Lemon Cranberry Scones

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Crisp on the outside, flaky and buttery on the inside, these bakery style Lemon Cranberry Scones are full of tart, bright flavour. Perfect for a holiday brunch, Christmas morning, or simply serve them at any time with a coffee or tea.

This cranberry scone recipe is the only one you’ll ever need. It’s quick and easy to make homemade scones and everyone loves them. The scones bake to perfection with sweet crunchy edges and tart red cranberries bursting throughout the soft, fluffy, lemony scones. For a crowning finish, the buttery scones are drizzled with a zesty lemon glaze that seeps into all the crevices and down the sides. 

Although fresh cranberry lemon scones are delicious at any time of the year, there’s something special about serving them for Christmas brunch. These festive cranberry scones can conveniently be made ahead and stored unbaked in the freezer. Then all you have to do is pop them into the oven right from frozen when needed. Your house will smell amazing on Christmas morning impressing all your family and guests. This makes entertaining a breeze and means you can enjoy the Christmas holidays so much more!

About cranberries

Cranberries have a vibrant jewel tone shade of ruby red and they’re beauties. They are a source of Vitamin C, are anti-inflammatory and packed with antioxidants. Fresh cranberries are sour and tart tasting which is why they are traditionally cooked with sugar which gives them a sweet-tart taste in baked or savoury goods. Cranberry season is very short so I suggest freezing fresh cranberries when you can get them.

Ingredients Needed to Make Easy Cranberry Scones

(Ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post)

• Granulated sugar – Just a little is needed to sweeten the scones and balance the tartness of the cranberries.
• Lemons – Zesty lemon flavour pairs beautifully with tart cranberries.
• All purpose flour – Use unbleached flour to achieve a tender crumb.
• Baking powder – Leavening agent for the scones.
• Salt – Enhances the flavour of the batter.
• Butter – The main ingredient for scones; use cold butter, cubed or shaved.
• Buttermilk or heavy cream – Either one is suitable for scones, or combine the two.
• Egg – Helps the scones to bind.
• Cranberries – Use fresh or frozen cranberries; no need to that if using frozen.

How to Make This Best Cranberry Scones Recipe

(Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.)

• Mix the sugar and lemon zest together to infuse the sugar with the maximum lemon flavour
• Into a large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, salt, infused sugar and cubed butter
• With a pastry cutter cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly
• Fold in cranberries until evenly distributed

How to assemble Lemon Cranberry Scones

• On a floured surface form the dough into a ball then pat it into a 10” circle, arrange additional cranberries on top, pressing them in half-way.
• With a knife or pizza wheel cut circle into eight wedges
• Transfer wedges to a parchment lined baking sheet, refrigerate for 15 minutes while pre-heating the oven, brush with buttermilk
• Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until lightly golden then transfer to a rack to cool

How to Glaze Cranberry Lemon Scones

• In a small bowl mix the lemon glaze; icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth
• Brush or drizzle each cooled scone with glaze, allowing it to set for 10 minutes

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is better for scones buttermilk or heavy cream?

The recipe suggests using either one as both are good for pastries. I prefer to use buttermilk for a lighter scone with a slight tangy flavour. However, occasionally I use the heavy cream option instead, and it definitely creates a great tasting scone with a richer texture. You could even use a combination of both and have the best of both worlds.

What is the function of butter in scones?

You can’t have a rich, decadent pastry without butter! The butter mixed into the scone dough must be cold so it can melt gradually while the scones bake. As the heat of the oven hits the butter in the scone, the water content in the butter evaporates into steam. The steam then escapes, bursts up and creates a beautiful tall, flaky and fluffy textured scone.

Why didn’t my scones rise?

Scones need to be baked from cold (or frozen) so as to keep the butter in them cold right until they hit the hot oven. Make sure the oven is preheated to the recommended temperature. Do not open the oven door during the baking time which causes the temperature to drop and resulting in scones that don’t rise. Make sure your baking powder, the main leavening ingredient in the recipe, is fresh and active as it also contributes to creating tall scones that rise and have lots of air pockets in them.

Why are my scones tough?

Ensure you add just the right amount of flour to the recipe and not much more. Lightly flour your work surface and avoid incorporating too much flour into the dough. The dough can be on the wet, sticky side, but use a light hand to bring the dough together without overworking it to preserve the air bubbles in the dough. The shaped dough will not be completely smooth, you can expect it to have lumps and bumps.

Pro-Tips for Perfect Scones

• Cube cold butter into very small pieces or alternatively, grate cold butter on the large holes of a box grater
• Keep cubed or grated butter, buttermilk and egg cold in the refrigerator until needed
• Cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly; a food processor works too but tends to overwork dough resulting in denser, less flaky scones
• Use buttermilk or heavy cream for the richest and thickest scones; the buttermilk is the lighter option of the two
• Refrigerate scones for 15 minutes or longer to allow the butter to firm up before baking which will yield higher and flakier scones
• Scones bake quickly in a hot oven so keep your eye on them
• If fresh cranberries are not available use frozen cranberries – do not thaw them; or easily substitute them with blueberries or raspberries for an equally tasty scone

How to make ahead and/or freeze scones

Learn how convenient it can be to have freshly baked scones for brunch or afternoon tea with no mess in the kitchen. Choose one of the methods below.

1. Prepare the scones ahead but bake later

Prepare the scones as directed up to Step 7, and refrigerate them on the baking sheet, covered lightly with plastic wrap for a few hours, up to overnight. Remove from refrigerator, brush with buttermilk and bake cold scones in preheated oven as directed.

2. Freeze scones after baking

Prepare and bake the scones as directed up to Step 9. Freeze scones in an air-tight container or zipper bag. To thaw, remove the scones from freezer and place on a cooling rack. Let thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours. If desired, warm scones in a preheated 300 degrees F oven on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Make the lemon glaze and drizzle over scones.

3. Freeze unbaked scones

Make the scones as directed up to step 7. Place unbaked scones on the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 2 – 3 hours until frozen. Once frozen transfer scones to a zipper bag for storage for up to 3 months. When needed baked scones from frozen: place frozen scones on a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue with steps 8, 9 and 10 except add about 3 - 5 extra minutes to the total baking time.

If you like cranberries then also try these recipes:

Cranberry Bars
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Two Bite Apple Cranberry Tarts

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