Grain-free Cranberry Orange Scones

These grain-free cranberry orange scones are perfectly sweet and insanely delicious! They are the perfect food to pair with a cup of hot cocoa and cozy up beside the Christmas tree to enjoy. The tart cranberries are nicely balanced out with wholesome, natural sweeteners and a hint of orange. The white chocolate chips top things off and add the perfect sweet burst to every bite!

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Modern Pioneer Recipe

These grain-free cranberry orange scones are a modern pioneer recipe made with nutritious, wholesome ingredients! This is a recipe that I make every year around Christmas time. As soon as Thanksgiving is past (actually, usually before) I love breaking out the gingerbread and cranberries in my homestead kitchen!

These scones are one of my favorite holiday cranberry recipes. I’m not much into cranberry sauce or anything, but give me a bag of fresh cranberries and I’ll happily bake something with them! Not only are these scones super easy to make from scratch, they also only contain wholesome, nutritious ingredients that are allergy friendly! These cranberry orange scones are….

• grain-free
• gluten-free
• corn free
• tree nut free
• naturally sweetened
• egg free

There’s nothing too difficult about whipping up a batch of these scones using ingredients that are both simple and anti-inflammatory. I love working the dough with my hands and creating beautiful, festive scones that taste amazing and are healthy!

Seasonal Superfood!

The star ingredient of these scones is of course, the cranberries! And like most berries, cranberries are bursting with nutrition! It’s great having a holiday ingredient that is also a seasonal superfood! Cranberries are often associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas because they are a late producing berry bush that is often harvested throughout the fall months all the way into November.

These bright red balls of nutrition have a bold, tart flavor and are thus rarely eaten raw. Whether they are pressed into a juice, made into sauce, or popped in a baked good, cranberries can provide some excellent health benefits! Here are just a few of the benefits you receive from consuming cranberries:

• Cranberries are rich in antioxidants like quercetin, peonidin, ursolic acid, and a-type proanthocyanidins.
• Quercetin helps boost the immune system to fight disease and a-type proanthocyanidins help treat UTIs.
• They contain good amounts of many vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, manganese, vitamin E, vitamin K, and copper.
• Many of the nutrients and antioxidants contained in cranberries are concentrated in the skin of the berry, which makes consuming the whole berry, not just the juice, very beneficial.
• Cranberries help improve brain health and heart health. They can help prevent cancer and help with weight loss.

While enjoying a big handful of these tart berries may not sound too appealing, you can still get some of their nutrition by eating them in baked goods or adding dried cranberries to homemade granola bars or snack mixes! Aside from these cranberry orange scones, you may also want to try out this coconut cranberry pie for the holidays too! 

Still not sold on the cranberries? Then maybe you want to check out these grain-free chocolate chip scones instead!

Serving & Storing Scones

Not only are these scones super easy to make and bursting with cranberry nutrition, but they are also super easy to serve and store! I love having my cranberry orange scones for a cozy winter breakfast, as a mid-day pick me-up snack, or serving them as a side to a warm winter meal.

These scones make the perfect compliment to a cozy winter soup, such as this dairy-free butternut squash soup or maybe give this classic chicken noodle soup a try!

As a breakfast, have these scones with a cup of hot cocoa or herbal tea and maybe try them with a fresh fried egg or scrambled eggs. As a snack, you can spruce these scones up with a variety of toppings including:

• a drizzle of melted chocolate or white chocolate
• a maple glaze
• try one toasted with some grass-fed, organic butter spread on top

Or, serve these delectable scones as the perfect side to a winter meal or holiday feast! They are allergy-friendly so even those with dietary restrictions can enjoy them! 

Until you are ready to serve these scones, there are three ways you can store them. No matter where you store them though, make sure they are completely cool and kept in an airy container. If you plan on serving the scones within 24-48 hours, you can keep them at room temperature. If the scones need to be kept for longer, go ahead and pop them in the fridge where they will last up to 4-5 days. Better yet, for long term storage these scones can be frozen for later! Just let them unthaw in the fridge overnight before heating them up slightly to serve.

Recipe Questions

Can I use frozen cranberries?

Yes, however it will change the composition and looks of the dough. Cranberries contain a lot of moisture and when they unthaw they contain quite a bit of red juice. This makes the dough moister and will cause the scones to take on a greenish/blue color when they bake. The red juices combine with the baking soda to give an off color.

What dairy-free milks can I use?

You can use any liquid dairy-free milk substitute in these scones including coconut milk beverage, almond milk, oat milk, and hemp milk. Don’t use full-fat canned coconut milk since that will change the texture of the scones. 

Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?

Yes, any liquid sweetener can replace the maple syrup. I chose maple syrup because it is a stable, natural sweetener that is good to use in baked goods.

Are there any flour substitutes I can make?

I have not experimented with different grain-free or gluten-free flours in this recipe so I would not be able to confidently recommend any substitutes. However, you can use tapioca flour or arrowroot flour interchangeably in these scones. 

Can these be made completely dairy-free?

I have not tried any dairy-free substitutes for the butter in this recipe. You could try cutting in cold coconut oil or a solid butter substitute, but I can’t guarantee they’ll turn out the same. 

For a refined sugar free version:

You can leave out the white chocolate chips or sub in Lily’s sugar-free white chocolate chips to make these scones refined sugar free. 

These cranberry orange scones are sweet, delectable and made from wholesome, simple ingredients! The tart, nutritious cranberries are perfectly balanced out by the sweet, subtle orange, making for a cozy holiday scone to pair with hot cocoa by the fire! 

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Otto’s Naturals cassava flour
• Nutiva coconut flour
• Hain Pure Foods baking powder
• Pacific coconut milk
• Pascha gluten-free white chocolate chips
• Supplies: unbleached parchment paper, pastry cutter, fruit and vegetable chopper

I love making these grain-free cranberry orange scones for my family during the holiday season. Cuddling up in a cozy blanket next to a warm fire and the Christmas tree with a cup of homemade hot chocolate and one of these scones is the perfect way to enjoy a winter evening on the homestead! You can’t get any better than these sweet, made-from-scratch scones that are allergy-friendly and bursting with holiday flavor!

Don’t miss any of our other modern pioneer recipes or heritage pioneer recipes! Join our modern pioneer newsletter community this holiday season for encouragement on living a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle!

By Alexa