These perfectly tender scones have such a bright citrus flavor and are topped off with a sweet + tangy orange glaze.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees 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 frozen 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! Again, 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 3/4" 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 the pan before transferring onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. During this time, prepare glaze. Stir together melted butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and orange juice until smooth. Once completely cooled, go ahead and either dip the tops of the scones into the glaze or drizzle it on top with a spoon.
https://www.sprinklesomesugar.com/fresh-orange-scones/Recipe from My Baking Addiction.
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I have never tried scones before. However, I must say that they look delicious. My boys would probably love them. I may have to borrow your recipe one day and see how they like it.
These are amazing! I froze them overnight, then baked them. So amazingly delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Ooooh, that’s good to know! I’ve never tried doing that. Thanks for sharing, Heather!
Did you thaw the dough before you baked them?
I thought the recipe was easy and it made a few more than 8 I got a dozen!
I guess it depends on how big you cut them.
These sound amazing! I thought that you needed a scone pan to make scones, and had no idea I could just make scones on a baking sheet. I think my kids would really enjoy these too. Sounds easy enough to make and would be a nice treat.
I’m quite impressed if you love them that much and aren’t an orange fan! That was my first thought, is that maybe they would be OK but I’m not a huge orange person so not sure if I would really enjoy these. I might just have to try these as a surprise for my hubby, who loves orange anything!
Yup, they’re THAT delicious! If he’s like my boyfriend who is an orange fanatic, he’s going to love them!
I love orange anything and especially orange scones. I’ve had orange butter on scones as well and it taste amazing. I’ve never made orange scones {but I have a favorite orange cake recipe that I use often} but I’d love to try to. I have a scones Pinterest board because I couldn’t live without scones. Thank you for sharing your recipe, I just bookmarked your post so I can find it again. I tried to pin it to my board but something happened {I’m a goof ball} so I’ll try again.
Could I get your orange cake recipe please? Terri Ramsey Beavers
Hurrah, the pin worked that time. If anyone wants to repin… http://www.pinterest.com/pin/260997740881078321
These look incredible. I can’t say I have ever had an orange scone but it sounds devine. I love that there’s glaze on them too. I think I may need go make these, they are definitely something I would enjoy and I’m pretty sure my little piglet kiddos would as well! Delicious!
These scones look amazing! I can just imagine how refreshing the citrus is in them. Coincidentally, my birthday was Jan 2, so these could be my birthday scones too! I will have to pick up some oranges to try these!
Well, Happy Birthday to you! You’re going to love these!
Wow you really made these babies from scratch! I wish I would spend the time to make more food at home, but I’m just so lazy when it comes to food! I love scones, especially home made ones. The ones at the store or bakery always seem old and stale to me. Will you come over to my house and make me some of these?
I haven’t met a scone yet that I didn’t love–so I’m sure that these would be DELICIOUS! I haven’t had the Panera ones (if you can believe it, the closest Panera is about 100 miles away–and I live in a pretty big city!!), but if it’s a scone, then I’m definitely willing to try it. I usually put jam and clotted cream on mine, but these look good enough to eat plain!
Yum!! Like you, I also have a love/hate relationship with anything orange-flavored. I’ve never had the scones from Panera but I have to say these look better than anything you could buy in a store. My mom is hte baker in the family so I’ll pass this along to her.
Wow those look delish! I never really tried to make scones before although this one would be amazing right now.. I love orange pastries, they are just so light, fragrant and fresh to me. I would love to try out your recipe for the holidays! It looks simple and easy to follow! I love your photos!!
I recently got into scones; I used to turn my nose up at them because I thought they wouldn’t taste good so I never bothered to try them. But, I finally did and saw that the texture is right up my alley. The fruity flavors are very tasty too. Your orange ones look very tasty, and love the way they look topped with that icing.
WOW!! These are the BEST scones that Iv’e made ..love the orange flavor ..over the TOP !! A winner for sure ..my second batch in 3 days !! Thank you for sharing …love your recipes as I’m a baker and I love looking for Awesome recipes ..keep them coming !! Cheers ..Sharon
Thanks so much for your nice compliments!! I’m so happy you loved the scones
Preheat at 400
Baking is ??
You bake at 400 degrees.
This looks like a great recipe! Would I be able to substitute the sour cream for greek yogurt? I’m not sure if it would change the flavor or consistency.
Yes, you can definitely interchange those ingredients and it should be just fine in this recipe. Just be sure to use plain greek yogurt.
I recently made these for an Easter Party and they were a huge hit! Not to mention, delicious. I’ve had my share of expensive bakery scones, and these are just as good, if not better.
I tried making these today, and I am not sure what I’m doing wrong but mine didn’t come out like I think they should have. My first problem was that my dough was VERY sticky and never seemed to take the form of a ball. I added a little more flour hoping it would shape, but no luck. The peices were very hard to transfer to the baking sheet because the dough was so soft they fell apart. My glaze also never seemed to harden. Please help! The scones were very good even after I made them but not like Panera’s. Thanks!
Hi Shannon, I’m very sorry these scones didn’t turn out well for you. As per other reviewers and my own experience of making these more times than I can count, I’ve never had or heard of anyone having this problem. I’m not sure what could have went wrong. Could you possibly have measured the sour cream or flour incorrectly, resulting in the overly sticky dough? The dough should be slightly sticky but not sticky enough where it’s a mess. I’m sorry I can’t be much of help to you! It’s hard for me to figure out what went wrong without being there in the kitchen with you.
Mine were very sticky as well as I was mixing the dough, but I left it alone for 10 minutes before I cut it, and it wasn’t as sticky.
I was having the same issue. After I patted mine out on a cutting board, with a liberal amount of flour to keep it from sticking, I put the dough in my freezer for about 10-15 minutes (before cutting it). This helped firm up the dough, so I could cut and transfer.
Great idea!
The trick is to turn the crumbly sticky finished dough mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Then wrap it and press to a flat 3/4 inch in the plastic. I chilled in the refrigerator overnight, but you could freeze it at this point also. It was still dry looking but by morning the flour was absorbed almost totally. Then I opened it up and cut into 8 and baked immediately. They were perfect and delicious at 15 minutes. The glaze is a little runny but can be thickened to your preference with a bit more confectioners sugar. Great recipe and it’s now part of my tool box, Thanks
Great trick!
Hi! Thanks for the awesome recipe. I added some orange zest to my glaze, yummy.
I have a question: since there is butter and orange juice in the glaze, do the scones need to be refrigerated?
Thanks so much again!
Nope! I leave them out at room temperature. I guess it’s just personal preference. Glad you loved the recipe!
Just wanted to tell ya… I love this recipe! Found on pinterest and have made like 15 times already. Your original is my fav, but I’ve adapted to different flavors (maple brown sugar, lemon and strawberry chocolate chip!). My whole family just eats em up, they only last like 2 days I’ve my house….. Thank you!!
That’s awesome, you’re so very welcome!! Omg, maple brown sugar sounds AMAZING! What were your changes for that? I’ve got to try it!
you said it makes eight, but they look huge, would i be able to get 22 small ones out of them it seems like a whole lot of dough! or would you recommend doubling?
They are a little big, but now bigger than your average scone. when I make them I usually will make them this size and if I am feeding more people I will cut them in half to make two smaller triangles once they are baked (or you could do this before baking). If you want anymore than 16, I would recommend doubling because they would be way too small cutting them anymore than once.
Made these today and the whole family loved them! Definitely my new favorite scone. I wasn’t sure that I would like the orange glaze on top, but I really did. The glaze makes these scones even better. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I felt the same way the first time I made these, being that I’m not a huge orange fan but these scones are our favorite! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed them Nikki!
These are truly FABULOUS!!! I read someone else’s comment about also adding a little zest to the glaze, so I added about a tsp in with the glaze, and these are really, REALLY delicious!! I know I”ll be making these often! Thank you for sharing! :0)
Awesome, thanks for reporting back Jane!! I’ve got to try the zest in the glaze.
I would like to try these with lime, so I need a measurement for zest, please. Couple tablespoons?
I would say about two tablespoons of zest per (large) orange. Since limes tend to be very strong I would try one tablespoon first, taste the batter (if you feel comfortable doing so) and see if you should add more.
If I wanted to make these into mini scones, what would I change?
You can follow the recipe and instructions as written up until the part where you cut them. You’ll first cut them into 8 triangles and then cut them in half again to create 16 mini triangles. You’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly so I would start checking the scones at around 10 minutes or so and go from there. Hope this helps, Alisa!
I roll mine into a rectangle and cut them in small squares. A large scone is too much to eat at one time. They come out fine but you will need to watch your baking time.
Has anyone tried making these ahead of time and freezing them? I’m trying to minimize work time before Christmas Eve brunch. Was thinking of baking scones a week in advance and freezing and then glazing the night before or morning of? Any advice?
So good. I just whipped up a batch to commemorate our first winter storm here in Western MA. Family loves them. Will repeat this recipe. THANKS!
These were VERY good!! I didn’t have frozen butter so I just used refrigerated and it seemed fine! Also, I made 16 mini scones and in my oven it took 15 minutes. DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for this recipe!
I just love mini scones! You’re very welcome, Anne!
My hubby loves scones, therefore I am always on the lookout for new recipes; Since I had never made orange scones before, I tried this recipe with complete success; they rose beautifully; got thumbs up from 3 people; they all stated that they had a subtle hint of orange; 3 days later I made them with lemons; my husband stated that he could taste the lemon more than the orange but liked both and would want both again; thanks for a great recipe.
That’s awesome! I love these made with lemon, too! You’re very welcome, Rosemary.
These are the best scones I’ve ever eaten. I’ve made this recipe several times; usually with sour cream, and once with vanilla greek yogurt because it was what I had on hand. Always turn out terrific. I had never heard of grating butter when it calls for cutting in – genius! Thank you for sharing!
Wow, thank you so much, Taryn! You are too sweet. Yes! Grating the butter gives you quite the arm workout lol but it distributes throughout the dough much more uniformly that way.
OMG! I made these for my family on Valentines Day and they were so yummy. I’ll be making another batch this weekend. At some point I want to try switching the oranges to lemons. Yummy! Thank you!
Yay! This comment just made my morning! I have a lemon blueberry version of this recipe that I will link here. You can also leave the blueberries out if you’d like. http://www.sprinklesomesugar.com/lemon-blueberry-scones/
I LOVE these scones!!!! They are so soft and yummy! The amount of orange is perfect and I have made them the past 4 Sundays for breakfast. I used greek yogurt in place of the sour cream and one time I used ricotta (had to add a little milk) because I didn’t have any yogurt or sour cream. Both substitutions tasted amazing! My husband says its time to give this recipe a rest for a week or two but I could eat them everyday! These are so very good and thank you for sharing!!!
Thanks so much, Jill! That’s good to know that ricotta works in place of the sour cream, I would have never thought to try that. I’m so happy you love these so much!!
These things are spot on to the Panera ones, which is a terrible thing for the waistline of this household!! That being said, have you ever tried this with a Lemon substitution? I’m craving lemon and was contemplating making a batch of both, but figured I’d ask to avoid a dud batch if you’d tried it before
Thanks so much, Kayla!! Yes, you can absolutely use lemon! Just switch the orange out for lemon and it works perfectly. I have a recipe for lemon blueberry scones (same base recipe) that I’ll link here for you to check out. You can obviously leave out the blueberries if you want. http://www.sprinklesomesugar.com/lemon-blueberry-scones/
Made these tonight and they are absolutely delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much!
I made these scone they came out great !
I have been looking for a great scone recipe. These turned out great. I love to bake, but never tried to make scones . I love Panera’s scones so I tried your recipe. My mom & sister loved then too. Thank you for the recipe. I will be trying your other flavor a also.
Orange scones are amazing. Were easy to make. Family wants them all the time.
Thank you Scarlet!!
Wow! Made these this morning and are they ever delish. Only made scones once before. These had such a lovely texture. Think the sour cream is the key.
This is my third time making this recipe and of all the scones recipes I’ve tried on Pinterest, this has been my favorite…BTW I myself am NOT a fan of “orange” dishes!
My mother in California has the best orange tree. I can eat those oranges like there’s no tomorrow. So I took some home and decided to try them in this recipe. Oh my gosh what a hit! I then made them for a breakfast function at work and again they were a huge hit!
I’m visiting my mom and picked oranges off her tree yesterday so made them before everyone got up…HIT AGAIN!
Soooooo, wondering if you could hook me up with a recipe to include pine nuts, pecans, and maybe walnuts or almonds. I’ve tried a scone at a small independent brunch stop and it was a tri-nut scone…too die for!
Thanks for the share!
Yay!! These comments make me so happy! Thank you, Denise! Those scones sound delish and you can totally make something similar with this recipe! How about adding some almond extract for a little almond flavor – omitting everything orange from this recipe – and your nut(s) of choice? You can literally do anything you’d like by using this scone recipe as your base! Let me know if you try it out or need more help!
Can you substitute the sour cream with buttermilk?
I have had readers tell me they have done this with great success but make sure to use real buttermilk, not DIY with vinegar/lemon + milk.
Really yummy recipe. I added just a pinch of cloves and cinnamon to the glaze and they taste like XMAS.
Will definitely use this recipe during the holidays. Thanks!
Sounds like a yummy addition!
I have made these scones for my family a few times. They are awesome! They always go fast.
I like to add a little bit of orange zest into the glaze. Makes it extra yummy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Can you make these ahead and just throw them in the oven? Do I need to not do a step in order for it to work?
I have never made them ahead, but if I were to, I would prepare them right up until ready to bake and refrigerate them on the baking sheet, covered with plastic wrap. Just pop them in the oven when ready.
Jessica,
Thanks for the great recipe! I have been thinking about trying to make scones for quite a while and your “orange vanilla scones” sent me over the edge. I took the plunge and made a batch last night, they are awesome! Living in coastal Alabama, I have access to heaps of Satsuma (mandarin variety) oranges , so I used them, what a treat, highly recommended….. you, I fear, have created a monster….a scone monster! Thanks!
Ha!! I’m so happy you enjoyed them! I bet those oranges make these scones even more delicious!
Thse are the most delicious scones I’ve ever made! So much flavor and so tender. My grand kids will love them for Christmas breakfast!
Thanks Karen!!
I’m baking these scones this morning, and the dough is SO dry. The only thing I can think of is that you and I are measuring flour differently. Would you please tell me how you usually measure it?
I’ve added some orange juice to the dough to get it to come together. I think they’ll come out just fine this time, but I’d like to know what I did wrong, so the dough is easier to deal with next time!
Thanks!
When I measure flour, I normally use the spoon and sweep method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup WITHOUT packing it down, then sweep off the excess with a butter knife. This should solve your problem.
I just make the scones thanks for the recipe the ate delicious
You’re very welcome!
These were delicious! I made them with blood oranges, so the glaze was a little pink, which is cute. They were tangy and not too crumbly. Thanks for sharing!
Oh, yum!
Great recipe but it’s the exact same one posted on My Baking Addiction from 2012.
http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/glazed-orange-scones/
I thought it was interesting that you used sour cream since she was doing a sponsored post by the company and I wasn’t sure what led you to use that. Its rare to see a scone recipe with sour cream.
That is correct and why under the recipe you will see that I state, “Recipe from My Baking Addiction.”
These were my first attempt with scones, and they turned out GREAT! So yummy! I used blood orange! So pretty! Perfect for valentines day!
I made these, and they were amazing! I made them smaller by dividing the dough into two balls, and flattening each b all to 6″ diameter circles. I also added a cup of white chocolate chips..
Great ideas!
I just made these this morning and they were AMAZING! My whole family loved them. All 4 of my kiddos and the hubby.
When I went to grab my sour cream I realized that one of my kiddos had made it into ranch dip. Gah! Thank heavens I had some whipping cream, so I substituted that and it worked well.
Also, I did most of it in my food processor. Started with the sugar and orange zest, then added the dry ingredients, then processed in little chunks of the butter. It worked great! I then poured it into a bowl and added the wet ingredients.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I can’t wait to make it again with sour cream!
I am on a very low sodium diet and one of the things I miss THE MOST are the orange scones from Panera. I was thrilled to find this recipe and am happy to report they are truly delicious! I use my sodium free replacements for the baking soda and baking powder, and I also tried white-wheat flour and these are still wonderful. I make then often.
Thank you!
That’s so awesome to hear! Thanks so much for sharing your low sodium experience!
These scones were delicious, even GF with cup for cup flour. GF spouse said they were the best scones ever (and I’ve made a lot of scones)! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
So great to know! You’re very welcome, Kate!
Good recipe. I used Gold Medal flour and found I had to add 1/4 more liquid to get the dough to come together. I used kefer since there was baking soda in the recipe. The texture was excellent, but in my oven it needs about 3 more minutes of baking time. I found the scone light with a very delicate orange flavor. Next time I may try Mary Berry’s technique of boiling a whole orange and then chopping up the whole orange.
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Just made these. Wow, really delicious, flaky and flavorful! Thanks.
I’ve made these scones several times, and I love them. They are amazing! My question to you is do you think there would be a way to make these eggless and still have them turn out? A friend of mine has an egg allergy, and I would like to make a version that she can try 😁 Any advice would be appreciated!!
I was sold as soon as I saw that your husband loves Panera’s Orange Scones (me too) and that he says these are better.
I am hosting an Easter Brunch this year, and they will definitely be on my menu!
Thanks so much!
These are so perfect for Easter!
They are wonderful! I made them for the first time for a brunch, and everyone loved them.
My eleven year old made these for the family and OH MY GOODNESS are they ever good!!
The BEST orange scones! I love the easy method – grating the frozen butter! Is genius. They came together so easy, thanks for the best tasting glaze too- I used vanilla bean paste and it was perfect. GREAT RECIPE,
I have made these 2x since my sister found this recipe before Christmas. They are wonderful. Mine have a bit of a bitter taste after swallowing. Bad baking powder or soda? I know I didn’t take to much off the orange for zest. Will make these again and again. My hubby is British and says thanks mate.
Hmm, I’m unsure about the bitter taste. But I’m glad you loved them anyway!
I really liked the recipe. I like my flavors bold so I would do at least the zest of 2 oranges. My glaze was runnier than yours and made way too much. I made it a 2nd time without the orange and added chocolate chips instead. It was also a hit at the baby shower.
Sounds yummy with chocolate chips!
Love the recipe! Easy to make and so scrumptious. My fiancé thinks it needs more orange flavor. I feel it is a perfect subtle hint of orange. I will make these again.
I agree, I think it’s the perfect subtle orange flavor. You can always add more, though!
OMGosh, these are THE BEST SCONES I’ve ever had….I didn’t have sour cream and used my own Greek yogurt. I had to ad a couple of tablespoons to milk to bind the dough together.
That being said, the scones are light and golden and MOIST! Most scones I’ve had you needed clotted cream and jams to make them palatable…this stand on their own. Thank You!
Yes! They are super easy- that’s why I love them too! So glad you loved the scones and that they came out great with your substitutions!
I used lemon instead of orange and added dried cranberries and dried blueberries. So yummy and they don’t even last a day in my house.
Yummy!!
I’ve just made a batch of these and I have to say that they are simply delicious!
The texture is perfect, they’re a little crumbly and buttery and melt in my mouth.
I love eating them with some butter and honey, with fresh strawberries on the side.
One thing – I made the glaze and it’s just too much for my scones, so I think I’ll have to make another batch just to finish it off Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds delicious! So glad you loved them, Megan!
Made these today and my husband really liked them. The dough cane together nicely- very easy recipe. Thanks for sharing!
That’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know!
I had never tried scones but these sounded good, but they were fantastic!! And easy, thanks!!
Awesome! Thank you, Nancy!
Is butter an ingredient you can’t substitute other things for? I was thinking using applesauce for half the butter to reduce fat and calories. Most people would say, if you want to reduce fat and calories make something else. I guess I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try it. Anyone do that with success?