Better than Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe

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There’s nothing like a warm, flaky scone in the morning. This better-than-Starbucks cranberry orange scones recipe is perfect for the cozy times that are coming, including fall, the holiday season and the snowy winter!

The combination of sweet oranges and plump, tart cranberries complement each other perfectly in these buttery, golden brown pastries. 

Not only do these cranberry orange scones taste better than the Starbucks version, they’re much less expensive to make at home!

So pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and let’s get baking.

What you’ll need for this better-than-Starbucks cranberry orange scones recipe

• All-purpose flour. I have not tested this recipe using gluten free flour, but you should be okay to substitute a 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend.
• Fresh cranberries. The Starbucks version uses dried cranberries. While you can certainly do that, I think you’ll find that fresh cranberries are so much better! If you can’t find them fresh, buy frozen cranberries and thaw them at room temperature. 
• Cold butter. I can’t emphasize this enough. The butter should be cold, cold, cold! It’s the secret to the flakiest texture in these cranberry orange scones.
• Sugar
• Heavy cream
• Fresh orange. No orange extract here. We’re using fresh orange peel and freshly squeezed juice.
• Baking powder 
• Kosher salt

How to Make these Cranberry Orange Scones

Making homemade scones is easy, and you’ll only need one bowl. 

First, mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Now, work the cold butter into the flour mixture. You can use a pastry cutter, a fork or just your fingers. Do this until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Then, stir in the cream, orange juice, orange zest and cranberries. 

The dough is going to be pretty shaggy and dry, but once you knead it together on a work surface for a minute, it will form a nice smooth dough. Then, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge. 

When you’re ready to bake these orange cranberry scones, slice the dough like a pizza, making 8 separate wedges. You can use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to do this. 

Before baking, brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream and give them a generous sprinkle of raw sugar. 

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Serving Suggestions for Better-than-Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones

​These scones wouldn’t be complete without the sweet orange glaze, just like you’d get at Starbucks. It’s a simple mixture of powdered sugar and orange juice. Drizzle it over the cooled scones for a picture perfect presentation. 

Serve these scones with softened butter and a variety of fruit jams. An orange marmalade would be a perfect pairing! 

How to Store these Cranberry Orange Scones

Leftover scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. They also freeze beautifully! If you want to freeze them, place them into a large freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. 

I love being able to pop a single scone out of the freezer on weekend mornings! 

Reheat the scones in a warm oven. 

Tips for Success

1. Make sure you start with very cold butter. Keep the butter in the refrigerator until just before you are ready to use it, and get the dough back into the refrigerator to chill as soon as you can. Keeping the butter cold will help the scones to hold their shape during baking. 

2. When you form the dough into a disc, be sure that it is 1-inch thick. It will seem ridiculously thick, but the scones will inevitably spread during baking, so you want to start them as high as possible. 

3. Let a food processor do the work of cutting in the butter. Pulse the dry ingredients, then pulse in the butter until you get a coarse mixture. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and follow the rest of the recipe steps. 

When you make this better-than-Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy! 

For more baked breakfast treats, try these:

• Easy Monkey Bread Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar
• Best Ever Cowboy Coffee Cake with Buttermilk
• Homemade Cherry Bread

For more cranberry recipes, try these:

• Cranberry Brie Tartlets using Crescent Rolls
• Apple Butter Cranberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
• Chewy Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies