This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These small batch cranberry orange scones bake up light and flaky, with tart fresh cranberries and bright orange zest, finished with a sweet orange glaze. They’re made from scratch and ready in about 25 minutes, a bakery-style treat sized for one or two people.
Featured Comment
“I have made these the last three weekends! They’re so good!”
– Sharon
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Equipment: Rimmed baking sheet
- Cook Method: Bake
- Servings: 4 scones (for 1 to 2)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: Buttery and lightly sweet, with tart cranberries and bright orange flavor.
Fresh cranberries burst as these scones bake, so every bite gets a little tart fruit against the sweet orange glaze.
Why You’ll Love These Cranberry Orange Scones
A standard scone recipe makes 8 or 12. These small batch cranberry orange scones come 4 to a batch, just enough to enjoy warm from the oven, and any extras freeze beautifully. Like every recipe on this site, they’re made for one or two people from the start.
Everything is from scratch, and the method stays simple: cold butter cut into the flour, a light hand with the dough, and a hot oven. One egg yolk gives the dough structure and richness, and you can save the white for any of our egg white recipes. One small orange supplies all the zest and juice you need for the dough and the glaze both.
Cranberry and orange is one of my favorite flavor combinations, and I look forward to baking these every year once fresh cranberries show up in stores. They look festive on a Thanksgiving or Christmas brunch table, and they do just as much for an ordinary morning.
Looking for more small batch scone recipes? Try our Small Batch Apple Cinnamon Scones, Small Batch Blueberry Scones, Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Scones, or Small Batch Cream Scones.
Ingredients
Here’s what goes into these easy cranberry orange scones recipe and what each ingredient does. For ways to use any leftover ingredients, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
All-Purpose Flour: Flour gives the scones their structure, and measuring it right matters more here than in most baking. Spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping packs in extra flour and makes the dough dry. Keep a little extra on hand for dusting the work surface.
Cold Salted Butter: Butter is what makes these scones flaky. Use it straight from the refrigerator and cut it into the flour until the mixture looks crumbly. Those cold bits of butter create steam in the oven, and the steam lifts the dough into light, flaky layers.
Orange Juice and Zest: One small orange gives you all the juice and zest this recipe needs, for both the dough and the glaze. Zest the orange before you juice it, since it’s much easier to zest whole. Use any leftover juice in a fall sangria, small slow cooker orange chicken, or a small batch of morning glory muffins.
Cranberries: Fresh cranberries hold their shape in the dough and burst as the scones bake. Frozen cranberries work too; thaw them first. If you use dried cranberries, soak them in hot water or orange juice for a few minutes to plump them up. Use leftover fresh cranberries to make a small batch of cranberry sauce.
Granulated Sugar: Sugar gives the scones a light sweetness, which leaves room for the tart cranberries and the sweet orange glaze on top.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These two give the scones their rise. If yours have been open a while, test them before you bake. For baking powder, stir ¼ teaspoon into ½ cup of hot tap water. For baking soda, add ¼ teaspoon of white or apple cider vinegar to ½ cup of hot tap water first, then stir in ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Either way, look for immediate bubbling. No bubbles means it’s time to replace it.
Kosher Salt: Salt balances the sweetness and brings out the orange and cranberry flavors. If you’re using table salt, use ⅛ teaspoon.
Milk: Milk brings the dough together. Whole, skim, 1%, 2%, or plant-based all work, and half and half or cream makes a richer scone.
Egg Yolk: One egg yolk adds structure and richness to the dough. Use the egg white in a mini angel food cake.
Glaze: The glaze is powdered sugar, orange juice, and heavy cream. Milk works in place of the cream if that’s what you have.
Recipe Variations
Each variation below changes the size or flavor of these orange cranberry scones, using the same dough and method.
Mini Cranberry Orange Scones
To make mini cranberry orange scones, divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 3½-inch round about 1 inch thick. Cut each round into 4 wedges for 8 mini scones. Bake at 425°F (220°C) and start checking at 9 minutes, since smaller scones bake faster. They’re done when the tops and bottoms are golden brown. Glaze them the same way once they’ve cooled.
Cranberry Walnut Scones
For cranberry walnut scones, fold 3 tablespoons of chopped walnuts into the dough along with the cranberries. The nuts add crunch against the tender scone. Chopped pecans work the same way, at the same amount.
White Chocolate Cranberry Orange Scones
For white chocolate cranberry orange scones, fold 3 tablespoons of white chocolate chips into the dough with the cranberries. The sweet chocolate balances the tart berries, and the orange glaze goes on top as usual. Dark chocolate chips work too, at the same amount.
Lemon Cranberry Scones
For lemon cranberry scones, swap lemon zest and lemon juice for the orange in both the dough and the glaze, using the same amounts. Lemon gives the scones a sharper, tangier flavor than orange.
Spiced Cranberry Orange Scones
For spiced cranberry orange scones, whisk ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon into the dry ingredients. A pinch of nutmeg or cardamom can go in with it. The spice brings out the holiday flavor of the cranberries and orange.
How To Make Small Batch Cranberry Orange Scones
These photos and steps show how to make flaky small batch scones from scratch, with fresh cranberries folded in by hand. See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full instructions.
Make the Dough
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender, fork, or your fingertips until the mixture looks crumbly.
- In a small bowl, whisk the milk, egg yolk, orange juice, and zest. Pour it into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Handle the dough lightly to keep the scones flaky.
- Gently fold in the cranberries.
Shape and Bake the Scones
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. It will be slightly sticky, which is normal. Knead lightly and shape it into a 5-inch circle about 1 inch thick.
- Cut the circle into 4 wedges.
- Arrange the wedges on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 425°F for 13 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whisk the powdered sugar, cream, and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones and let it set.
Expert Tips
Keep the butter, milk, and egg cold. Cut the butter in straight from the refrigerator, and keep the milk and egg yolk chilled until you mix them in. Cold liquids keep the butter in solid pieces in the dough. In the hot oven, those pieces melt and release steam, which lifts the scones into flaky layers.
Fold the cranberries in gently and last. Fresh cranberries that stay whole in the dough burst in the oven and leave pockets of tart fruit. Crushed berries streak the dough pink and make it wetter.
Shape the round a full inch thick. The 5-inch, 1-inch-thick round gives the wedges room to rise and bake through in 13 minutes. A thinner round spreads into flatter scones that brown before they’re tender inside.
Glaze the scones once they’re completely cool. On a cooled scone, the glaze sets into a sweet layer on top. On a warm one, it melts and runs off.
Troubleshooting
If your cranberry scones didn’t turn out quite how you wanted, here’s how to get them light and flaky next time.
Why is my scone dough so sticky?
Scone dough turns too sticky when it has extra liquid or not quite enough flour. A slightly sticky dough is normal for this recipe. If yours is too wet to shape, flour your hands and the work surface generously and pat the dough into its round without kneading in much more flour. Next time, measure the milk and orange juice level and spoon the flour into the cup. If you use frozen cranberries, pat them dry after thawing.
Why didn’t my scones rise?
Scones that bake up flat usually have old baking powder or baking soda, or butter that got too warm before baking. Both leaveners lose strength once they’ve been open a while, so test them before you bake. Stir ¼ teaspoon of baking powder into ½ cup of hot tap water. For baking soda, add ¼ teaspoon of vinegar to the water first, then the soda. Either way, no bubbling means it’s time to replace it. Make sure the oven has fully reached 425°F before the scones go in, and keep the butter cold until it’s cut into the flour.
Why are my scones dense and tough?
Dense, tough scones come from overworking the dough. The more you stir and knead, the more gluten the flour develops, and the scones bake up heavy instead of tender. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened, knead only a few times to bring the dough together, and shape it with a light hand.
Why are my scones dry and crumbly?
Dry, crumbly scones usually have too much flour or too much time in the oven. Scooping the measuring cup straight into the bag packs in extra flour, so spoon it in and level it off. Bake the scones just until they’re golden brown, which takes about 13 minutes at 425°F.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these cranberry orange scones warm with a spread, or set them out as part of a small holiday brunch.
- Small Batch Clotted Cream: The classic scone spread, thick and rich on a split scone.
- Small Batch Cranberry Jam: Spread on a scone, it doubles up on the cranberry flavor.
- Small Batch Lemon Curd: Tart and bright, a natural match for the orange in the scones.
- Crustless Quiche Lorraine For One: A savory main with bacon and cheese, served beside a sweet scone.
- Eggs Benedict For One: A brunch classic that turns a scone into a full holiday breakfast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, frozen cranberries work in cranberry orange scones. Thaw them first and pat them dry before folding them into the dough, so the extra juice doesn’t make the dough wet.
Yes, dried cranberries work in place of fresh in this scone recipe. Soak them in hot water or orange juice for a few minutes to plump them up, then drain them well before folding them in.
Yes, cranberry orange scones freeze well, either baked or unbaked. To freeze them unbaked, freeze the cut wedges on a lined baking sheet until firm, then move them to a freezer bag. Bake them straight from the freezer, without thawing, at 425°F for 16 to 18 minutes, which is 3 to 5 minutes longer than fresh. Baked scones keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freeze them without the glaze, and glaze them after thawing.
Yes, you can make cranberry orange scones ahead. Shape the dough and cut it into wedges the night before, cover them tightly, and refrigerate them overnight. Bake them in the morning as directed.
Leftover cranberry orange scones keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Warm them briefly in the oven or toaster oven before serving.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this small batch cranberry orange scones recipe please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Small Batch Cranberry Orange Scones
Equipment
Ingredients
For the scones
- 1 cup all-purpose flour , plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or ⅛ teaspoon table salt)
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons cold salted butter (½ stick), cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup cold milk (any kind)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (from 1 small orange)
- ½ cup fresh cranberries (or thawed frozen)
For the glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar , sifted
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon orange juice
Instructions
Make the scones
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender, fork, or your fingertips until the mixture looks crumbly, with some pea-size pieces of butter still visible.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cold milk, egg yolk, 1 tablespoon orange juice, and orange zest. Pour it into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Gently fold in the cranberries.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. It will be slightly sticky. Knead it a few times, then shape it into a 5-inch circle about 1 inch thick.
- Cut the circle into 4 wedges and arrange them on the baking sheet. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 13 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze
- Whisk the powdered sugar, heavy cream or milk, and 1 teaspoon orange juice until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones and let it set.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Cranberry-Orange is one of my favorite flavor combinations and this was delicious! Great flavor and texture – soft on the inside with a slightly crisp outside. The key is very little kneading; I didn’t knead at all. After lightly stirring until it comes together and then into a ball, I sprinkled a little flour on top then flipped it onto the pan and sprinkled more on the exposed side. Then I shaped by patting. I will definitely keep this in my repertoire.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them. That flavor combination really is a favorite of mine too, and I’m happy to hear the texture turned out just right for you.
So easy and loved the orange and cranberry combination. Perfect for coffee with a friend.
Oh wow! Can’t wait to make these! Thank you for these small batch recipes!
First time making scones and they came out great! Used toaster oven, ‘mise en place’, exact measurements and ingredients, and the only difficulty came with not devouring all four at once! Will certainly make again soon!
Hi I tried this recipe and the dough was super wet, even at the end when i had to combine everything to make the disk. I had to add at least two heaping tablespoons of flour (at the kneading point) in order to not make it stick to myself. I followed the recipe to a “T” so I am not sure what the issue is. Is the batter supposed to be sticky? Can you help with suggestions? Thank you
The dough for this recipe can be slightly sticky, which is normal. If it was very wet, it’s possible there was too much liquid or the flour wasn’t measured accurately—small variations can make a difference. I provide photos in the post to show how the dough should look, which might help as a guide. Adding a little extra flour to the work surface, especially while kneading and shaping into a circle, can help make it more manageable. I hope this helps!
A favorite, both for my home family AND my work family. Super easy and tasty! Goes great with my morning coffee. I use craisins and enjoy playing with the different flavors (original, cherry and blueberry). Psst… they all are awesome!
I made these scones for the first time yesterday. Actually, it’s the first time I made scones. I loved them. I made another batch this morning and froze the dough as I want to give some as gifts but I want them to be fresh baked. Yesterday I cut the butter in with a fork today. I decided to try the food processor and I hope I did not overprocess it. I guess we’ll find out. Regardless, this is a great recipe. I will definitely be making it again and again.
I have made these the last three weekends! They”re so good!
What can I replace the orange juice with? We don’t drink it.
Feel free to use milk or lemon juice instead of orange juice.
Made these scones for Christmas morning treat and froze 2 for New Years. This recipes comes together so easily and the cranberry/orange taste is amazing.
Delicious!! I particularly like the fact that they can be made ahead, and frozen (unbaked), and then just pop one or two in the oven when needed. Great to have on hand for a quick snack when company drops by.
I plan to make these, as they sound delicious.
I see where you said the unbaked scones can be frozen then baked at a later date. How about making the dough the night before and putting the dough in the fridge overnight then baking first thing next morning? Will that work? Thanks!
Yes, you can make and shape the scones the night before and keep them in the fridge overnight and bake them the next morning.
I made them, but I got way more than 4 — turned out to be about 6 large scones. Tasted okay, just more than I’d expected.
I love cranberry anything, and these scones are some of my favorites! I was worried about kneading too much, so I followed the directions faithfully. The only change I made from the first to the second batch is I put a little more orange zest in and I put more cranberries in than the recipe called for. Did I mention I love cranberries? Anyway, these are just wonderful – thanks for sharing this recipe!
Delicious ! Came out perfect. Will be a staple in my baking recipes!p
I’ve always wanted to make scones, and this flavor combination is one of my favorites. So, I gave it a shot. I was thrilled at how they turned out! I was wishing there was a little more orange flavor in the scone, but I think I shorted myself on the zest. I’ll definitely be making these again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the scones.
I’ve made these scones twice now and it’s really the first time scones have ever turned out well for me. Very easy, worked just like instructions said. Scones were light instead of heavy and delicious instead of tough or undone, and left us wanting more. Also shared the second batch with friends who agreed. It’s on my regular list of favorites now. Thanks so much for your onedishkitchen website. Makes cooking much easier for one or two.
Hi Joanie,
Looking at the instructions, #1, I noted that you’ve indicated degrees F for both 425 and 220. I know that 220 is degrees C, but I wonder if some folks might be confused. I haven’t tried this yet, but I intend to. Sounds delicious!
Thank you for catching that. We have updated the information.
These were the best scones I’ve ever made. Very light and fluffy. I followed the recipe as written and my husband and I both loved them. We were disappointed I didn’t have any more oranges to make some more! Thanks so much! I’ll be making these a lot!
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the scones. Thank you so much for your feedback!
I really wish you would make a video for this recipe. If you make one, please let me know. Thanks a lot for all your recipes!
We are working on new videos now – stay tuned.