Gluten free cranberry scones are tender and lightly sweet, everything a good scone should be. Infused with orange zest and packed with juicy cranberries, these beautifully festive scones are a worthy addition to any holiday table.
Why You'll Love These Cranberry Scones
When tea season begins -- you know the weather: very cold at night and in the mornings with occasional days of rain interspersed with bright sun -- you'll want to have a proper scone recipe at the ready. This recipe for gluten-free cranberry scones would make a wonderful addition to any holiday brunch menu and would be equally great on any morning during December and beyond!
These lovely cranberry scones are tender on the inside and lightly crisp on the outside. You need just two simple gluten-free flours (whole grain oat and teff) to create a gorgeous, soft crumb that still holds up well to a generous buttering. Heavy cream brings a wonderful richness that is offset by the tart fresh cranberries, and rubbing the orange zest into the sugar at the start of the recipe ensures that the oils in the zest are infused into the sugar. Flavorful and cozy, you'll definitely want to add this gluten-free scone recipe to your breakfast repertoire.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make GF Cranberry Orange Scones
Here's an overview of everything you'll find in these gluten-free cranberry scones. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are included in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Oat flour - My favorite gluten-free baking flour, oat flour gives a touch of natural sweetness and whole-grain goodness to these scones.
- Teff flour - Teff flour is a wonderfully hearty whole-grain gluten-free flour that balances the oat flour nicely.
- Baking powder - For a bit of rise.
- Salt - I use fine grain sea salt in all of my recipes.
- Orange zest - Use the zest of an organic orange if possible.
- Granulated sugar - You can add a bit more sugar if you like a sweeter scone.
- Butter - I always use unsalted butter in my baking.
- Heavy cream - Heavy cream brings a lovely richness to these cranberry scones. You can use half-and-half in a pinch.
- Eggs - Large eggs help bind the scones and give them texture.
- Cranberries - You can use fresh or frozen cranberries.
How to Make Cranberry Scones
- Make the flour mix: Combine the orange zest, sugar, flours, baking powder, and salt, then work in the butter.
- Make dough: Add the cream, eggs, and cranberries.
- Form: Lightly knead the dough on a work surface and bring it together, then cut into 8 pieces.
- Rest: Place the scones in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour.
- Bake: Bake the scones at 375°F until lightly browned and firm.
Tips & Substitution Suggestions
Scones are sturdy and simple, but to create the tenderest crumb there are a few steps you can take. Here are a few tips and substitution suggestions to help you make these cranberry scones perfectly:
- Keep ingredients very cold - This is the opposite of all gluten-free baking advice! But keep your ingredients very cold, especially the butter, until you use them. I keep a stick of butter in the freezer so it's super cold when I need it to make scones.
- Rest the dough - Make sure to let the batter rest for as long as possible in the fridge -- overnight is great if you can manage it.
- Oat flour substitute - Try sorghum flour.
- Teff flour substitute - Try buckwheat or almond flour.
- Use a 1:1 substitute - This recipe was developed specifically to use these two gluten-free flours. However, if you wish to use a gluten-free all-purpose flour, substitute it by weight for the teff and oat flours.
- Make them refined sugar-free - Use coconut sugar or maple sugar for the granulated sugar.
- Make them dairy-free - Swap very cold coconut oil or your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter. Switch the heavy cream for coconut cream (not coconut milk).
Serving Suggestions
Scones need tea! Treat yourself and make a pot (with an extra tea bag so it brews nice and strong). I like to serve cranberry scones with softened, salted butter. You can also add a few small pots of jam (try cranberry if you can get it, or go with sweet strawberry). For a more decadent treat, serve gluten-free scones with homemade whipped cream or a drizzle of heavy cream.
How to Store
Scones can be kept on the counter in an air-tight container for up to three days, or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Gently warm the scones in a low oven, or let them sit at room temperature for a bit before eating.
More Gluten Free Scones Recipes
Cranberry Scones
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup/185 g gluten-free oat flour
- ½ cup/65 g teff flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cranberries
Instructions
- Place the sugar in a large bowl and add the orange zest. Using your fingers, work the zest into the sugar until it is fragrant and well dispersed. Whisk in the flours, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater and add it to the flour mixture. Work in the butter with a fork and/or your hands until it comes together in pea-sized crumbs.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and eggs. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the cranberries, and stir together until moistened.
- Using a little oat flour, turn out the dough on the counter and, using a little more oat flour, knead and work the dough together until it is smooth and firm. Form dough into an 8-inch disc and, using a sharp knife, cut into 8 equal pieces.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the scones on the baking sheet and place the sheet in the fridge for at least an hour. Full disclosure: the first time I baked these scones they rested for 2-3 hours in the fridge. You could also make these in advance and store in a parchment-lined, air tight container overnight for morning baking.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F. Place the scones on their prepared baking sheet on top of another baking sheet, then place in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes, until scones are lightly browned and firm. Remove from oven, let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then place on a rack to cool completely. Scones will keep, in an air-tight container on the counter, for up to 3 days.
Charley says
What a great recipe!
For some reason I can’t select 5 stars inly 4
I love the suggestion to use a grater for the butter.
I zested 2 oranges and swapped cranberries for dried apricots.
Helen Spiridakis says
As always a well researched and practiced product. The results are everything one desires in a scone Thumbs up