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    Home » Food

    Perfect Cranberry Scones

    Published on November 22, 2017 ᛫ Updated on March 15, 2019 by Chef Markus Mueller

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    These cranberry scones are exceptionally easy to make, perfect for breakfast or tea time, and just the right combination of sweet and tart. A simple recipe, any level baker can attempt! #cranberry #scones #breakfast #baking #brunch

    Cranberries make a great addition to traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, and their naturally tart flavor provide a great contrast to the rich roasted meats and sweet desserts popular this time of year. These cranberry scones are no different, with just the right balance of sweet and tartness making them suitable as a breakfast pastry, or served in the afternoons with tea!

    Jump to Recipe

    This deliciously tart and healthy fruit, popular in Fall and Winter months across North America, is most commonly associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas. While cranberry products are readily available year round,(such as in juices, jams, or even dried) fresh cranberries are generally in season from early October to late November. A good source of Vitamin C and Fibre, ( along with other micro nutrients and minerals), cranberries where an obvious choice and welcome fruity addition to the diets of Native Americans and early settlers who first foraged and grew them here in Canada.

    This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read my affiliate disclosure.

    The Difference Between Scones and Biscuits

    Both scones and biscuits are leavened (raised) with baking powder and are considered a quick bread. Before baking powder was commonly available to the general public though, scones where cooked on hot griddles and where a lot flatter and denser then the soft baked good we know today.  Essentially a large and flat quick bread, the cooked scone (also called bannock in Scotland), would then be cut into triangles and served as individual 'scones'. These scones could be lightly sweetened with fruit and honey or made to be savory with herbs and spices.

    Biscuits are served as an alternative to bread and rolls, where scones are generally considered a sweet baked good.

    Biscuits on the other hand are generally savory, such as my Rosemary and Garlic Biscuits, and are most commonly served as an alternative to bread or rolls at supper. Where scones usually incorporate cold butter in the recipe, biscuits traditionally used lard or vegetable shortening instead. As such you are more likely to see a scone served in a coffee shop as a baked good instead of a biscuit!

    Easy Homemade Cranberry Scones

    Since scones tend to be slightly sweet in nature, I thought cranberries would be the perfect addition to this recipe. These cranberry scones are wonderful served warm for breakfast or brunch, and make a great addition to tea time. To make this recipe at home you will need:

    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • ¼ cup cold butter cubed
    • ⅔ cups frozen cranberries
    • 3 tablespoon brown sugar
    • ¾ cup milk

    Scones and other quick breads are just that:

    quick to make!

    Even a first time baker can attempt this recipe and walk away with a product that will impress anyone! Before you start pre-heat your oven to 400F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or Silpat, a re-usable silicone alternative to traditional parchment paper.

    Start by mixing the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. I would advise against using an electric mixer for this recipe as over mixing the dough can create hard and dense scones. It's better to simply use  a fork or better yet, your hands to mix the ingredients! Continue by mixing in the cold cubed butter and crumbling it up  in the flour until there are no large chunks left.

    two mixing bowls showing how to mix the flour cinnamon, baking powder, sugar and fruit for the cranberry scones.

    Once the butter is mixed in and the bits are roughly pea sized or smaller, you can add the frozen cranberries and the brown sugar. You can use fresh cranberries if you have them, but I find frozen cranberries tend to "bleed" their color less and will stay nice and juicy, giving a nice tart pop on the scone! Only a few steps left!

    Pour in the milk and use a wooden spoon to mix the cranberry scone dough together. It should be slightly moist, and soft. Sprinkle some flour on your counter top, and then turn out the dough on the flour. Sprinkling the counter with flour helps prevent the dough from sticking to the counter and creating a mess.

    Related:  Pink Chive Blossom Vinegar

    a example of the slightly wet and sticky cranberry scone dough after mixing in the milk, laying on a floured counter.

    Knead the dough a few times to help bring it together and create a smoother mass. You can sprinkle a little more flour on it if you need to. Then with a rolling pin, roll out the cranberry scone dough until it is about half an inch thick. If you find the dough is still sticking to the counter and rolling pin you can flour the top and bottom of the dough some more. just don't mix more flour into the dough!

    Once the cranberry scones are rolled out, you can cut the scones into any shape you like. Triangles are traditional, but you could also use a ring mold, and punch out rounds or any other shape you like! Arrange the individual scones on your parchment lined baking sheet, and place the sheet in the middle rack of the oven at 400F for 12 to 15 minutes.

    To achieve a nice golden brown crust, you can choose to brush the top of the scones with an egg-wash or some milk. Then sprinkle some coarse sugar over the top as garnish! - Chef Markus

    Tried the recipe? Take a picture and tag me on Facebook & Instagram: @earthfoodandfire . For more from scratch recipes follow me on Instagram & Pinterest

    These cranberry scones are exceptionally easy to make, perfect for breakfast or tea time, and just the right combination of sweet and tart. A simple recipe, any level baker can attempt! #cranberry #scones #breakfast #baking #brunch

    Perfect Cranberry Scones

    Markus Mueller | Earth, Food, and Fire
    These cranberry scones are exceptionally easy to make, perfect for breakfast or tea time, and just the right combination of sweet and tart. A simple recipe, any level baker can attempt! #cranberry #scones #breakfast #baking #brunch
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Baked Good
    Cuisine Canadian
    Servings 12 cranberry scones
    Calories 134.7 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • ¼ cup cold butter cubed
    • ⅔ cups frozen cranberries
    • 3 tablespoon brown sugar
    • ¾ cup milk

    Instructions
     

    • Pre-heat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
    • Mix the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.
    • Mix in the cold cubed butter, just like you would if you where making pie dough or homemamde biscuits.
    • When the mixture is crumbly and no large chunks of butter remain, stir in the frozen cranberries and brown sugar and mix well.
    • Add the milk to the cranberry scone dough, and mix until a soft and sticky dough is formed.
    • turn the dough out on a floured counter-top, and knead two or three times to smooth out the dough. Add a little flout if the dough is very sticky.
    • With a rolling pin roll out the dough until it is about half an inch thick. Then cut the dough into individual cranberry scones. The shape is entierly up to you but triangles are traditional!
    • Arrange the scones on your baking sheet, and brush with milk, then sprinkle with sugar.
    • Bake at 400F for 12 to 15 minutes.
    • Cool the cranberry scones on a wire rack or serve them warm for breakfast or brunch!

    Notes

    Brush the tops of the cranberry scones with milk, and then sprinkle with sugar for a crisp golden crust!
    Calories are calculated per serving

    Nutrition

    Calories: 134.7kcal

    Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     

    This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read my affiliate disclosure.


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Elmar

      December 03, 2022 at 3:15 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe Markus
      I've tried many scone recipes and I like your the most but... 2 questions -
      1. On your pic top of the scones is yellowish, mine stay pale unless I put them for 1 min on broil. Usually people put some yolk or something on top to make bakery look nicer. Wondering how you accomplish that in just 12 min.
      2. Also (in my case) the texture of tops and scones is perfect, but bottoms stay kind of wet, even next morning. What is wrong?
      Regards

      Reply
      • Chef Markus Mueller

        December 09, 2022 at 3:45 pm

        Hi Elmar, glad you love the cranberry scone recipe! You are correct. I brush my scones with an egg wash to help brown the tops. I am not sure why the bottom of your scones would be wet. Try letting them cool on a wire rack instead of on the sheet pan. It could simply be condensation causing the bottoms to go moist. Let me know how it goes!

        Reply
        • Elmar

          December 24, 2022 at 4:46 pm

          5 stars
          Works fine...
          The only thing is that even if I like this recipe, I can't make it as crumbly as mass production scones, like in Starbucks, etc. What is the catch?

          Reply
    2. Candice

      November 29, 2022 at 9:06 pm

      Can I use fresh cranberries?

      Reply
      • Chef Markus Mueller

        November 30, 2022 at 10:42 am

        You sure can Candice!

        Reply
    3. Katrina R

      May 02, 2020 at 8:38 pm

      5 stars
      This is the easiest & most delightful scone recipe I’ve found so far (I’ve tried several during this quarantine for sure). I used dried cranberries (1 cup) & add a dash or so of ground cloves. I’m about to whip a batch but use frozen blueberries instead.

      Reply
      • Chef Markus Mueller

        May 03, 2020 at 3:25 pm

        Hi Katrina, Glad you enjoyed the scones! Tag us on social media with some pictures! @earthfoodandfire

        Reply
    4. Charlotte

      April 15, 2020 at 10:16 pm

      Can I substitute dried cranberries for the frozen? If so, would the amount change?

      Reply
      • Chef Markus Mueller

        April 16, 2020 at 8:02 am

        Hi Charlotte, yes you can substitute dried for frozen cranberries. I would recommend soaking the dried cranberries in hot water first though to soften them up. Let them soak for 5 or ten minutes then drain off excess water.

        Reply
    5. Janel

      April 21, 2018 at 4:33 pm

      Can the cranberries be replaced with other fruit in this recipe ?

      Reply
      • Markus Mueller

        April 21, 2018 at 6:45 pm

        They sure can Janel!

        Reply
    6. Lisa Posatska

      February 26, 2018 at 7:47 pm

      I love this idea because I feel like the cranberry + white chocolate scone is overdone! And, way too sweet for a scone. So, your recipe sounds great!

      Reply
      • Markus Mueller

        February 26, 2018 at 8:49 pm

        I agree! scones should not be overly sweet, especially if serving for breakfast!

        Reply
    7. Denise from Urb'n'Spice

      February 26, 2018 at 4:26 pm

      5 stars
      They certainly are perfect cranberry scones, Markus - your description and step-by-step photos are wonderful. It makes my mouth water just looking at them. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Markus Mueller

        February 26, 2018 at 8:50 pm

        Glad you enjoyed the recipe Denise!

        Reply
    8. Fouzia Husainy

      February 26, 2018 at 3:43 pm

      5 stars
      I can make good use of my frozen cranberries now by making your scones for breakfast on Sundays. They look so flaky and tempting. I bookmarked your recipe so I don't forget. Thanks so much for sharing.

      Reply
      • Markus Mueller

        February 26, 2018 at 8:50 pm

        I'd love to see how they turn out! Tag us on instagram @earthfoodandfire when you do make them! You can also use other fruits, doesn't have to be cranberries!

        Reply
    9. Ayngelina

      December 18, 2017 at 2:12 pm

      I'm not a huge fan of pastries but you cannot beat a good scone with awesome butter....and now I'm hungry for scones...

      Reply

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    Red Seal Chef Markus Mueller. Owner of Earth, Food, and Fire

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    Hey there! Welcome to Earth, Food, and Fire where you'll find delicious and easy to follow recipes, backyard gardening info, and everything you want to know about cooking from scratch at home.

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