Whenever I think of scones, I have a preconceived notion that they’re dry and tasteless. I’m not sure where I got this impression, but I tend to think of scones as anticipation wrapped in disappointment.
These orange scones are none of the above. They’re tender, moist, and have a lovely citrus flavor.
Plus, they come together fairly quickly and with little fuss. You don’t even need to roll these guys out. Just gently shape into a flattened ball and call it a day.
Reuben’s one complaint was that they were a bit “carby.” This is perhaps because (dare I say it) they hardly need butter. They’re still good with it, but it isn’t necessary (sacrilegious!). Of course their carbiness didn’t stop him from eating over half the batch.
Note: It takes about 2 large oranges to get enough juice for this recipe. If you like, you can buy one organic orange for the zest and one conventional orange and juice both. Just make sure to zest the organic orange before squeezing it. It’s a lot harder to zest citrus once it’s been squeezed (I speak from experience).

Orange Scones
These orange scones have zest in the scones themselves and a lovely orange glaze on top!
Ingredients
FOR THE SCONES
- 1 3/4 cup organic all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- zest of 1 orange preferably organic
- generous pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons butter cold, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice from about 2 large oranges
- 1/4 cup organic sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
FOR THE GLAZE
- 1/2 cup powdered cane sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
For the Scones:
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, orange zest and salt. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and use a pastry blender (or a fork, two knives or your fingertips) to cut in the butter until it's the size of peas. Add the sour cream and orange juice and mix JUST until combined, adding more orange juice if it seems a bit dry.
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Grab chunks of dough, roll them into a loose ball and flatten them onto the parchment lined baking sheet. In a small bowl whisk together the egg and milk and brush this onto the tops of the scones. Allow the scones to rest for 10 minutes.
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Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the tops begin to turn a lovely golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
For the Glaze:
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In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Add more orange juice if the glaze is too stiff.
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Once the scones are completely cool, drizzle with the glaze. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
recipe very slightly adapted from Pastry Affair
Nancy B
Thursday 28th of April 2022
Hello, I’d like to try this recipe with the whole fruit puréed. Can u please let me know if u can just blend a couple tangerines and add the pulp as well to the juice ? I’d like to use up the whole fruit. .. will it work just as well?
Thank you, Nancy
Erica Kastner
Monday 2nd of May 2022
Sadly I haven't tried cooking with a whole orange that I can remember, so I can't comment on this! I think maybe people cook the orange before pureeing?
Erica Lea
Thursday 28th of July 2016
I haven't frozen this particular scone recipe, but I have frozen scones prior to baking with great success! I would suggest making up the scones and freezing them, bake them from frozen at the specified temperature, but bake them a few minutes longer. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Zarie Orest
Wednesday 27th of July 2016
Have you had success making this scone recipe ahead and freezing prior to baking ??
Erica Lea
Thursday 5th of May 2016
I'm so pleased that you enjoyed them! Good to know that you can use cream in place of sour cream.
Jelli B.
Thursday 5th of May 2016
Just made these. They were delicious, as I'd expected. I didn't have sour cream so I used heavy cream instead (would've first chosen yogurt to sub, but didn't have that either.) Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe. Next time I might add some white chocolate chips to it.