Flakey scones dotted with fresh cranberries and orange zest topped with slightly tangy mascarpone frosting. The perfect make ahead breakfast for the holidays or to use up those extra cranberries in your refrigerator. Makes 6 large scones.

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One day I hope to have a reputation as the woman who made scones great again. Well at least for Americans, whom I am sincerely convinced have never eaten a decent scone in their lives on American soil. I can tell you that since experiencing the original version of this recipe seven years ago, I have not come across a scone (recipe or out in the wild) that I enjoyed more. I don’t remember what prompted me to try this recipe, other than possibly looking for any excuse to have what was essentially a chocolate chip cookie for breakfast and perhaps a nostalgia for classic European baked goods.

Scones are what I make when I want to make something more decadent or special than pancakes or waffles for breakfast (though you can find decadent versions of those as well), but don’t have the time to do something more complicated like cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, or croissants.

As is common with people who love to bake and tinker with recipes, many variations of the original chocolate chip version eventually followed, and I have shared them on my site. You can find the pumpkin spice, lemon lavender, and cheddar and chive recipes in my index. A blueberry version is my white whale, and I’m hoping to figure out how to make a version of it that I love soon. This particular version starts showing up in my kitchen during the holidays when I tire of pumpkin flavored things and cranberries start hitting the shelves in Trader Joe’s.

If this is your first time making scones, be sure to keep reading my tips for success, and you’ll be so very pleased with yourself that you did.

Tips for Success

Don’t skip this section! Once you know these tips, you’ll be a scone pro.

The butter needs to be really really cold. I like to keep butter in the freezer for emergency scones, but if you are making a large batch there is a trick you can do to make it a little easier and avoid all of the grating, though it still calls for 15 minutes of freezer time.

Here’s how to make a larger batch and not have to grate the butter: Instead of freezing the butter, you’ll put the heavy cream and orange juice in the freezer. Melt the butter in the microwave starting with a 30 second burst then ten second intervals until it is mostly melted (a smallish chunk is okay because it will continue to melt). Set aside to let cool. Measure heavy cream and orange juice into a glass measuring cup, and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it very very cold. Then remove the chilled heavy cream and orange juice from the freezer and pour in the melted butter and stir. Let the mixture sit for about one to two minutes so the butter can harden before adding to the dry ingredients. I find that this feels like just as much of a hastle if I’m making one batch, but if I am making more than one batch at a time, it definitely saves time and annoyance from grating cold butter and having to wash the grater.

Measure your flour by weight. I have basically told you to buy a food scale on every other single recipe on my website, and for scones this recommendation is especially important. If you have too much flour your scones will be dry and lack flavor. A good indicator is if while you’re rolling it out, it doesn’t stick at all and if you can still see white flour throughout the dough, that’s a sign you probably added too much. I have noticed that I do have to flour the surface a little when I fold this dough, though I don’t always with other variations of this recipe.

Don’t rush the chill. In order to get those flaky layers, your scone needs to be thoroughly chilled. I do technically rush the chill by freezing, but don’t skimp on that time, or you’ll end up with a sad pool of crispy scone adjacent cookies.

Make sure your oven isn’t too hot or too cold. If you don’t have an oven thermometer consider this your sign to get one. They can be annoying because they’re always falling down and are impossible to clean, so after a few months of using it you’ll probably know your oven well enough to get rid of it. Most ovens run a little hot or a little cool, and 15-25° can make all the difference in how these scones bake. If your oven is too hot, they will brown to quickly on the outside and be raw or stodgy on in inside (ie: no flakey layers), and if they bake in an oven that is too cool, the butter will melt too slowly and they will loose their shape (ie: no flakey layers in a cold oven alternate universe).

Wait for them to properly cool before frosting. I know this one is so so hard, but you didn’t work to make flakey scones and mix the frosting to the perfect consistency for it all to melt off the scones because you weren’t patient. Give it a solid 15 minutes to cool, but ideally 20 minutes so that they are only barely warm to the touch. Maybe put them in the fridge if you’re desperate or fan with a baking sheet to feel like you are in the big tent.

Don’t cut them too small. A common problem scones can have is “sliding” where the cut edges fall to one side or the other so the middle cut isn’t the nice wedge that you cut before baking. There are a few reasons this could happen but one of them is that they shouldn’t be cut too many times. If you want smaller scones, I find the perfect size can be made by doubling the batch and dividing into three rounds, though you will end up with more scones than you might need, so throw any extras in the freezer and bake at another time.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (250gr) All-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon of baking powder

• 1 tsp sea salt

• Zest from 2 oranges

• 1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar

• 1 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice

• 3/4 cup heavy cream

For the frosting:

• 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

• 1-2 tablespoons orange juice

• Pinch of sea salt

• Garnish: three dried orange rounds

Step-by-Step Directions

Step 1 Mix the dough. Put the butter in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. While the butter is freezing, prepare the other ingredients. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Measure sugar into a small bowl and zest oranges into sugar then rub together until the sugar looks like wet sand. After you have zested the oranges juice them. You should have the perfect amount of juice to use for the dough and the frosting. Grate butter into flour mixture and stir to evenly distribute the butter. Then add the cranberries (they can be fridge cold or frozen) and sugar zest mixture, and stir to combine with a whisk or a fork.

Measure out heavy cream and orange juice. Add liquid to flour mixture and combine until it is mostly together then tip out on a clean work surface (like a silicone mat or sheet pan for easy clean up) lightly dusted with flour. 

Step 2 Fold the dough: Keep needing with your hands until it forms a rough ball. Add more flour to the surface as needed. Press it out into a 9x5 rectangle then fold it in half, then repeat 2-3 more times. This helps you get the flaky layers, and for the scone to rise tall. On the final fold shaped into a circle approximately 7 inches wide, and one inch high. You can also leave it as a rectangle, and the scones would be cut into rectangles instead of wedges. Be sure not to overwork the dough. You want to have some cracks still in it, like in the picture below.

Step 3 Chill the dough: Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for one and a half hours. You can also put in the refrigerator overnight or up to two days.  To make in advance freeze, then let them thaw overnight in the fridge.

Set your oven to 400°. I like to do this when I put the scones in the freezer if I’m making them right away. Otherwise I’ll forget to preheat and have to wait even longer.

Step 4 cut and bake: Remove the scones from the freezer and cut into six wedge shapes with a sharp knife. Unless you shaped the disc into a perfect circle, they will never all be exactly even wedges. The scones should not be sticking to the knife, but if the dough is then you can lightly dust the knife with flour.

Set on a baking tray lined with parchment. Silicone mats tend to warm up to quickly and can burn the scones, so it is better to bake directly on the pan than use silicone if you don’t have any parchment.

Bake for 25 minutes, rotating halfway through until they resist when you press them in their thickest part.

Step 5 Make the Mascarpone frosting:

While the scones are cooking, make the frosting. Measure mascarpone, 1 tbl reserved orange juice, a pinch of salt, and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar to a bowl and mix. It should be thick, almost like natural peanut butter. If it seems to loose, had a couple of tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time. If it’s too thick, add more orange juice 1 tsp at a time up to two tablespoons total. If you run out of orange juice you can juice another orange or use a little bit of milk or heavy cream.

Taste to make sure you don’t need another pinch of salt. If it tastes slightly tart and sweet, that is the balance you’re looking for. If it only tastes sweet, add another pinch of salt and stir. If it sets before the scones have time to fully cool then pop in the microwave for 5 second increments, and stir to soften it up.

Step 6 Frost the scone:

Let cool on a baking rack for 20-25 minutes before frosting. They can be a little warm but not still hot or the frosting will slip right off. Using a large dinner spoon, divide the frosting evenly among the scones. You may have extra frosting, and can put in a cute dish next to the scones in case people want to take liberties. Garnish with a half of dried orange, optional. Can be eaten immediately or stored at room temp for up to 2 days. Best eaten the same day. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can these be made vegan? I personally have not tried a vegan version, but if I did I would sub the butter for vegan butter and cream for vegan heavy cream. Then I would top with turbinado sugar instead of frosting or replace mascarpone with vegan cream cheese.

Can these be made in advance? To make in advance, place in the freezer after forming into a disc and store for up to one month. Thaw for eight hours or overnight in the refrigerator before baking. If you are only making a few days in advance, refrigerate for up to three days before cutting and baking.

Can this recipe be made gluten-free? I have never tried a gluten-free version of this recipe, and pastry is notoriously difficult to get right with gluten-free flours (in my experience it has a very odd aftertaste and gritty texture). Your best bet is to use King Arthur Gluten Free Bread Flour, but it is not safe for people with wheat allergies.

Do I have to do the frosting? Because the cranberries are fresh and unsweetened, the scone may taste bitter without the frosting. I would brush with heavy cream and top with turbanado sugar before baking if I didn’t want to do frosting.