These quick and easy cranberry scones are light and flaky, made with buttermilk and bursting with sweet dried cranberries and crunchy walnuts. Add a drizzle of buttery maple glaze and serve them with coffee or tea!
Looking for more festive, easy baking ideas? Try this homemade orange cranberry bread and these fluffy orange rolls, next. My grandmother’s classic cinnamon rolls are another family favorite.
Flaky Homemade Cranberry Scones
Back in the day, homemade scones were on my “baking bucket list” of recipes I’d never made before. Also on the list were fried donuts and pastry cream. Look where we are now! These cranberry scones are tender and flaky, made with buttermilk, maple syrup, juicy cranberries, and walnuts. They’re great to enjoy at breakfast, or with a cozy cup of afternoon tea. Add a little orange zest to the mix and you have extra festive cranberry orange scones!
Why This Cranberry Scones Recipe Works
- Made with shortening. The first time I baked scones, I made them with butter. The second time, I used Crisco shortening, and wow! I was amazed at the difference. The scones’ texture was softer and more delicate, and the flavor was better.
- Buttermilk instead of regular milk. Buttermilk enhances the flavors in everything from pancakes to biscuits and even chocolate cake. It adds lots of flavor and moisture to these cranberry scones, and it also helps with leavening.
- Make-ahead friendly. The baked cranberry scones freeze and thaw beautifully. Prepare the glaze in a matter of minutes, and glaze the scones as if they’ve just come out of the oven! You can even warm the scones in the oven a bit before glazing.
Ingredient Notes
This cranberry scones recipe calls for pantry staples. I’ve included my notes on the key ingredients below. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list with recipe measurements.
- Baking Powder – Make sure it’s fresh! Check those expiration dates.
- Shortening – Yes, I make my homemade scones with vegetable shortening, like Crisco, for the ultimate soft, delicate texture! You can substitute shortening with equal parts unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have any in the fridge, make a homemade buttermilk substitute by combining 1 tablespoon of white vinegar (or lemon juice) with enough regular milk to make one cup. Let it rest for 5 minutes, stir, and then use it in the recipe as written.
- Maple Syrup – You can also sweeten these scones with honey or granulated sugar.
- Cranberries – You can make your cranberry scones with fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries. Fresh cranberries will be more tart. Frozen cranberries should be thawed and drained before you use them. I also like to add chopped walnuts for extra crunch.
- Glaze – I make a simple glaze from melted butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk. Browning the butter for the glaze takes the flavor to a whole new level. More on this below.
How to Make Cranberry Scones
Scones are similar to quick bread recipes (like banana bread), in that they’re non-yeasted, so the pastry dough doesn’t need time to rise. You can simply mix, shape, and bake the scones before adding the glaze.
I’ll walk you through the steps to make my cranberry scones here. Be sure to scroll to the printable recipe card for the full recipe instructions.
- Make the dough. Start by cutting the shortening into the dry ingredients. Once that’s crumbly, fold in the buttermilk, maple syrup, and vanilla, followed by the cranberries and walnuts.
- Knead and shape the dough. Now, gently knead the dough on a floured surface. Divide the dough in two, then form the first half into a ball and press it into a disc. Divide the disc into 8 wedges and repeat.
- Bake. Arrange the scones on a lined baking sheet and bake at 425ºF for 12-15 minutes.
- Make the glaze. Follow my tutorial on how to brown butter on the stovetop. Afterward, combine the browned butter with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk to make the glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Try not to overmix. Fold the dough ingredients together until they’re just combined. Do your best not to overwork the dough, otherwise the cranberry scones may turn out overly dense.
- Don’t overbake. Overbaked scones are dry and crumbly, so I like to check them after 12 minutes and go from there. These cranberry scones should be moist inside, but not wet when they come out of the oven.
- Different nuts. Instead of walnuts, add chopped almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, or pecans. You can also skip the nuts to make nut-free scones instead.
- Add zest. For extra flavor, grate fresh orange zest into the scone dough. You could also use lemon zest.
- Add chocolate. Stir white chocolate chips into the batter to make white chocolate cranberry scones! Or, instead of the maple glaze, top the scones with a drizzle of white chocolate ganache.
How to Store Scones
- To store. Store the glazed scones in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy them within 3 days for the best freshness.
- Reheat. You can warm leftover scones in the oven or microwave (if they aren’t glazed), or serve them at room temperature.
- Freeze. These cranberry scones are great to make ahead and freeze. It comes in handy during the holidays! I like to pre-freeze the unglazed scones on a baking sheet before storing them in a freezer bag. To thaw, lay the scones out in a single layer on some paper towels, to help absorb any excess moisture. Glaze, and enjoy!
More Cranberry Recipes
Cranberry Scones
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 16 scones
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: British
Description
These homemade cranberry scones are irresistibly light and flaky, made with buttermilk and bursting with sweet dried cranberries and walnuts. Finish them off with a delicious and buttery maple glaze!
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 3 1/2 Cups (420g) King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
- 4 teaspoons (16g) Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) Salt
- 2/3 Cup (4.5 ounces) Vegetable shortening
- 1 Cup (236ml) Buttermilk
- 1/2 Cup(118ml) Pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (120g) Chopped walnuts
- 1 Cup (160g) Dried cranberries (sweetened or unsweetened)
For the Glaze
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) Unsalted butter, browned
- 3/4 Cup (98g) Powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) Maple syrup
- 2–4 teaspoons (10-20ml) Milk or buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add vegetable shortening. Use a pastry cutter or two forks and work the shortening into the flour until it resembles a crumbly mixture.
- Pour buttermilk, maple syrup, and vanilla into the center of the bowl. Add chopped walnuts and cranberries into the bowl. Use a wooden spoon and fold the flour over and over to work in the wet ingredients.
- Turn the dough around the bowl to pick up all the dry ingredients. Once the dough has formed, pour it onto a floured surface. Gently knead several times. Cut dough into two halves. Form a ball and then gently press out with your hands or a rolling pin to form a disc that is about 1” thick.
- Use a pizza cutter or bench knife to divide into 8 pieces. Repeat with the second half. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
- For the glaze, brown butter in a shallow saucepan. Pour browned butter over powdered sugar. Add maple syrup and stir until the mixture becomes thick. Slowly add milk while stirring until you have reached the desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over scones.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 333
- Sugar: 21.3 g
- Sodium: 167.3 mg
- Fat: 15.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 5.5 mg
I am known among friends and family as the “scone lady” so when I give these a 5 star rating, that’s in comparison to many many scone recipes. I made these exactly as written with the exception of butter in place of shortening because … well why not????? 😉 I made 1 1/2 times the glaze because again … why not????? This is a keeper and will go into my go-to scone collection.
Janiece, this is AWESOME!!!! Thank you!
These scones are pretty perfect looking! I love the texture you added with the walnuts on top — so brilliant. Maple and cranberry just may become my new favorite combination!
Thanks Hayley! It took a few tries but I am so happy with the results!
These look wonderful! I’d love to try these. Do you think the recipe can be cut in half? I’m new to your blog and enjoy it immensely. The pictures are beautiful and the recipes make me want to try them all!
These scones look perfect! Love the cranberry and maple combination! Maybe I need to bump these to the top of my baking list too!
You should totally try it Lindsey!
Thank you for taking the time to perfect these scones! They will be ideal for munching with coffee on Thanksgiving morning as we gather to spend the day cooking. 🙂 Cranberries are my favorite flavor to usher in the season. As for the poor, misunderstood Crisco, each fat has its pros and cons, and each fat contributes different properties to baking. I say use what works best and feast in moderation. 🙂
You got that right Wendy!
These look so delicious. I’m afraid I’d eat the whole batch!
I was too! I had to get them out of the house!
I just tried scones for the first time, and now I need to try them for the second time. These look delicious.
Thanks Jocelyn! There are plenty of scones out there but there is nothing better than a GOOD scone!
I am also a total maple syrup snob, Julianne! That fake stuff just makes me shudder.
And as for the Crisco, do what you gotta do. These look pretty much perfect, so who can argue with that?
Oh that is so kind of you Mir, thank you!