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!
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!
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 scones and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Clean Cranberry Orange Scones | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ 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
- 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.
For a gluten-free version, use the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if they’re measured like this.
The zest provides the majority of the orange flavor. Don't skip it!
Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted in place of the honey.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
In a pinch, coconut oil may be substituted for the butter, but the texture of the scones will be affected. Very cold butter is required to achieve their tender texture, and since coconut oil melts at a much lower temperature, the results will not be the same.
It’s important to dice the cranberries finely, no larger than the size of chocolate chips, to ensure that the scones bake evenly. I typically use my food processor to do this—it’s so much faster!
Frozen and thawed cranberries that have been patted dry to remove any excess moisture may be substituted for the fresh. In a pinch, ⅓ cup of dried cranberries that have been hydrated may be substituted. To hydrate the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, add water until it rises ½” above the cranberries, and cover the top with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the cranberries sit while preparing the scone dough. Just before mixing them in, drain and pat dry.
To see how to make these scones, watch this video of mine above the recipe. (It's for a similar recipe!)
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
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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!