gluten-free cranberry-orange scones

Here’s a gluten-free cranberry–orange scones recipe that’s tender, lightly sweet, and bakery-style 🍊✨

Gluten-Free Cranberry–Orange Scones

Ingredients

Dry

• 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (with xanthan gum)
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Wet / Flavor

• Zest of 1 large orange
• ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• ¾ cup fresh or dried cranberries (if dried, chop slightly)
• ⅔ cup cold heavy cream (or half-and-half)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional Glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1–2 tbsp fresh orange juice

Instructions

1. Prep
   • Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
   • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients
   • In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest.
3. Cut in Butter
   • Add cold butter cubes.
   • Use a pastry cutter or fingers to mix until it looks like coarse crumbs.
4. Add Cranberries
   • Stir cranberries into the flour mixture.
5. Mix Wet Ingredients
   • In a small bowl, whisk cream, egg, and vanilla.
6. Combine
   • Pour wet ingredients into dry.
   • Gently mix until just combined (don’t overmix).
7. Shape
   • Turn dough onto parchment.
   • Pat into a 1-inch thick circle.
   • Cut into 8 wedges.
8. Bake
   • Space scones slightly apart.
   • Bake 15–18 minutes, until lightly golden.
9. Glaze (Optional)
   • Mix powdered sugar with orange juice.
   • Drizzle over cooled scones.

Tips for Best Results

• ❄️ Keep everything cold for flaky scones
• 🌾 Use a good-quality GF flour blend (Cup4Cup or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 work well)
• 🍊 For extra orange flavor, add a drop of orange extract

If you want, I can also make this dairy-free, less sweet, or extra fluffy 😊