Cranberry orange scones embody the best of the season. These almond flour scones are incredibly tender and bursting with flavor, with a sugar-free white chocolate drizzle. Keto and grain-free! This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
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I have made no secret of my love for scones. I think I’ve loved them ever since I read Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series as a kid. Back then, scones weren’t something you found in every bakery and coffee shop, as you do now. So I asked my mum to make me some scones and she was happy to oblige.
And so an obsession was born. Let me tell you that these keto cranberry orange scones are worthy of obsession.
Can scones be made keto-friendly?
Thank goodness it’s so easy to make scones with keto ingredients like almond flour and coconut flour. Once I figured that out, I became a keto scone making MACHINE!
Starting with one of my first every keto scones recipes for Cinnamon Roll Scones. Those have stood the test of time! From there, I experimented and played around, and came up with other delicious scone recipes like Peanut Butter and Chocolate Scones, Maple Pecan Scones, and the classic Keto Blueberry Scones.
I even have a previous recipe for this same cranberry orange flavor, in an easy drop scone recipe. That recipe lives on the Bob’s Red Mill website and is good, but I will be honest, I think this Keto Cranberry Orange Scones recipe is much better.
How to make Keto Cranberry Orange Scones
I’ve made a lot of keto scones in my day. And by that I mean a lot. I daresay I have created more low carb scone recipes than any other blogger, and many other people have borrowed heavily on my recipes to create their own versions. So I know a thing or two about baking the best keto scones.
- I favor a combination of almond flour and coconut flour and I always always use Bob’s Red Mill. I know the ingredients are of the highest quality and will product the most consistent results. I have a deep and abiding trust in the Bob’s brand and I love what their company stands for too.
- This combination of flours works best for a good scone consistency, giving you both tenderness and that unique crumbliness.
- Scones aren’t meant to be overly sweet, so the sweetener can be kept to a minimum. But because cranberries are very tart, I added 1/3 cup of Swerve.
- The chilled butter in this recipe helps create a more flaky, tender scone than other recipes. It’s more of a traditional way of making scones too.
- I recommend chopping the cranberries up. At least cut them in half, if not in quarters. Because this recipe lacks gluten, the dough is fragile when unbaked and this will help you cut them more evenly.
- It’s also a good idea to use a large sharp knife and cut the dough straight down, as opposed to dragging the knife through the dough.
- The white chocolate drizzle is optional but it takes this cranberry orange scone recipe over the top. I used the Bake Believe white chocolate chips from Walmart but I finally got my hands on some of the ones from ChocZero and I am excited to try them out.
Want more keto scone recipes?
- Mini Vanilla Bean Scones
- Keto Pumpkin Scones
- Ham & Cheese Scones
- Lemon Ricotta Scones
- Raspberry Scones
- Strawberries and Cream Scones
Cranberry Orange Scones – Keto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp grated orange zest
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
- 1/4 cup sugar-free white chocolate chips, (optional)
- 1/4 ounce cocoa butter, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat. Lightly grease the baking mat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two sharp knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in the egg, cream, orange zest, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in the chopped cranberries.
- Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and pat into a 7-inch circle. Use a very sharp knife to cut into 8 wedges, cutting straight down, rather than dragging the knife through the dough.
- Wiggle under each wedge with a knife or offset spatula, and spread the scones around the baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the white chocolate chips and the cocoa butter together until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled scones.
Notes
Nutrition
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These seem like an old-school recipe that needs an update. The texture and taste was boring.
Can you use dried cranberries instead of fresh?
Made these this morning for my husband, since he misses my old sugar-laden version, which has gone away forever. Found that I was able to mimic my old glaze using the juiced oranges, powdered swerve, & a tiny amount of xanthan gum powder, which I brushed on the warm scones. Thank you, Carolyn, for giving us a great starting point.
I was always told scones were very difficult to make. Thank you for proving that simply is not true! I’m a scone fanatic now also. And you have so many flavors that I will be making scones for quite awhile!
so fast and easy to make. delicious too
I love cranberries! Made these today and was pleasantly surprised at how light and tender they are. I didn’t add the icing yet but couldn’t help but taste one fresh out of the oven. Wow! I think you might have turned me into a Scone girl!
Can you use coconut cream instead of regular cream?
I think so, I haven’t tried it.
OK, I have to say, I thought the blueberry and the strawberry cream were my faves until I made these! Hands down these are my favourite scones!!! So delicious and bright. They are especially wonderful at Christmas….but I love them so much I make them all year round!
Followed recipe exactly and the scones crumbled into a pile. No idea why? nothing was expired or old…
bummed
So something went VERY wrong… did you happen to use coconut flour instead of almond flour? Or did you use almond flour that’s been defatted (very fine and powdery, vs just ground almonds)?
I had the same problem as Thomas… Though I did everything that I was supposed to and even after they were cool they break .. crumble apart. I was wondering, even though I used Bob’s Red Mill, it did say fine grind on it. Maybe that was the issue? If I add zanthium gum to the mix, would that be helpful at all? I really want to make this work. They taste absolutely amazing!
No, it’s not the almond flour… that’s what I use. Maybe Xanthan gum would help but I think it’s a flour/butter ratio issue and maybe you need a touch more flour.
Thank you so much for responding Carolyn,
I cut up my cranberries a little smaller. I added a scant eighth of a teaspoon of xanthian gum and I also was more mindful of my flour butter ratio as you suggested. I must say they turned out beautiful. I just made them this morning, they’re cooled now and they taste as fabulous as ever! They’re holding together beautifully.
Thank you again so much for being so generous with your time and knowledge, this is definitely a winner recipe.
That’s great to hear!
Could you use dried cranberries as a substitution in this recipe?
Sure.
These are incredible. Hubby has had me make them several times now and they winners. Thank you!
Love your recipes! However, could you recommend a substitute for the coconut flour? Thanks
Hello Carolyn!
Ready to make these beauties today but wondering if I can sub the cocoa butter for coconut oil?
Thanks!
Jeannette
Yes, that should be fine.
I made these for a friend who is dairy free. I substituted Earth Balance soy free for the butter and almond milk for the heavy cream. I didn’t have any oranges to zest so I used 1.5 tsp of orange extract. For the glaze I didn’t measure but mixed powdered swerve with dribbles of almond milk and a couple of drops of vanilla until I got the consistency I wanted. They turned out amazing!
I don’t know if you see this. But I am so grateful for your substitutions. Dairy free, especially! And I don’t want to buy an orange when I have orange extract around the house, lol
I want to make this for new year’s. We don’t really eat oranges, so I would hate to zest one and waste the rest. Could I use orange extract here? If so, how much? Thanks Carolyn!
Sure, 1/2 a tsp to a full teaspoon, depending on the strength of your extract.
I want to make the cranberry orange scones and wondered if I could use frozen cranberries and chop them up? I have all the others ingredients but not fresh cranberries only frozen?
Yup, that works.
These look and sound delicious. But how are they as leftover. I find all Kato bread items to be dry and tasteless as leftover. What am I doing wrong? I have wasted so much.
They’re great as leftovers.
I just stumbled on this recipe and I want to try it, but between me and my husband we’re allergic to almost every non-sugar sweetener. Equal is the only one he can use, but that causes joint inflammation for me. I have liquid stevia that doesn’t effect me at all and has very little of an aftertaste, but it’s really potent. 16 drops is about the same as a little over 1.5 packets of Splenda. If I use this then the dough won’t have enough dry ingredients. Do you think it’s possible to modify the recipe enough that the dough comes out to the same consistency as yours without effecting the taste, or should I just go ahead and use regular sugar?
I honestly cannot say for sure but I don’t think that the stevia in place of the Swerve is going to actually affect the wet/dry ratio. i think it’s worth a try!
How do you store these? Could I make them Christmas Eve for Christmas breakfast?
If you’re only making them the day before, they will be fine in a covered container on the counter.
Hi Carolyn, thank you for great recipes, I made this a few days ago, amazing taste, but it was very fragile even when they were cool. I just wanted to ask it they are supposed to be that fragile?
No, they really shouldn’t be. What brands of sweetener and almond flour did you use? Keto baked goods are always somewhat more fragile than traditional but you should be able to pick them up in one piece.
I used swerve confectioners and Kirkland brand almond flour and bob’s coconut flour. When they are cool, I have not that much problem lifting them, but if they get a bit warm, like room temperature, they become very crumbly.
Could be your brand of almond flour, but also the scones themselves are supposed to have regular Swerve Sweetener, not powdered.
Oh!! I’m going to try it again with granular Swerve this time, thank you very much Carolyn! I love all of your recipes I’ve tried so far.