Vegan Orange Cranberry Scones

These homemade Vegan Orange Cranberry Scones make the perfect breakfast, snack, or after-school treat.

Vegan Orange Cranberry Scones are made with a sweet white scone dough with cranberries spread with orange butter and rolled up. Cut into slices as they bake all the swirls merge together. While they look pretty, they taste divine!

If you like orange then this is the recipe for you as the orange butter melts into the dough making a delicious marmalade like filling. I added dried cranberries as I love them. You could add cherries, sultanas or make them without any fruit, its up to you.

Have you made scones before but they were hard and heavy?

Scones should be light and soft. If yours are not then follow my tips to success so you never have tough scones again. A few simple steps will make all the difference in your results.

How to make the perfect scones and the common mistakes to avoid:

Successful scones are those that have been touched the least.

● The cardinal rule of scone-making says that it is essential to use a light touch when rubbing in your fat and to knead the dough as little as possible.

● When you make scones do not over mix the dough, as this will result in a tough scone. The less you knead the mix, the less the gluten will tighten up. This means your scones will stay loose and crumbly, rather than tight and springy.

● Make sure you sieve the flour and baking powder into your bowl. This means that the two will be well mixed together, which gives you a better chance of an even rise.

● Unlike most other baking, when it comes to making scones, cold butter is best and will lead to a perfect rise. Keep the butter in the fridge right until you need it.

● Afflicted with warm hands? Consider using a pastry cutter to do the work for you.The dry ingredients can also be mixed together in the food processor and then you can add the butter and pulse just until you have coarse crumbs.

● Always have your butter cold and cut it into small cubes as this makes it much easier to blend it into the flour.

● Mix the milk in by hand. Pour into hole in centre of flour and make circles with your hand until liquid just absorbed.

● Don’t add too much flour to the surface when you roll out your dough. It’s easy to forget that flour on your work surface still adds to the dough, which can make the scones heavier.

● Much like cinnamon rolls, arranging your scones side by side, just touching one another, helps in making the scones rise evenly, and higher. Heat causes the scones to rise so if they are placed side by side, the scones will be forced to rise upwards, not outwards. Thus, scones arranged closer would rise higher than those baked apart.

● Scones start baking at a very high temperature as this makes them rise fast then the lower temperature sets them.

Scones can be made ahead, but only to a certain point

Scone mixture may be weighed up ahead – even the day before. Butter may be rubbed in but do not add raising agent and liquid until just before baking.

While this is the method for making scones we are using the basic dough in a different way to make Vegan Orange Cranberry Scones.

After the dough is made, handling it as little as possible roll into a rectangle about 2cm/¾ in high and about 35 x 23cm/14x 9 in.

Spread with the orange butter right to the edges and roll up like a swiss roll.

Cut into fourteen slices and place nearly touching on a baking tin. I used a tin that was 34 x 24 cm (13in x 7in). Line the tin with baking parchment for less washing up.

Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar for a nice crunchy top.

Put the scones in the oven for 5 minutes then turn down the heat to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8. Bake for a further 10 minutes.

As always, scones are at their best shortly after baking.

Vegan Orange Cranberry Scones are delicious warm from the oven so be sure to have the kettle boiled to make a cup of tea to go with them!

Did you make this recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #aveggiecooks and tag @aveggiecooks__. I would love to see it!

Vegan Orange Cranberry Scones

Vegan Orange Cranberry Scones are made with a sweet white scone dough with cranberries spread with orange butter and rolled up. Cut into slices as they bake all the swirls merge together. While they look pretty, they taste divine!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Baking, Breakfast, Lunch

Cuisine Vegan

Servings 14 Scones

Equipment

• 1 Baking Tin 35 x 23cm/14x 9 in.

Ingredients

  

Scones

• 450g /1lb Plain White Flour
• 3 Rounded Teaspoons Baking Powder
• Pinch Salt
• 25g /1 oz Castor Sugar
• 85g /3oz Dairy Free Butter
• 300ml /10fl oz Dairy Free Milk
• 75g /3oz Dried Cranberries

Orange Butter

• 2 Oranges, finely grated zest
• 85g /3oz Dairy Free Butter
• 100g /3½oz Icing Sugar, sieved

Topping

• 50g /2oz Granulated Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Dairy Free Milk

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 250°C/475°F/Gas Mark 5
• Prepare the orange butter first. Cream the butter with the orange zest, add the sieved icing sugar and beat togeether until light and fluffy.
• Sieve the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the castor sugar.
• Cut the chilled butter into cubes and rub into the dry ingredients.
• Add in the dried cranberries
• Add the milk and bring the ingredients together into a soft dough.
• Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Handling it as little as possible roll into a rectangle about 2cm/¾ in high and about 35 x 23cm/14x 9 in.
  
• Spread the orange butter gently over the top surface of the dough. Gently roll up the dough like a swiss roll.
  
• Cut the rolled scone dough into about 14 slices.
  
• Place the scones cut side down in the tin. Brush with the milk and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
• Put the scones in the oven for 5 minutes then turn down the heat to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8. Bake for a further 10 minutes.

Other recipes to try:

Vegan Irish Barmbrack

Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Muffins