If you’re looking for a simple, hearty pastry for your next brunch, look no further than these bright and satisfying cranberry scones. Their flaky crumb comes from frozen grated butter, which melts into layers as the scones bake.
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What Are Cranberry Scones?
Cranberry scones are cranberry-studded pastries with a texture somewhere in between biscuits and soda bread. The buttery layers of sweet pastry come together with just a few ingredients, and dried cranberries offer a burst of tartness. Not only are these cranberry scones simple to make, they bake beautifully straight from the freezer, making them a great option for make-ahead breakfast or brunch fare.
5 Tips for Cranberry Scones
Here’s how to make the flaky, tender scones at home.
- 1. Keep the ingredients chilled. Butter adds richness and flavor to pastries, and also plays a crucial role in their structure. For the flakiest pastry, make sure to keep the butter frozen before mixing, and chill the dough again before baking.
- 2. Use a rich binding liquid. This recipe calls for buttermilk, but heavy cream, half-and-half, and full-fat coconut milk are great substitutes. The added fat makes for a tender crumb with crisp corners. Skim, almond, and other light milk options aren’t great candidates for this recipe.
- 3. Don’t overwork the dough. Mixing and kneading are both actions that develop gluten, which makes for chewy breads as opposed to tender, cakey crumbs for scones or biscuits. Mix dough gently with a wooden spoon, and pat gently when shaping to keep from overworking.
- 4. Brush with cream. While many pastries call for an egg wash, heavy cream will lend a less shiny and more even golden brown color while allowing for a tall rise.
- 5. Try add-ins. This straightforward recipe is versatile and forgiving, and other dried fruits are welcome to join the party. Chopped dried dates, apricots, apples, or even chocolate chips are great paired with the cranberries. Substitute lime or orange zest for the lemon if you’re looking for a different sort of zing, and you can even sprinkle some coarse sugar over top for an extra crunch. As long as the ratios of flour, butter, and milk stay the same, you can take liberties with the add-ins—just make sure they’re not too wet. Fresh cranberries or fresh chopped fresh fruit like mango or peach might add too much moisture to your dough, so save the fresh fruit for garnishing the scones as part of your brunch spread.
Cranberry Scones Recipe
makes
8 sconesprep time
15 mintotal time
55 mincook time
20 minIngredients
- 1
Using a box grater, grate the butter into a small bowl and transfer to the freezer to chill.
- 2
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- 3
Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients, and use a fork or pastry blender to gently press the butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbs. It’s okay if some small pieces of butter remain.
- 4
In a large measuring cup, stir the buttermilk and lemon zest together, then pour over the butter and flour mixture along with the dried cranberries.
- 5
Stir everything together with a wooden spoon until just combined and no dry spots remain, taking care not to overmix.
- 6
Dust a clean work surface with flour and gently pour the dough onto the floured surface.
- 7
Use your hands to pat the dough into a disc shape, about 8 inches in diameter and 1 inch high.
- 8
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 9
Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the disc into 8 equal wedges, and gently transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about ½ inch of space between the wedges.
- 10
Place the tray in the freezer and chill for at least 20 minutes. If making ahead to bake later, wrap the scone dough in plastic wrap before freezing.
- 11
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 12
Once chilled, remove scones from the freezer and brush the top of the scones with a light, even layer of heavy cream.
- 13
Bake until tall, flaky, and golden brown, about 20–25 minutes.
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