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These tender, citrusy blood orange scones are the perfect way to celebrate citrus season! There is blood orange zest and juice in both the scones and the glaze for a bright, sunny flavor in the cold of winter. The dried cherries add a gorgeous ruby color and a deep, rich flavor to bring everything together. Perfect for Sunday mornings!
Aren’t blood oranges the most beautiful citrus? I am a big fan of blood oranges, always in awe of the stunning colors and patterns when I slice them open. Plus, they have a deep flavor that’s more nuanced than regular oranges. They always make me feel a little fancy!
These homemade blood orange scones are almost too easy to make, though. The dough is ready in just a few minutes, and I love watching them rise up in the oven! My favorite part is drizzling the blood orange glaze drizzled on top of each scone, and I love the balance of flavors with the dehydrated cherries. They’re such a treat!
What are Blood Orange Scones?
This particular recipe is a fun twist on traditional scones. I like to make cream scones or American-style scones, which are very tender and flaky with a slightly sweet flavor. These blood orange scones come together similar to your favorite flaky biscuits. You need to break the butter into very small pea-sized pieces, carefully working it into the dough. It’ll look crumbly in the food processor, but that’s how you get the flakiest texture. They’re some of my favorite scones ever!
Why you’ll love this blood orange scone recipe
- ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS – The tender, citrusy scones have a pop of cherry flavor, and the fresh blood orange glaze takes the entire recipe over the top. The fresh orange zest and juice give it a pale pink color and unbelievably fresh flavor!
- READY IN A HURRY – This easy recipe is made extremely quickly by the food processor. The dough will be ready before the oven even preheats, and you’ll be eating warm, freshly glazed scones in less than 30 minutes! If you haven’t tried this method before, you’ll be a convert after the first time.
- PERFECT FOR BLOOD ORANGE SEASON – Winter is citrus season here in the US, and it’s amazing to see all the different options available at the grocery store! If you’re lucky enough to have a stash of blood oranges on hand, these scones are the perfect way to use up a couple!
Equipment
To make these delicious blood orange scones, you’ll need:
- Food processor
- Large baking sheet with parchment paper
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Wire cooling rack (optional)
- Small mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Zester
- Citrus reamer
Ingredients
- Flour – I prefer to use pastry flour, but all purpose flour works well too!
- Granulated sugar – Feel free to substitute vanilla sugar or lavender sugar for extra flavor.
- Kosher salt –
- Baking powder – This helps the scones rise.
- Egg – Egg will bind the dough together and give it a soft texture.
- Cold butter – Make sure it is very cold! I often use frozen butter, which the food processor breaks up easily.
- Heavy cream – These are cream scones, which gives them an incredibly tender flavor.
- Dried cherries – These add a ruby red color and a pop of rich cherry flavor.
- Fresh blood oranges – You’ll need both blood orange zest and juice for both the scones and the glaze.
- Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar, this will thicken the blood orange glaze to drizzle over the scones.
How to Make Blood Orange Scones
Prepare the Scones
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, orange zest, and diced cold butter to the bowl of a food processor. Blend for 5-6 seconds.
- Add the egg, heavy cream, 1 tablespoon orange juice, and dried cherries to the bowl on top of the flour mixture. Blend for 5-7 seconds or until it looks like large crumbles. Be careful not to overwork.
- Dump the crumbles onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured surface. It may look very crumbly at this point, which is fine.
- Knead the dough into a ball and then press it into a round. Use a sharp knife to cut it into 6-8 even slices.
- Separate the slices then refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow the scones to set up on the baking tray for at least 5-10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack (optional).
Make the Blood Orange Glaze
- In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of blood orange juice, the zest of one orange, and half the powdered sugar.
- Whisk well until fully integrated, then stir in the remaining sugar. Whisk to remove any clumps.
Glaze the Scones
- Allow the scones to cool for 15-20 minutes, then drizzle or glaze the scones in whatever design you’d like. Eat right away or allow the drizzle to harden before storing in an airtight container.
Storing
Scones are always best freshly baked. If you’d like to store these for later, allow them to cool to room temperature and let the glaze harden. Then, place them in an airtight container, like a Tupperware tub. Eat within 1-2 days. You can also refrigerate the baked scones for later, but you’ll want to reheat them for 15 seconds in the microwave to bring back their soft texture.
Tips & Variations
- Use the glaze on anything. This blood orange glaze is absolutely delicious and would be wonderful poured over a cake, muffins, shortbread cookies, and more!
- Use different dried fruits. I love the cherries, but these would also be great with cranberries, dried blueberries,
- Try a hand mixer. If your powdered sugar is a little clumpy, your whisk might not be able to break it down all the way. In this situation, use a hand mixer to get a smooth glaze that drizzles nicely.
- Adjust the thickness. For a thicker, more three-dimensional glaze, gradually add extra powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time.
- Make them by hand. If you don’t have a food processor, you can easily make the scones by hand in a large mixing bowl. You’ll need a pastry cutter to break down the butter or you can grate it into the bowl. You may need to add an additional two tablespoons of cream as handmade scones typically need more moisture to come together. Be sure to chill the scones before baking!
- Adjust the citrus. You can easily make this recipe with other types of citrus. The cherries would taste great with Meyer lemons, lime, or even grapefruit.
- Stir in some extras. If you want to add even more texture to this dough, consider adding 1 of these optional add-ins: 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, 1/4 cup fresh blueberries, or 1/3 cup chopped or sliced almonds.
- Cut them into shapes. Prefer round scones? Roll the dough into a flat sheet, then cut it with a biscuit cutter.
- Adjust the size. If you want smaller scones for a brunch or party, use a bench scraper or knife to cut the wedges into multiple triangles. Adjust the baking time as well.
How to Serve Blood Orange Scones
I like to eat these scones with a hot cup of tea or my morning coffee. They’re a great recipe to serve for breakfast or brunch, but they also make a great afternoon snack!
FAQs
I always recommend chilling your scone dough before baking! This will allow the dough to relax a bit and keep the butter very cold.
All types of oranges are great for scones, including cara cara, navel, tangerine, mandarin oranges, and more. You can really make scones out of any type of citrus. I love the pink color you get from blood oranges, but regular oranges are great, too.
Nope! Glazing is entirely optional. You can make the scones without the glaze, or try sprinkling a little sugar on top for a sweet, crunchy topping. I also enjoy these with a drizzle of whipped honey. The glaze gives you the strongest blood orange flavor so if you skip it, just prepared for it to be more subtle.
Related Recipes
Love these cherry and blood orange scones? You’ll love these scone recipes!
- Lemon White Chocolate Scones
- Apple Crumble Scones
- Date & Walnut Scones
- Apple Cider Scones
- Strawberry Rhubarb Scones
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.
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Blood Orange Scones with Dried Cherries & Blood Orange Glaze
Equipment
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- sharp chef’s knife
- Wire cooling rack (optional)
- small mixing bowl
- citrus reamer or spoon
Ingredients
Scone Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour, or pastry flour
- 4 oz unsalted butter, one stick; very cold
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp blood orange juice
- zest of 1 blood orange
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup dried cherries
Blood Orange Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp blood orange juice
- zest of 1 blood orange
Instructions
Prepare the Scones
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, orange zest, and diced cold butter to the bowl of a food processor. Blend for 5-6 seconds.2 cups all purpose flour, 4 oz unsalted butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp kosher salt, zest of 1 blood orange
- Add the egg, heavy cream, 1 tablespoon orange juice, and dried cherries to the bowl on top of the flour mixture. Blend for 5-7 seconds or until it looks like large crumbles. Be careful not to overwork.1 tbsp blood orange juice, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup dried cherries
- Dump the crumbles onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured surface. It may look very crumbly at this point, which is fine.
- Knead the dough into a ball and then press it into a round. Use a sharp knife to cut it into 6-8 even slices.
- Separate the slices then refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow the scones to set up on the baking tray for at least 5-10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack (optional).
Make the Blood Orange Glaze
- In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of blood orange juice, the zest of one orange, and half the powdered sugar.1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tbsp blood orange juice, zest of 1 blood orange
- Whisk well until fully integrated, then stir in the remaining sugar. Whisk to remove any clumps
Glaze the Scones
- Allow the scones to cool for 15-20 minutes, then drizzle or glaze the scones in whatever design you’d like. Eat right away or allow the drizzle to harden before storing in an airtight container.
Hello!
Your recipe doesn’t say how much butter to use.
Oh no! I just fixed that. My scone recipes always call for one stick of butter. Thanks so much for pointing this out!