Orange Raisin Scones with Orange Glaze. Tender English style scones infused with orange flavour and packed with raisins before being topped with a sweet but tangy orange glaze.
Originally published March 2016.
This version of raisin scones really does remind me of growing up here in Newfoundland. Raisin tea buns were a specialty of many bakers in my extended family but raisin wasn’t the only popular version.
My mother made orange tea buns and coconut tea buns as well, and they can still be often found in her freezer to this day.
Recently I saw a cherry scone on Pinterest that had a vanilla glaze on it. I remember thinking they looked particularly tempting.
I had never glazed tea buns or scones before. However, for occasions like birthday brunches or holiday breakfasts, they would make extra special additions to the table.
I set out to fancify plain old raisin scones.
Tangelos, the inspiration for Orange Raisin Scones
My inspiration came from the last 2 bright orange tangelos in the fridge, which since childhood have been a favourite citrus fruit. I used all of the zest of one of them in the scone dough and in the glaze as well to pack plenty of orange flavour into these delicious scones.
Once finished and photos taken, I gobbled one straight down; they were amazing! Spouse resisted.
She even refused a bite of mine, but after a few minutes was tempted to break off a corner of one to try it.
…and then another, and then a small piece from the centre and then…well, I think we all know how this story ends. 5 minutes later not a crumb of the scone could be found. They really are very irresistible.
If raisins are not your thing, these scones pack enough orange flavour to stand up all on their own. I’ll admit that I packed quite a number of raisins into this batch because I love them but they could easily do with half the amount if you prefer less.
Give these a try for early morning weekend baking; they’d make a great start to anyone’s day.
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Orange Raisin Scones with Orange Glaze
Orange Raisin Scones with Orange Glaze - tender English style scones infused with orange flavour and packed with raisins before being topped with a sweet but tangy orange glaze.
Ingredients
For the scones
- 1⅔ cups all purpose flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- zest of one orange, Reserve about 1/4 of the zest for the glaze
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- pinch table salt table salt
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ cup milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract, optional
- 1 egg
- 1 cup raisins
For the glaze
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- the reserved orange zest from making the scones
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a food processor add the flour, baking powder, sugar, orange zest and salt. Pulse to mix together well. (You can just mix the ingredients in a bowl if you prefer the manual method)
- Pulse in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. (or just use your fingertips to rub the butter through the dry ingredients until the same texture is achieved.)
- Whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla. Reserve a few teaspoons of the liquid to brush on top of the scones. This helps them brown nicely)
- Add the liquid to the dry ingredients along with the raisins and stir in quickly with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. It should be a little sticky. Don’t over work the dough or your scones will get tough and not rise well.
- Turn the dough out onto a well floured board or counter top.
- Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and just using your hands, form the dough into a round about ¾ of an inch thick.
- Using a 1½ inch biscuit cutter, cut out your scones and place them about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. (Alternatively, for larger scones, roll the dough into a 7-8 inch circle and cut into 6-8 wedges.)
- Re-roll the scraps and cut out the rest of the scones. Brush the tops of all the scones with the reserved milk and egg liquid.
- Pop the scones into the hot oven for about 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes for large scones) or until the tops of the scones are evenly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Top with orange glaze.
To prepare the glaze
- Simply whisk the ingredients together until smooth. You want a thick glaze that can be spread on with a knife or small spatula. Add a little more icing sugar if the glaze is too thin.
- Spread on the scones and leave the glaze to set for about 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
18Serving Size
1 small sconeAmount Per Serving Calories 146Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 16mgSodium 164mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 1gSugar 12gProtein 3g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Lori
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
This is the recipe that brought me to this blog last March at the start of the lockdown.My east coast sister sent me the link. I've enjoyed other recipes since. The only small adjust I made was adding a few drops of orange oil to punch it up a bit. I'd add a photo of finished product but don't see a link. These are delicious
Jan
Sunday 3rd of March 2019
I put dried cranberries in mine
Mary
Saturday 12th of March 2016
As usual,wicked recipe! Had to try them right away...had no raisins! But they are awesome with dried cranberries too 😍 Thanks.
Meridith Hicks
Saturday 7th of May 2016
That sounds delirious.
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness
Saturday 5th of March 2016
These scones are gorgeous!! I love the flavor combination here!
bernadette
Saturday 5th of March 2016
I can't wait to make this recipe. I love getting recipes from this site. Thank you.