These perfectly tender, flaky Fresh Orange Scones have such a bright citrus flavor and are topped off with a sweet + tangy orange glaze.
I have been making these scones for years and they never fail to be loved by all who try them! Even the skeptics that say they don't like orange flavored desserts. I was one of those people until I started making these fresh orange scones and now they're one of my favorite things to make! They are just bursting with fresh orange flavor and have such a tender, flaky texture. They are absolute perfection.
Want to try your hand at some more scone recipes? Try my Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Scones or Cinnamon Scones.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The glaze on top is what truly brings everything together. It's sweet but tangy and it finishes these guys off perfectly.
- They have the perfect scone texture - dense and slightly crumbly but soft and tender at the same time. Just like my lemon blueberry scones!
- These are neck and neck with Panera's orange scones. In my humble opinion, these are even better!
Ingredients needed
- Unsalted butter: Butter is incorporated by grating it while cold because it's much easier to distribute it evenly throughout the dough in tiny pieces.
- Orange juice: Freshly squeezed from the oranges that are being zested for this recipe.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions.
Substitutions & Variations
- Cranberry Orange Scones: Add 1 cup of dried cranberries.
- Chocolate Orange Scones: Add ½ cup of chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips. Drizzling melted chocolate on top would also be delicious!
- Blueberry Orange Scones: Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to the dough. I have a lemon blueberry scone recipe that uses this same delicious basic scone dough as the base.
- Fresh Lemon Scones: Substitute lemon zest and juice for the orange zest and juice.
How to make Fresh Orange Scones
Step 1: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
Step 2: Grate frozen butter into flour mixture. Using your hands, work in the butter until the texture resembles a coarse meal.
Step 3: Whisk together sour cream & egg and gently add to flour mixture.
Step 4: Gently stir until just combined being careful not to over-work the dough or squish the blueberries. Dough will be sticky and crumbly at first but will come together as you form it.
Step 5: Pat dough on a lightly floured surface into an 8" circle about ¾" thick.
Step 6: Cut into 8 triangles and place on prepared baking sheet 2-3 inches apart.
Step 7: Place scone dough triangles on a lined baking sheet 1-2" apart. Bake 15-17-minutes.
Step 8: Whisk glaze ingredients together until smooth. Dip cooled scones into glaze or drizzle it on.
Jessica's Recipe Tips
- Drizzle glaze on completely cooled scones. Warm scones will absorb the glaze making them too moist and soft. While still delicious, they won't have a dense, crumbly texture scones are known for.
Storage
- Store orange scones at room temperature for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container.
Freezing
- To freeze: Prepare the recipe all the way up until ready to bake. Push the scone dough triangles together into a circle loosely and wrap tight with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Place into a large resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen on a parchment-lined baking sheet, separating the triangles slightly. Prepare glaze and drizzle on scones after baking.
Recipe FAQs
The main difference is that scones have eggs in the dough and biscuits do not. Other than that they are relatively the same.
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @sprinkle_some_sugar on Instagram!
📋 Recipe
Fresh Orange Scones
Ingredients
Orange Scones
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- zest of one large orange or two medium oranges
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, frozen
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
Orange Glaze
- 3 tbs unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and set oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, gently toss flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until completely smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir sugar and orange zest together until sugar is moistened and zest is evenly distributed. Pour in flour mixture and toss to combine.
- Grate cold butter into mixture. Using your hands, work in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gently stir in sour cream mixture until just about combined. Do not over work the dough! Very gently press the dough against the sides of the bowl a few times and form a ball. The dough will be sticky at first but will come together as you form it.
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface and lightly pat into an 8" circle about ¾" thick. Use a very sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles (like a pizza).
- Transfer triangles onto prepared baking sheet. You can arrange them in two rows, 4 in each row, or arrange them in a circle shape - leaving about 1" between each one.
- Bake scones for 15-17 minutes or until the tops begin to golden. Don't take them out too early or they will be too soft. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on hot pan before transferring onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Prepare fresh orange glaze
- Whisk together melted butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and orange juice until smooth. Once scones are completely cooled, go ahead and either dip the tops of the scones into the glaze or drizzle it on top with a spoon.
Notes
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Marian says
A burst of morning sunshine to the palate!
This is an excellent scone recipe. The texture is perfection. These scones are light and flaky and the glaze is silky smooth and just bursting with flavor.
Chrysta Stuckless says
Hi, just wondering if I were to drop the zest out would these be just plain scones? As in, not a dessert scone.
Thanks,
Jessica says
Yup, exactly! You can make savory scones or any other flavor by removing the orange zest. 🙂
Barb says
Can I sub buttermilk for the sour cream? Probably need to adjust the dry ingredients. Any suggestions? I have about 3/4 qt. of buttermilk I need to use up! Don’t want to waste it.
Jessica says
I'm sorry I am unsure! I would imagine the buttermilk would make the scones too wet. You could try adding a little buttermilk at a time until the dough forms but even then I am unsure what the texture of the scones will be like. let me know if you try it!
Christy Myers says
I have made these scones over the years and they are excellent. Easy to make. Loved by us, guests, kids and grandkids. They are on the ‘please make’ request list. Thankyou for this recipe!
Jessica says
Thanks so much for sharing this with me! ❤️