Low Sugar Cranberry Orange Scones

Bake up these low sugar cranberry orange scones for breakfast or anytime you feel like a treat. They are perfectly flavored scones with a soft crumb.

In the center of our town sits a cute, dare I say, quaint, coffee house. I don’t frequent their often because so many times I find myself making my coffee in the comfort of my home. And lets be real here, working from home, it seems like a luxury stepping out for a cup of coffee.

However, when out and about, or even on a special occasion, I’ll make the trip. The place is always filled with regulars sipping their coffee and there is usually never a table in sight. If you get there earlier in the day, and only during the winter time, you will find the sweetest crumbly cranberry scones that MELT in your mouth.

I decided to make my own variation of soft crumbly scones and with the addition of sweet orange flavor, these are my favorite scones to make. They are low in sugar which makes them all the more a go-to scone recipe.

At times when I have fresh berries on hand I might fold them into the dough like these Raspberry Scones. However, cranberries and orange zest are in order on a cold winter day. The flavors pair nicely and create a perfect scone for the season.

Low Sugar Cranberry Orange Scones Are…

• A great recipe for low sugar homemade scones.
• The perfect addition to your morning coffee.
• A recipe for the entire family. 
• One of my favorite scones recipe.
•  A delicious recipe for a quick breakfast or snack. 

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour- I use all-purpose unbleached organic flour for this recipe. But you can use any all-purpose flour you like, using AP flour gives the perfect texture to the scone.

Cranberries- I use dried cranberries for this recipe which adds the perfect cranberry flavor and nice chew texture to the scone.

Orange Juice- The zest and orange juice from the orange pair perfectly with the flavor from the dried cranberries.

White Sugar- I use white sugar for these scones to help add a bit of sweetness to the dough but I have kept the sugar to a minimum.

Baking Powder- I add a tsp of baking powder to help the scones rise.

Egg- I use half the egg for the dough and the other half to brush the tops of the scones. This helps give them a nice golden finish when baked. For the dough, this helps bind it together.

Butter- is a must, I use real unsalted butter. If you use salted butter be sure to omit the salt in the recipe.

Salt- I add a pinch of sea salt to this recipe to help out balance out the flavors. You can use regular table salt for this.

Milk- I use whole milk for this recipe but you can also use 2% or even half and half will work.

​Tools

Sifter

Baking Sheet

Pastry cutter (or you can use your hands)

*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through the links I provide (at no cost to you).

Directions

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.

Cube the cold butter into small pieces. Cut in the butter until it’s crumbly in appearance. Toss in the sugar and add the zest from the orange. Set the flour mixture aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg with 3 tbsp. of milk and 2 tbsp. of juice from the orange.

Pour this into the flour mixture to combine until the dough forms. Fold in the cranberries.

Flour a surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick disc shape, and cut the dough into 4 wedges.

Place the wedges on a lined baking sheet.

Brush tops with milk. Sprinkle with sugar. (optional)

Bake at 400℉ for 15-17 minutes or until scones begin to golden brown. Allow the scones to cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve with plenty of jam and butter.

Baking Notes

• I use frozen butter as I find this keeps it chilled perfectly through mixing.
• For this recipe, I use unbleached organic all-purpose flour but you can use standard all-purpose
• You can use raw unrefined or regular white refined sugar for this recipe
• This recipe will make either 4 scones and the recipe can be doubled
• Be careful not to overmix the dough
• If you find the dough is too soft, pop the cut wedges into the fridge for 5 minutes to chill before baking

Scones Vs. Biscuits

Honestly, when I first tried a scone I wondered this very thing. The taste can be sweeter than a biscuit of course but the texture is very similar. That unless you have a savory scone made of cheese or chives. Then you might be very confused. When it comes down to it, the only true difference is in the ingredients. There are many scone recipes that don’t require eggs found on the internet however, eggs are a traditional ingredient for making scones. Furthermore, some like to use heavy cream over milk and butter in their scone recipe.

Biscuits are made up of almost the very same ingredients. Butter, milk, baking powder, and flour. It is the addition of eggs that creates the only difference between the two baked goods. That is if you make the version of scones that require butter and milk over heavy cream.

Both biscuits and scones can be made with cheese, chives, or other savory add-ins. Though a sweeter recipe might have you calling your baked good a scone rather than a biscuit. In reality, the difference is really up to you in whether you see your baked good as a scone or a biscuit.

How To Store

​The best way to store leftover orange cranberry scones is to place them in an airtight container, or plastic resealable bag. They are best eaten fresh but still pretty tasty the next day or so. They will last up to 3 days stored at room temperature. 

FAQ

Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose?

You can use bread flour to make scones, however, it will affect the final result of the scones. The bread flour may make the scones a little more chewy in texture. Here is a great article on flours to use for scones.

Can this recipe be doubled?

Yes, you can double this recipe and make a batch of 8 scones. I do this when we have company and it works great.

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If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate you coming back to give it 5 stars!