Juicy tart cranberries and a thick drizzle of white chocolate are the perfect holiday pairing in these flaky white chocolate cranberry scones.
The most holiday-worthy scone I could ever imagine! Name a better combo than fresh cranberries + white chocolate, I’ll wait.
These scones really do have it all, folks. They’ve got tart cranberries in every bite coinciding with sweet, vanilla-y white chocolate and just a little bit of fresh orange flavor in the background.
All while being SUPER light and flaky. Goodbye, dry, flavorless scones, we’ve got a new gal in town!
No need to be a professional baker to pull of these holiday gems! I walk you through each and every step for scone success and I guarantee you’ll be able to whip these up with ease.
Magical holiday breakfast, here you come.
These Scones feature…
- A buttery, flaky texture
- Tart fresh cranberries in every bite
- Thick drizzles of melted white chocolate
Making the Scones
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Unsalted butter
- Orange
- Egg
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Cranberries
- White chocolate
Tips for Perfect Cranberry Scones
- Halve cranberries – halving the cranberries will make for small little juicy bits of cranberry in every bite.
- Use both orange juice and zest – the subtle orange flavor plays very well with the cranberries.
- Measure flour correctly – I use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
- Use cold butter – scones rely on cold fat to build the flaky layers while they bake so it’s important that your butter is as cold as possible. I recommend grating your butter on a box grater and throwing it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Do not overwork the dough – over stirring and kneading of the dough will cause gluten to form resulting in a tough scone.
- Build layers into scones – pat the dough out into a 1-in thick circle, cut into 4 pieces, stack the 4 pieces on top of each other, flatten them back down to 1 inch, and cut out scones. This is a quick little trick for getting tall scones with lots of layers!
- Chill scones before baking – again, you want everything as COLD as possible prior to baking. Stick the scones in the freezer for about 15 minutes to chill prior to baking.
- Brush scones with heavy cream – this helps the scones brown nicely while they bake.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on these scones.
- Use another citrus – use lime or grapefruit in place of the orange.
- Try another fruit – try raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries in place of the cranberries.
- Add nuts – add 1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts or almonds to the dough.
- Top scones with another glaze – skip the white chocolate and try a powdered sugar or cream cheese glaze.
Storing and Freezing Scones
Allow scones to cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days. For best results, I recommend not reheating scones for serving otherwise the white chocolate will melt off.
To freeze scones, do not top with white chocolate. Allow to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw scones completely at room temperature, top with white chocolate, and store up to 4 days.
If you’re looking for the perfect addition to your holiday brunch spread this year, these scones are just it! The little pops of ruby-red cranberries and drizzles of white chocolate look so festive on a table and the flavors are even better.
Pro tip: pair one of these scones with a glass of eggnog, just trust me.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More scone recipes to bake up next!
White Chocolate Cranberry Scones
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Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, shredded on large holes of box grater and frozen
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, halved
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work frozen shredded butter into flour mixture until crumbly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk orange juice, orange zest, egg, 1/4 cup heavy cream, and vanilla until smooth. Pour liquid mixture and cranberries over flour mixture and gently fold until a shaggy dough forms. Turn dough out onto a surface and gently knead several times until dough comes together.
- Lightly flour surface and pat dough into a 1-inch thick circle. Cut circle into 4 pieces using a benchscraper or knife and stack the pieces on top of one another. Use your hands to flatten dough back down to 1-inch and pat into a circle.
- Cut dough circle into 8 pieces and arrange 2 inches apart on prepared sheet pan. Place pan in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill the fats in dough before baking.
- Brush scones with remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Bake scones at 400F 15-18 minutes until golden-brown. Allow scones to cool 10 minutes on sheet pan then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Drizzle cooled scones with melted white chocolate and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 11/18/25.
Meg @ With Salt and Wit says
How did know that Starbucks Cranberry Bliss bars are my absolute favorite?! When I use to work there, we use to ‘accidently’ break one…shucks we had to eat it 😉 Now these scones are going to be my newest obsession. Yum!
Sarah says
Haha! That’s totally a master bliss bar plan if I ever heard one! Love it. 😀
traci | vanilla and bean says
I’ve never had a bliss bar from SB, but I’d much rather have these anyway! Just look at that.. you used all whole wheat white! Love it! Oh my goodness, scones are a weakness Sarah. They get me every time. I swear I could eat this whole batch watching Netflix and cozied up in a warm blanket! Delicious my dear!
Sarah says
You SO need these scones in your life, Traci! They totally put you in a cozy winter mood! 🙂
Manali @ CookWithManali says
I love scones and this combination sounds just perfect for the Holidays! I will take two please with my coffee!
Sarah says
Thanks Manali! These sound right up your alley!
marcie says
You don’t fool around in the scone department, and your weekend sounds pretty much perfect to me. 🙂 It was genius making cranberry bliss inspired scones — deliicous!
Sarah says
Haha! Thanks Marcie! Hope you’re having a nice weekend! xoxo
Nadia's Healthy Kitchen says
They look amazing, Sarah 😀 I love tart desserts, I imagine the chocolate would complement the cranberries so well 🙂 YUM!
Sarah says
The white chocolate totally goes amazingly with the cranberries! The perfect match. 😀 Thanks Nadia!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
White chocolate and cranberries are one of the most absolutely perfect winter combos, and these scones look so fluffy and perfect!
Sarah says
Right?? Totally my favorite winter combo of all time. 🙂 Thanks Rachel!
Izzy @ She Likes Food says
I want warm blankets and Netflix too!! I also want a big basket of these cranberry bliss scones! I love cranberry baked goods so much and they are even better with white chocolate!
Sarah says
A weekend made of dreams right?? Thanks Izzy!