Find a Recipe!

Just a Little Bit of Bacon

where comfort food meets the farm stand

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • beverages
    • desserts
    • grilling and bbq
    • main courses
    • quick dinners
    • side dishes
    • soups and stews
  • mediterranean recipes
    • italian recipes
      • italian comfort food
      • italian antipasti
      • fundamentals of italian cooking
    • spanish recipes
      • spanish tapas
    • french recipes
      • french comfort food
    • greek recipes
  • holiday favorites
    • christmas
    • easter dinner
    • thanksgiving feast
  • resources
    • dinner and party menus
    • farmers’ market
      • ingredient spotlight
    • roundup post
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Orange Cranberry Scones with White Chocolate Glaze

November 1, 2018 By justalittlebitofbacon Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. Click here for details.

  • Share
  • Tweet

It’s time to grab a bag or two of fresh cranberries and get baking! I love this recipe for orange cranberry scones, which are full of the pop of sour cranberries and then glazed with white chocolate for a luxurious finish. They are great for a weekend breakfast, a snack with tea, or a holiday brunch.

Two plates filled with white chocolate glazed orange cranberries scones and cups of tea.

Hello, all!

Hey, it’s November! Wow, it feels like this year has been soooo long. I can barely remember last month. And it was yesterday. šŸ™‚

Anyway, we are getting into the countdown for Thanksgiving. Scary! But it doesn’t have to be and I’m going to help you out with some great recipes.

I have a couple of pie related roundup posts coming up. And I’ll see if I can put together a nice timeline post + recipes to keep you organized. At the very least you should check out my Thanksgiving tag. Lots of great ideas there!

Right now I have I great idea for Thanksgiving breakfast, holiday brunches, Christmas morning or any time you need a treat. I absolutely cannot resist buying bags of fresh cranberries this time of year and doing some baking. Two years ago I made soft, tender fresh cranberry cookies, which totally belong on your holiday cookie tray. Last year, I came up with fresh cranberry cupcakes topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. Yum!

And this year I have orange cranberry scones all drizzled with a white chocolate glaze. These are based on my previous recipe for strawberry and dark chocolate scones. It’s a great recipe and up for all sorts of flavor change-ups!

A spoon drizzling white chocolate onto a cranberry scone on a cooling rack.

What do you need?

  • Dry Ingredients – The basics: flour, leavener, sugar, salt.
  • Butter – Super cold for the flakiest pastries.
  • Buttermilk – Tang and moisture.
  • Cranberries – Fresh berries all chopped up.
  • Orange Zest – Just a little, but it makes a big impact!
  • White Chocolate Glaze – Chocolate, cream, and butter melted together.

Tip: No buttermilk? For a substitute use whole milk, take out a tablespoon from the measuring cup and add a tablespoon of lemon juice.

How to make this

To make orange cranberry scones mix together flour, sugar, butter, cranberries, orange zest, and buttermilk to make a sticky dough. Then shape the dough into rounds or wedges and bake until browned and fluffy. Drizzle with white chocolate glaze.

  1. Cut the butter into the flour and sugar mixture until you have the texture of cornmeal.
  2. Add cranberries, orange zest and buttermilk. Mix to make a dough.
  3. Turn out onto a floured board and pat into a 3/4 inch high circle.
  4. Punch out rounds and put them in the freezer to chill.
  5. Bake the scones until browned.
  6. Make the glaze and drizzle over the top of each.

Ingredients for the recipe.

1. Make the flour mixture

Chop up the butter into cubes and then pop it in the freezer to get a little extra chill.

Scoop out the flour, or use a kitchen scale, and then sweep off the excess from your measuring cup and put the flour into the food processor. Add the sugar, leaveners, and salt. Mix it up and then add in the butter. Pulse until you have no big chunks of butter, then stop.

Put the flour mixture into a bowl and then into the fridge to keep cold.

Step by step on how to mix the dough.

2. Prep Mix ins

Measure out and wash the cranberries. Check for bad ones then put them into the now empty food processor. Pulse everything a few times until the cranberries are chopped but not pureed.

Wash your orange with warm water and dish soap to remove the wax. (And then rinse it well! Just say no to soapy oranges. šŸ™‚ ) Using a microplane, or similar, zester, zest the orange.

3. Make the Dough and Shape

Add the cranberries, orange zest, and buttermilk to the flour mixture. Mix in with a large silicone spatula until you have a sticky dough and no dry flour. If need be, get your hands in there to get everything mixed in.

Now move the dough to a floured board and pat it out. Using a 2 1/2 inch cutter, punch out rounds and move them to a baking sheet. You can use a larger or smaller cutter, note though that the number of scones you get will vary with the size of the cutter.

To keep things very chilled and make sure your scones are all flaky, put the baking sheet in the freezer for a bit. I generally freeze them for anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Bake

Heat your oven to 375F while your scones are chilling. Then bake for 14-16 minutes, or until they are cooked through and lightly browned.

Step by step on how to form the scones.

5. Glaze

Once your scones are all baked, let them cool, and then make the glaze. This is totally optional! They are awesome without it, but the glaze is fun and great if you are serving them to company.

Tip: If you want to make them even more festive looking, dust the scones with red sanding sugar right after you glaze them.

To make the glaze, finely chop up a 4-oz bar of white chocolate.

Just make sure you are using actual white chocolate! Check the label for cocoa butter and stay away from brands using other fats like palm oil. If you can find real white chocolate chips (not the fake ones), you can use those instead of the bar.

Heat up your cream in the bowl of double boiler until it’s simmering. Add the chocolate and mix it in. Once your chocolate is all melted, stir in the butter. Then set the glaze (also known as a ganache) aside to cool a little.

Right now the glaze is very warm and thin. Once it cools it will have enough thickness to stay on the scones.

When the glaze is ready, drizzle it over the scones.

Top view of a soft and tender scone broken open on a plate.

If you try my recipe for Orange Cranberry Scones, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.

– Happy Baking, Annemarie

Tender, moist orange cranberry scones combine fresh cranberries and orange zest for plenty of zing and a white chocolate glaze to put them over the top. They make a great holiday treat, perfect to share with friends and family on Christmas morning or Thanksgiving. | justalittlebitofbacon.com #cranberries #thanksgivingrecipe #christmasrecipe #holidayrecipe #whitechocolate #cranberryscones #scones
Print Recipe

Orange Cranberry Scones with White Chocolate Glaze

Tender, moist orange cranberry scones combine fresh cranberries and orange zest for plenty of zing and a white chocolate glaze to put them over the top. They make a great holiday treat, perfect to share with friends and family on Christmas morning or Thanksgiving.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Chilling Time30 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cranberry scones, orange cranberry scones
Servings: 12 scones
Calories: 225kcal
Author: justalittlebitofbacon

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (10 oz) cake flour, or all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 8 tbsp COLD unsalted butter (4 oz), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
  • zest from one orange
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk

Glaze

  • 4 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup (2 oz) heavy cream
  • 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In in the bowl of food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal and there aren't any large chunks of butter, about 10 1-second pulses. Transfer the flour mixture to a bowl and put it in the refrigerator.
  • Add the cranberries to the now empty bowl of the food processor and pulse them until they are a mix of finely and coarsely chopped.
  • Into the bowl with flour, add the chopped cranberries, orange zest, and buttermilk. Fold everything into the flour until you have a rather wet dough no dry flour. (You may need to use your hands to get everything mixed in.)
  • Turn out the dough onto a well floured board. Pat into a rough circle about 3/4 inch thick.
  • Grease and flour a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Using your biscuit cutter, punch out scones. Go straight down and don't twist the cutter. Reform the dough scraps and continue cutting. You will get 11-12 scones.
  • Place the scones on the baking sheet and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375F.
  • Bake the scones for 14-16 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature.

Glaze

  • Add the cream to the top of a double boiler and bring to a simmer.
  • Take the double boiler off the heat and add the white chocolate. (The top bowl of the boiler will still be over the hot water.) Wait 30 seconds and then begin whisking in the white chocolate until it is melted.
  • Remove the bowl to the counter and whisk in the butter.
  • Let the white chocolate glaze cool for about 15 minutes, or until it's about body temperature. Drizzle the glaze over the scones.

Notes

  • Flour: I use cake flour here for lighter, fluffier scones since my usual King Arthur flour is high protein. If you are using a low protein Southern flour, like White Lily, no need to switch to cake flour.
  • Measuring the Flour: Use the scoop and sweep method of measuring. Dip the measuring cup into the flour, scoop up flour, and sweep off the excess. Or use a kitchen scale.
  • White Chocolate: Make sure the chocolate you are using contains cocoa butter and not palm oil or other non-chocolate oils. Many brands of white chocolate chips are not actually cocoa butter. I often use a 4-oz bar instead of chips for that reason. If you can find actual white chocolate chips, feel free to use them.
Spoon drizzling white chocolate on a scone with text overlay - Orange Cranberry Scones.
Scones on a cooling rack and a plate with text overlay - Orange Cranberry Scones.

Related Posts:

  • Triple Chocolate Banana Scones
    Triple Chocolate Banana Scones
  • Simple Cranberry Apple Pecan Cake
    Simple Cranberry Apple Pecan Cake
  • Fresh Cranberry Cookies
    Fresh Cranberry Cookies
  • 10 Must Have Thanksgiving Pies
    10 Must Have Thanksgiving Pies
  • Cranberry Sauce with Port and Oranges
    Cranberry Sauce with Port and Oranges
  • Cranberry Ginger Fizz Cocktail
    Cranberry Ginger Fizz Cocktail
  • Share
  • Tweet

Filed Under: breakfast, christmas, desserts, fall, holiday favorites, recipe, sweet treats, thanksgiving feast, vegetarian, winter Tagged With: buttermilk, cranberries, oranges, white chocolate

« Creamy Lemony Pressure Cooker Shrimp Risotto
10 Must Have Thanksgiving Pies »

Follow me on:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Don’t miss a post!

Get new recipes in your inbox every week!

Disclosure:

Justalittlebitofbacon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hello, I’m Annemarie

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m a Italian-American girl who loves fresh foods, local ingredients, and all sorts of comfort foods. Here you will find Mediterranean flavors and recipes from a New England perspective.

Don’t miss a post!

Sign up here to have new recipes delivered to your inbox every week.

Follow me on:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Spring Flings

Looking for an easy fruit dessert recipe? This spiced rhubarb crisp is a simple, old fashioned dessert full of the flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves and topped with an oatmeal pecan crumble! Best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. | justalittlebitofbacon.com #rhubarb #dessertrecipes #spring #fruitcrisp #dessert #crisp

Spiced Rhubarb Crisp with Oatmeal Pecan Crumble

Mascarpone Fruit Tart - This fruit tart is filled a mixture of mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, and heavy cream all of which is whipped up and sweetened with maple syrup. It is then topped with mixed berries and brushed with a simple apricot jelly glaze. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Mascarpone Fruit Tarts with Mixed Berries

One great way to enjoy fava beans is in this healthy spring inspired fresh fava bean and parmesan salad, which is tossed lightly with a little olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Simple, but oh so good! | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Fresh Fava Bean and Parmesan Salad

For a fun variation on the classic Moscow mule, try a blood orange Moscow mule! Ginger beer, lime, and vodka are mixed with blood orange juice and pomegranate in this tasty cocktail.

Blood Orange Moscow Mule

Strawberry Ricotta Crostata - This naturally sweetened crostata is a fun and relaxed take on pie, full of fresh strawberries, creamy ricotta, and brushed with honey. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Strawberry Ricotta Crostata

Slow roasting tomatoes, shallots, and garlic together in a balsamic and olive oil dressing makes for an intensely flavored and delicious cherry tomato caprese salad! Serve this Italian appetizer or side dish with burrata cheese and crusty bread. | justalittlebitofbacon.com #saladrecipes #italianrecipes #tomatoes #caprese #farmersmarket #burrata

Roasted Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad

Reader Favorites

Pan Fried Spanish Cauliflower Tapas - These breaded fried cauliflower bites are a simple and tasty tapas dish you should make at your next get-together! Just a quick dunking in egg and breadcrumbs and a minute in a skillet and you are all done. Can be made ahead and reheated! | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Pan Fried Spanish Cauliflower Tapas

Easy, delicious, and full of bubbles! This pomegranate prosecco cocktail has everything you need for a great holiday drink. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Pomegranate Prosecco Cocktail

Authentic Italian marinara sauce is cooked low and slow to create a thick and flavorful sauce made in the manner of my family tradition. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Authentic Homemade Italian Marinara Sauce

Cold sweet potato salad is topped with dried cranberries and pecans, then tossed with a maple syrup and mustard dressing. Perfect for summertime picnics and for the Thanksgiving table. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Cold Sweet Potato Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

Zucchini cheddar biscuits are soft, tender and full of shredded zucchini and sharp cheddar. Just drop them onto the baking tray and go. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Soft and Tender Zucchini Cheddar Biscuits

The fresh cranberries in these fresh cranberry cookies give them such a bright and zingy flavor which is completely different from dried cranberries! Don't just use fresh cranberries for sauce. Make cookies! | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Fresh Cranberry Cookies

Copyright © 2021 — Just a Little Bit of Bacon • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy • Disclaimer

Genesis Framework • Foodie Pro Theme • by Shay Bocks