During the spring of my freshman year of high school, my dad and I flew to Seattle for a special weekend trip. We arrived late Friday afternoon, and after checking into our hotel, we walked a few blocks west to the Pike Place Market to start our sightseeing. After browsing the multitude of food stalls, ranging from seasonal produce to fresh fish to artisan cheese and even a few bakeries, I decided I wanted to own one of the flower booths someday. So many sweet scents and brightly colored blooms!
We started the next day by walking in the other direction until we reached the Space Needle. After purchasing tickets, we rode over 500 feet to the top, where we snapped plenty of pictures of the views in every direction. The weather even cooperated that day, miraculously holding off any showers, so we could see for miles.
That afternoon, we walked two miles south of our hotel to the main event we traveled to Seattle to attend… The Mariners baseball game! If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you already know how big of a fan I am. My dad and I are in the process of visiting all 30 MLB stadiums together, and although we’ve already checked off 22 from our list, Safeco Field in Seattle was #8!
After a long evening of cheering and the brisk two-mile walk back to our hotel (I nearly had to jog to keep up with my dad!), we collapsed into bed. When we woke up the following morning, we rode the elevator down to the lobby to eat breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant.
The hostess immediately seated us at a table, and once we had scanned the menus, Dad and I both settled on egg dishes. When our server set them down in front of us, I glanced down at the plate. I recognized the eggs, bacon, and hash browns, but… I had no idea what the circular pastry was!
Dad explained that it was a scone, and after tasting a few bites of everything else, I broke off a tiny piece to sample. Soft and tender on the inside, a crisp sugar-crusted outside, and bursting with sweet orange flavors and tangy cranberries… I almost forgot about everything else on my plate, and Dad even offered his to me when he saw how quickly I polished off mine!
Although I’ve baked and eaten plenty of scones since then, those first scones I ever tasted still hold a special place in my heart. And now, too many years later, I’ve finally created a healthier version of them: these Clean Cranberry Orange Scones! They have the same bright flavors and tender texture, but unlike the originals, they contain no heavy cream, refined flour or sugar—and nearly 5g of protein too!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CRANBERRY ORANGE SCONES
You’ll start by measuring out white whole wheat flour. I know… It sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? White… Whole wheat?… But it’s actually made by finely grinding a special type of softer white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat, but they both have the same health benefits. White whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose, which is perfect for creating these scones’ absolutely irresistible tender insides!
Tip: I’ve included my favorite gluten free options in the Notes section, if you’d like to make your healthy cranberry orange scones gluten free instead!
Whereas the original scones probably included a full stick of butter (or two) and plenty of heavy cream, these lighter ones are the exact opposite! You just need 2 tablespoons of butter. That’s it! It’s extremely important that you use very cold butter, straight from the refrigerator. Really cold butter won’t heat up until you put the scones into the extremely hot oven, and it will create little air pockets and a very tender crumb when it melts.
Note: This is why I recommend against using coconut oil, if at all possible, because coconut oil has a much lower melting point than butter and will quickly turn to liquid once you begin mixing it into the dough.
With so little butter, the rest of the tender texture comes from one of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking… Greek yogurt! It adds the same moisture as extra butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your scones a protein boost too.
For those fresh fruity flavors, you’ll add in orange juice, orange zest, and fresh cranberries. Don’t skip the orange zest—it actually provides the majority of the citrus flavor! While it’s currently cranberry season and easy to find them in grocery stores, frozen cranberries would work as well.
Then brush the tops with a little milk to create a subtly crisp crust, pop the pan in the oven, and…
Hello breakfast bliss! I wonder if that restaurant would consider changing their recipe… My dad said these tasted even better! ♡ And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy cranberry orange scones!
Healthy Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (7g) orange zest (about 1 large orange)
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) honey
- 3 tbsp (45mL) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (82g) fresh cranberries, diced
- 2 tsp nonfat milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the orange zest. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the Greek yogurt, honey, orange juice, and vanilla. Fold in the diced cranberries with a spatula.
- Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle on the prepared baking sheet, and brush with the milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Bake at 425°F for 18-21 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Cranberry Orange Muffins
♡ Cranberry Orange Pecan Granola
♡ Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins
♡ Dark Chocolate Cranberry Coffee Cake
♡ Whole Wheat Cranberry Sweet Rolls
♡ Cranberry Gingerbread Granola
♡ Whole Wheat Cranberry Banana Bread
♡ Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Amy…..I absolutely love this recipe! I wanted to add that since I am lactose intolerant, I have made these scones with SILK, which is a non-dairy yogurt, using the vanilla flavor, and they were equally as fabulous! There was no difference in the taste. Light, healthy, and now even tummy friendly. Yum…
I’m so glad you love these muffins, Kim! It really means a lot that you’d take the time to let me know. That’s great to know about non-dairy yogurt too! I’ve used Silk’s non-dairy yogurt in some of my baking recipes (including these fun cupcakes — they’re completely dairy free, so they might be up your alley!). I’m thrilled to hear you didn’t notice any taste or texture difference when you used it in these scones! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Amy…Do you have a lemon blueberry scones recipe, or have you ever substituted lemons and blueberries in this recipe? Thanks….Kim
I do, Kim! Here’s a quick link to it: lemon blueberry scone recipe. I’ve actually posted 45+ different scone recipes on my blog, so there’s a decent chance I’ve shared the flavor you’re looking for. You can find all of those scone recipes by clicking on the “Recipes” tab in the top pink menu bar on my blog! There, my recipes are sorted into categories, and “Scones” is one of those categories. There’s also a search bar on that “Recipes” page, which you can use to quickly find something specific. 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of my lemon blueberry scones if you try making them!
Thank you so much!! I will let you know how they turn out. I love that you cook with healthy and natural ingredients l like yogurt and honey. So healthy…so delicious. 😋
You’re welcome, Kim! I’m happy to help. 🙂 I’m so excited to hear about your scones!
could I brush the top with almond mild instead of dairy milk? I don’t have any in the house
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Esther! I’ve actually answered this in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these scones once you get a chance to make them!
I was disappointed with these scones. They seemed rather flavorless in spite of orange and cranberries. Maybe need some spice as well. And they didn’t seem to have the usual scone consistency.
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Gayle! I’m so sorry I’m just now getting back to you; I had to take a lot more time off than I anticipated to take care of some family things.
That sounds disappointing and not like how these scones are supposed to turn out, so I’d love to help figure out why that happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you. 🙂
Can you describe the texture of your fully baked scones? Were they wet and raw, dry and crumbly, or something else?
By “flavorless,” do you mean not sweet enough? Or that you couldn’t taste the orange flavor, the cranberry flavor, or both?
Did you make any modifications or substitutions, including those listed in the Notes section?
Which flour option did you use: white whole wheat flour or the homemade gluten-free blend I provided in the Notes section?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients, especially the flour, yogurt, and honey?
Did you use the full amount of orange zest?
Can you describe the consistency of the dough prior to baking, while you were shaping it on the baking sheet?
How thick/tall was your circle of dough?
How long did you bake your scones?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them!
Amy
Life got in the way of an earlier response. It’s been weeks ago now that I made your scones. I always want a recipe on the healthier side but I have struggled with your recipes in the past. I used a scale for measuring, used w/w flour, white ww. With the chopped cranberries I’d have thought there would be plenty of flavor, but I didn’t feel the cranberry nor,orange flavor came through. I think a bit more salt might have helped. I don’t remember if your recipe called for any salt. Also, they probably needed a bit more time in the oven, were a bit more damp than scones usually are when bake time was finished. That’s basically what I remember at this point regarding my disappointment with these scones.
Gayle
Thanks for sharing this information, Gayle! My recipe does call for salt. It’s the 3rd ingredient. 🙂 I seem to be missing the answers to some of my previous questions. Until I know those answers of yours, I won’t be able to help you to the best of my ability. Would you please answer the questions below so I can solve the issues that you experienced?
Did you use your kitchen scale for measuring the honey and orange juice?
Did you use the full amount of fresh cranberries and orange zest?
Did you make any modifications or substitutions, including those listed in the Notes section?
Can you describe the consistency of the dough prior to baking, while you were shaping it on the baking sheet?
How thick/tall was your circle of dough?
How long did you bake your scones? Did you stop after 21 minutes, or did you bake them for any additional time?
Thanks Gayle!
Hi Amy,
I’m an avid home baker who feels pretty confident in the kitchen…. But boy did these go awry! So gross and gluey/gooey in the middle. Fully cooked (even added time) but just a horrible texture. What could I have done wrong?
Changes made:
1) Use bob’s red mill GF flour
2) Added an extra (scant) tbsp of Orange juice bc GF flour runs dry
3) Used a food processor to pulse the butter in (one second pulses until crumbly), much like I do with pie crusts
Other than that I followed your lovely looking recipe to a tee! So sad because my batch is just inedible.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Warmly,
Vivian
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Vivian! I’m so sorry I’m just now getting back to you; I had to take a lot more time off than I anticipated to take care of some family things. That sounds disappointing and not like how these scones are supposed to turn out at all, so I’m happy to help figure out what happened.
I really appreciate you including the modifications that you made. That’s so helpful! I have some follow-up questions for you to help me narrow down the culprit.
Did you make any other modifications or substitutions, including those listed in the Notes section?
Was it Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients, especially the flour, yogurt, and honey?
Did you use the food processor solely to incorporate the butter? Or did you also use it to mix in the other ingredients as well?
Can you describe the consistency of the dough prior to baking, while you were shaping it on the baking sheet?
How thick/tall was your circle of dough?
Did you brush the outsides of the dough with milk prior to baking?
How much extra time did you bake your scones?
When you say they were gluey/gooey, do you mean raw? Or more of a gummy texture? (Just want to make sure I fully understand! 🙂 )
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them!
Hello Amy, I just made them tonight, first time making scones, they are extremely delicious 🤤 and on the healthy side. Very tasty and the texture is perfect! Merry Christmas 🎄 and,,,I will definitely try other of your recipes!
Maryse (from Canada)
I’m so glad you enjoyed these scones, Maryse! I’m really honored that you picked my recipe to try for your first time making scones. That truly means a lot — especially that you’d call their texture perfect too! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. ♡ Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones as well, and I’m excited to hear what recipe you pick to make next!
Hi Amy, I made these for Christmas and they turned out wonderfully!!!! Thank you for all of your yummy and healthy recipes. It is a joy to have discovered you on Pintrist and it is so exciting to be able to bake and have recipes be healthy at the some time! 😊. – Beth
Oh my goodness!! I’m truly honored that you’d make these scones as part of your special Christmas celebration, Beth! That’s such a huge compliment. I’m so glad you loved them, and thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe. That means so much to me! ♡ I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful Christmas!
425 for 18 minutes and they are BURNED. Very disappointed.
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, MaryEllen! That sounds disappointing and not at all like how these scones should turn out, so I’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you! 🙂
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients — especially the flour, Greek yogurt, and honey?
Can you describe the consistency of your dough when you were shaping it on the baking sheet? Was it dry and barely holding together? Or sticky yet firm? Something else?
In Step 3, did you separate the scones after slicing them into 8 wedges? Or did you leave them touching, like in the 2nd and 5th photos in my blog post above the recipe?
Do you have a standard oven or a convection / fan-assisted oven?
Is it a regular oven or a smaller countertop-style oven?
How many oven rack positions does it have, and which one did you use? (For example, the oven has 5 different rack positions, and the 2nd from the bottom was used.)
Were the scones completely black all around — tops, bottoms, and sides?
If you happened to break any apart and look inside, what was the texture like? Really dry and crumbly — or was there still some softness to the dough?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit (and how to fix it!) once I know your answers to all of them. 🙂