Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Scones

Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Scones are the perfect quick treat for breakfast, brunch, or tea. Studded with tart cranberries, and dotted with orange zest, they are the ideal combination of tart and sweet.

It only takes a few minutes to whip up a batch of these gluten free Cranberry Orange Scones. That makes them the perfect thing to serve when you are having weekend brunch, or are getting unexpected company for coffee.

Can I use fresh Cranberries in these scones?

These gluten free Cranberry Orange Scones use dried cranberries because they are so readily available. I can keep them on hand for a long time, and they are always available at the grocery store. However, if you have access to fresh cranberries, I think those would work just as well.

Yield: 8 scones

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes

Ingredients Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones:

• 1 ¼ cups brown rice flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup tapioca starch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Zest of 1 orange
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream (plus more for brushing on top, optional)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar (for sprinkling on top, optional)

Orange Glaze:

• ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1-3 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoons orange zest

Instructions Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust the parchment paper with a small amount of rice flour. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the rice flour, sugar, tapioca starch, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
3. Add the orange zest and stir it into the dry ingredients.
4. Grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients. Stir until the butter is evenly distributed.
5. Stir in the dried cranberries. You can place this bowl in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes while you prepare the wet ingredients.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, whipping cream, egg, and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients until it comes together in a ball. Try to handle the dough as little as possible, so that the butter stays cold.
7. Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top, and form the dough into a circle, about 8-inches across, and 1″ thick.
8. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 wedges. Carefully move the wedges apart, leaving at least 2-inches between them so that they will not touch when baking.
9. (Optional): Brush the tops with whipping cream and sprinkle them with turbinado sugar.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 17-19 minutes, or until nicely browned
11. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Drizzle with the Orange Glaze (if using) and serve.

Orange Glaze:

1. Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, orange juice, and orange zest together until smooth. Start with 1 Tablespoon of orange juice, adding more to make a thick glaze. Microwave the glaze for a few seconds to make it runnier. The warm glaze will dry quickly, after leaving a nice thin layer of glaze on the scones.
2. Drizzle on top of the scones while they are still warm.
   Let sit for a few minutes to dry before serving.

Notes Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Scones

These gluten free Cranberry Orange Scones use dried cranberries because they are so readily available. I can keep them on hand for a long time, and they are always available at the grocery store. However, if you have access to fresh cranberries, I think those would work just as well.