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Bright, tender scones glazed with fresh citrus, featuring delicate crumb from cold grated butter and a soft texture enhanced by heavy cream, orange zest, and juice. Finished with a vanilla-orange butter glaze for a sweet citrus finish.

  • Total Time: 28-45 minutes (including chilling time)
  • Yield: 8 regular scones or 16 mini scones 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (up to ½ cup for sweeter variation)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder (1½ teaspoons for high altitude)
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, cold and grated or cubed
  • ½ cup heavy cream, cold (plus 1–2 tablespoons extra liquid for high altitude, added gradually)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (from about one orange)
  • 1–2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • Optional Orange Vanilla Butter Glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • Zest from 1 orange
  • Juice from ½ orange (add gradually until smooth and pourable)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt.
  3. Grate cold butter and freeze or keep chilled until ready to use.
  4. Add grated cold butter to dry ingredients and quickly mix using a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some visible butter pieces.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together heavy cream, vanilla bean paste or extract, egg, 1 tablespoon orange zest, and 1–2 tablespoons orange juice.
  6. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in wet mixture, and gently stir with a fork until dough just comes together and looks shaggy; avoid overmixing.
  7. Turn dough onto parchment-lined surface; use parchment to bring dough together and press into an 8-inch disc about ½–¾ inch thick; add a few dribbles of cream or orange juice if dough is too dry, mixing quickly.
  8. Cut the disc into 8 wedges by halving, quartering, then halving each quarter; pull wedges apart slightly for more even rise or separate more for rustic appearance.
  9. Chill shaped wedges in the fridge or freezer for 10–30 minutes while preheating oven.
  10. Bake scones 13–15 minutes until bottoms are lightly golden; check at 13 minutes for a softer scone or at 15 minutes for a firmer texture.
  11. Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
  12. For glaze, whisk powdered sugar, orange zest, melted butter, and vanilla bean paste or extract in a bowl; add orange juice gradually until glaze is thick but pourable.
  13. Dip cooled scone tops in glaze or drizzle glaze with a snipped freezer bag; allow glaze to set on a wire rack before serving.

Notes

Use cold butter and cream to achieve tender, flaky texture., Do not overmix dough to prevent toughness., Adjust sugar amount for sweetness preference, keeping total between ¼ to ½ cup., Mini scones can be made by dividing dough into two discs and cutting each into 8 wedges; bake at 400°F (204°C) but check doneness around 12 minutes., For high altitude, reduce baking powder to 1½ teaspoons, add 1–2 tablespoons extra flour, and possibly extra liquid gradually., Glaze consistency is key: add juice slowly to powdered sugar mixture to avoid thin glaze that slides off scones., Store baked scones in airtight container up to 5 days; freeze unbaked shaped wedges up to 4 months for later baking; freeze baked scones unglazed for up to 3 months and glaze after thawing for best texture., Variations include using gluten-free flour blend, blueberry substitution, or orange extract in glaze if fresh orange is unavailable.

  • Author: Ashley
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 13-15 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast / Brunch Pastry

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 scone
  • Calories: 355 calories per scone
  • Fat: 16g fat per scone
  • Carbohydrates: 44g carbohydrates per scone
  • Protein: 8g protein per scone