Cranberry White Chocolate Scones
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Cranberry White Chocolate Scones are the ultimate breakfast treat that crumble in all the right places! They've got that perfect mix of tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate, baked into a tender scone that's soft in the middle and crumbly around the edges. Enjoy them fresh from the oven with coffee, or make a batch for breakfast or brunch with friends.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Delicious Flavor - white chocolate and cranberries are the perfect blend of sweet and tart flavors.
Pairs Well With Others - cranberry scones taste great with other sweets on the holiday dessert table.
Great for Gift Giving - wrap in cellophane, add a festive bow and you've got the perfect hostess gift!
I've always been a fan of scones that are buttery and crumbly, not the ones that feel more like muffins. These irresistible scones are exactly what I love. They're the perfect pastry to enjoy on Christmas morning with a big mug of peppermint white hot chocolate or a cozy cup of crockpot wassail.
If you're looking for more delicious bakes, try these Lemon Scones that taste like sunshine, a plate of Soft Cranberry Cookies, or this Blueberry Coffee Cake recipe that's bursting with juicy blueberries.
The Secrets to Making Scones
Have you ordered scones at your local bakery and wondered how difficult it would be to make them at home? Trust me, you can do this!
The hardest part is making sure you don't overwork the dough. Other than that, it's all about measuring and mixing. And the end result is worth every step!
My best tip is to be sure you grate the cold butter into the flour with a cheese grater. Simply pop a stick of butter into the freezer overnight and it will grate like a charm the next day.
Ingredients
Below are the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. See the recipe card at the end of this page for quantities and tips.
Scones
- all purpose flour - spoon and level into a measuring cup
- sugar
- baking powder - make sure it's fresh for best results
- salt
- salted cold butter - freeze butter overnight and grate into flour
- vanilla extract
- fresh cranberries - can use frozen, but do not thaw
- white chocolate chips
- heavy cream - reserve 2 tablespoons for brushing the tops
Glaze
- white chocolate melts - chopped into small pieces
- powdered sugar
- heavy cream - just a little bit goes a long way
How to Make Cranberry Scones
1 - Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2 - In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3 - Grate the butter with a cheese grater and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are about the size of a pea.
4 - Add the cold cream and vanilla extract and mix with a rubber spatula, pressing as you mix to start forming a crumbly mixture.
5 - Toss in the cranberries and white chocolate chips and gently stir to combine.
6 - Transfer dough to a clean counter and gently knead it into an 8-inch circle. Do not over mix.
7 - Use a knife to cut the scones into 8 triangular shaped wedges. Refrigerate 20 minutes before baking.
8 - Brush tops of dough with cream. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until cooled completely. Glaze when cool.
How to Make The Glaze
1 - Heat cream in microwave in a liquid measuring cup or microwave safe bowl.
2 - Add the white chocolate melts and let them sit covered in the hot cream for a few minutes. Stir until smooth. If they won't melt completely, microwave them at 20 second intervals until creamy.
3 - Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Drizzle glaze over cooled scones.
Variations
- Substitute dried cranberries or cherries if fresh are unavailable. You can also use frozen cranberries, but do not thaw before using.
- Fresh raspberries are a nice variation, but the color does bleed after baking.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of orange or lemon zest for extra flavor.
- Use white chocolate chips for melts (or visa versa).
Serving Suggestions
Try serving cranberry white chocolate scones with pumpkin chocolate chip muffins or everyone's favorite banana nut bread mini muffins.
Offer a variety of savory baked goods that offsets the sweetness including breakfast quiche, crescent roll casserole, and my most requested brunch recipe, spinach dip frittata.
During the holidays, serve non-alcoholic Thanksgiving punch or a cup of pumpkin spice hot cocoa, coffee or tea alongside cranberry scones.
Tips for Success
- It's important that your heavy cream and butter be cold, straight from the fridge when adding. The colder it is the more fluffy, soft, and moist your scones will be.
- Freeze the butter overnight and use a cheese grater to grate it into the flour.
- If the mixture is sticking to your hands too much, flour your hands but be careful not to over-flour them. You don't want to introduce too much extra flour to the mixture or your scones will be dry.
- Make sure you use the spoon and level method to measure. If your dough is too dry add another tablespoon or two of cream.
- If you use unsalted butter add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt.
- If the glaze is too thin, add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Storing Leftovers
- Scones are best if eaten the day they are made, especially after they've been glazed.
- You can make the dough up to a day in advance. Keep covered in the fridge, after shaping into a mound. Cut, brush with cream, and bake on day you want to serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Cranberry scones can be frozen by wrapping them in plastic wrap and storing up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight at room temperature before serving.
More Cranberry Recipes
- Cranberry Jello Salad
- Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake
- Cranberry Turkey Sliders
- Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
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Recipe Card
Cranberry White Chocolate Scones
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Equipment
- cheese grater (to grate frozen butter)
- pastry cutter (or fork)
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (spoon and level)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted cold butter (frozen if possible)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, do NOT thaw)
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup heavy cream (minus 2 Tablespoons for brushing the tops)
Instructions
Cranberry Scones
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Grate the butter with a cheese grater and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are about the size of a pea.
- Add the cold cream (¾ cup minus 2 Tablespoons for tops) and vanilla extract. Mix with a rubber spatula, pressing as you mix to start forming a crumbly mixture.
- Toss in the cranberries and white chocolate chips and gently stir to combine.
- Transfer dough to a clean counter and gently knead it into an 8-inch circle. Do not over mix.
- Use a knife to cut the scones into 8 pizza shaped wedges. Refrigerate 20 minutes before baking.
- Brush tops of dough with 2 Tablespoons reserved heavy cream. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until cooled completely. Glaze when cool.
Glaze
- Heat cream in microwave in a liquid measuring cup or microwave safe bowl.
- Add the white chocolate melts and let them sit covered in the hot cream for a few minutes. Stir until smooth. If they won't melt completely, microwave them at 20 second intervals until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Drizzle glaze over cooled scones.
Notes
-
- It's important that the heavy cream and butter be cold, straight from the fridge when adding. The colder it is the more fluffy, soft, and moist your scones will be.
- Freeze the butter overnight and use a cheese grater to grate it into the flour.
- If the mixture is sticking to your hands too much, flour your hands but be careful not to over-flour them. You don't want to introduce too much extra flour to the mixture or your scones will be dry.
- Make sure you use the spoon and level method to measure. If your dough is too dry add another tablespoon or two of cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
SO YUMMY! I made these and they were so so good!
Awesome! Love to hear that they turned out for you!