Easy Cranberry White Chocolate Scones Recipe

Easy cranberry white chocolate scones are full of tart fresh cranberries and sweet white chocolate chips and are full of buttery layers of tender dough with golden brown crust. Enjoy these fluffy scones for breakfast or an afternoon snack. This easy scone recipe is ready in less than 15 minutes and is a great way to start your day.

Tart, dried cranberries baked into our tender scone recipe with white chocolate chips is the breakfast treat you have been looking for! If you like cranberry white chocolate cookies, then you are going to love this sweet scone this holiday season. Another of our delicious recipes to try is our raspberry white chocolate scones- they are scrumptious!

If this is your first time making scones don't be nervous. Check out my Master Scone Recipe to get started. It has helpful tips for making any flavor scone recipe whether sweet or savory! Scones are really easy to make and I will walk you through them step by step so you will have a nice, fluffy, and tender scone, one that will rival any coffee shop!

Tools for baking

Before we start to make our homemade scones, it is a great idea to prep our work surface with the ingredients and items we will be using. Here are my go-to baking tools I use for every batch of the best scones.

• Pastry blender we mention this item with every single recipe because it is THE item that will ensure a fluffy outcome for your scones. You can use 2 knives or your hands, but a pastry blender or pastry cutter is best.
• Parchment paper a baking sheet lined with parchment paper is not only great for non-stick baking, but it is also awesome for easy cleanup! No pan scrubbing is needed!
• Mixing bowl should be a large mixing bowl if you want to make this a one-bowl recipe! I mix and also knead the scone dough right in the bowl before turning it out onto a floured surface. 

Secret to Making Good Scones

First, let's go over THREE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS you MUST DO to ensure a perfect flaky scone:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees for at least 20 minutes before baking. A hot oven will help your scones rise tall instead of being flat.
2. Make sure you're using COLD butter. It does not matter if you use cold unsalted butter or salted butter, but it MUST BE COLD. As the butter melts it will allow for air to create flaky scones
3. Minimal handling of the dough. The more you knead the scone dough, the tougher it becomes and you will end up with a flat, hard scone.

Scone ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Vanilla extract
• Chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• Half-and-half, plus 1 tablespoon
• Dried cranberries
• White Chocolate chips

How to Make Cranberry White Chocolate Scones Recipe

Grab your cup of tea or coffee and get ready to put these pretty wedges into the oven and soon you will be enjoying nice warm and tender scones!

As I mentioned above in the Baking tips section, it is important to preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Be sure to do this at least 20 minutes before you intend to bake.

We are going to mix our dry ingredients first. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. 

Now, in the flour mixture, we are going to cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse crumbs. You should see lumps of butter and that is exactly what you want.

Next, we are going to add our wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, stir in 2/3 cup half-and-half until just moistened. If you only have heavy cream That is ok too. Add in your vanilla extract and stir.

Before kneading the dough, gently fold in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. 

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently 5 to 10 times and pat it into a 1-inch thick round disc shape.

With a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges and transfer dough triangles onto a prepared baking tray 2- inches apart. I can usually fit all eight on a large baking sheet.

With a pastry brush, brush the top of each scone with 1 Tablespoon half-and-half, and sprinkle each top with sugar for a little extra sweetness.

Place scones in oven on the middle rack.

Bake until golden brown, which is about 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

Serve warm scone with your cup of hot tea or coffee!

If you have any leftover scones, store scones in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months, or you can keep them on the counter at room temperature loosely covered with a sheet of plastic wrap.

Ingredient substitutions to make vegan white chocolate cranberry scones

Flour– you can easily make these scones gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour with a one-for-one gluten-free flour. You can use Bob's Red Mill or my favorite King Arthur brand, which you can find in most grocery stores.

Butter– I like baking with Nature Balance vegan sticks. Place in the freezer to ensure it is super cold because this tends to be a little softer than regular butter. Cut into small cubes before cutting into flour mixture. 

Fresh cranberries- Frozen or dried cranberries can be substituted for fresh berries. Make sure to cut cranberries in half before adding to the scone dough. 

Half and Half- You can use any soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk in place of cream. If you have the coffee-creamer version, that is even better. 

Other scone recipes you should try: Cranberry Orange Scones, Matcha White Chocolate Scones, Pumpkin Scones, Peppermint White Chocolate Scones, Cinnamon Chip Scones

What Does Adding Egg Do To Scones?

Adding an egg to scones helps to bind ingredients together. Some seem to think that it adds richness to the flavor, however, I found I have the best results when I don't add an egg. That's why our buttery scones are full of layers and super flaky. 

What is the Best Temp For Baking Scones? 

Setting the oven at 425 degrees I have found to be the best temperature for baking our easy scones recipe. As mentioned in our baking tips sections, it is important to bake your scones in a preheated, hot oven. This helps to release steam from the butter when baking creating layers of tender scone.  

Can You Freeze Scones? 

We have loads of recipes for perfect scones and that means saving them to enjoy over time! Frozen scones are good for up to 3 months. Allow frozen scones to come to room temperature, about 15 minutes. They will make a perfect addition to your morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea!