the sides of the pot and into its center as you can while it’s still warm. Then, set it aside to cool.
Cranberry and Orange Scones
- It’s time to move onto assembling the scones. Cut up your fridge-cold butter into .5in (1.3cm) cubes and place them in the freezer to chill. Then, add brown sugar and the zest from a second orange to a separate small bowl and repeat the same rubbing process as was used for the topping. Set the bowl aside while you prep the other ingredients.
- Now, pour the cream into a medium bowl and, one at a time, whisk in the sour cream, egg, and (lastly) orange juice until each are fully incorporated. Set your wet ingredients aside.
- Begin the dry ingredients by pulsing the flour, baking powder, baking soda, powdered milk, and salt in a food processor 3-4 times. Add in the orange-rubbed sugar and pulse again. Then, take the butter out of the freezer and add it to the food processor. Pulse the flour mix (another 3-4 times) until small pea-sized pieces of butter form.
- Once that’s done, dump the flour/butter mixture into a large bowl and pour about half of the cream mixture into the bowl. Use a spatula or spoon to gently fold and stir the dry ingredients and cream mixture until it begins to incorporate into a rough dough. Add in the rest of the cream mixture. Once most of the stray flour is mixed in, abandon the spatula/spoon, pour the bowl’s contents onto your counter, and use your hands to finish mixing. Your warm hands, will begin to melt the butter if you work the dough for too long, so be gentle and quick. A bench scraper can be really handy here.
- Now, shape the scone dough into a rough square and use the bench scraper or a knife to cut it into quarters. Shape each square into a circle roughly 10 in (25.4 cm) in diameter (it's okay if they are a little small) and flour the work surface and the dough if they start to stick. Top three of the dough circles with cranberry-orange jam. Spread it all of the way to the edges as evenly as you can. Then, stack the layers. Save the only piece without jam for the top layer. Once stacked, if needed, gently press and re-shape the stack until it is roughly 10 in (25.4 cm) in diameter and 1½in (3.8 cm) tall.
- Using the sides of the ruler or a knife edge, slightly indent the top of the scone dough to give you guidelines for cutting. First, cut the dough round in half, then quarters, and then cut each quarter in half for 8 equal wedges.
- Place each wedge onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet roughly 2in (5 cm) apart. Then, brush the top of the scones with some cream and sprinkle them with the sugar topping. Rest the dough in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
- While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C). When ready, Bake the scones 5 minutes and then turn down the oven to 400°F (204°C) for another 12-15 minutes. Let the cranberry and orange scones cool for 5-10 minutes before eating and until fully cooled before storing.
Notes
- Rubbing the zest into the sugar releases orange oil which creates a more fragrant and flavorful scone.
- Refined sugar has no molasses in it, which translates to jam with a brighter, more pronounced flavor. If you want a subtle or pronounced caramelized flavor, feel free to use anything between unrefined and brown sugar in the jam.
- If you want to skip making orange supremes, get the easy-peel mandarin oranges and peel them very well or just use 50g (about 1/4 cup) fresh squeezed orange juice.
- For a super smooth jam, put everything in a blender just before you would turn up the heat. Blend and strain the sauce, through a fine mesh strainer, back into the sauce pot. Then, cook according to instructions. The jam will also be brighter and more vibrant in color.
- Baking powder with aluminum causes a chemical reaction with the citrus in the jam that will turn the crumb touching the jam an almost bluish color. It doesn't hurt anything, but visually things will be better with an aluminum free baking powder like Rumford Baking Powder.
- If you cannot bake the scones between 20-60 minutes after making the dough, you should freeze the scones and bake them from frozen. (See FAQ)
- Baked scones will only last 3-4 days at room temperature before they dry out, however, you can keep them in the freezer and reheat in the oven or microwave (on low) for about 1 month.
Nutrition
Serving: 1scone | Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 749IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 2mg