I first baked these Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones on Christmas morning in 2010, the year I started this blog. They were my 367th and final recipe of the year. I was thrilled to make scones, one of my favorite foods, for my parents and sister who live so far away.
These scones are just about everything I love: crisp and toasty outside, tender inside, and they warm your house with a buttery aroma as they bake. Dried cranberries make them just sweet enough, particularly after a sprinkling of sugar. Oats and pecans make them a little hearty and wholesome.
This recipe for Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones remains special to me because it's one my mother has picked up and baked herself - her first time making scones. When I first posted this recipe, I wrote at length about our Christmas food and traditions, which I've included later in this post. I'd love to hear about what you make for the holidays, especially if you have similar traditions.
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Why You'll Love These Scones
I love Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones because:
- The buttery, nutty aroma fills the house as the scones bake.
- With hearty fall mix-ins of dried cranberries and pecans plus one-third oats, they feel so wholesome and cozy!
- One batch makes 16 scones, so there are plenty of scones to share - or to freeze for a lazy weekend morning breakfast.
Ingredients You'll Need
To make these scones from scratch, you'll want some basic kitchen staples, plus a few festive autumn ingredients.
- Flour
- Oats
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- Butter
- Dried cranberries
- Pecans
- Buttermilk or yogurt
Both old-fashioned and quick oats work fine. Steel-cut oats would be too thick; instant oats are too small.
We use brown sugar to give the scones a warm flavor, but granulated sugar would also work.
I use unsalted butter, which makes these scones smell and taste wonderful. If using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt by half. Butter should be cold when you make scones, but it does make it harder to cut into the flour. If you're going to freeze the scone dough, you can use room temperature butter instead.
Dried cranberries have sugar added to them. I don't recommend using "less sugar" dried cranberries since they have artificial sweeteners added, some of which aren't heat-stable. Fresh cranberries are not a good substitute; they'd be too tart and would add too much liquid.
I add diced pecans to these scones. Walnuts would have a similar texture, and are sometimes less expensive. No need to toast the nuts before you add them to the scone dough; they will become toasty and fragrant while the scones bake.
The buttermilk in the scones adds flavor, and interacts with the baking soda to provide more rise. When I have it, I use yogurt in place of the buttermilk this recipe calls for; the yogurt works best if thinned down slightly. Greek yogurt would need to be thinned to the consistency of regular yogurt.
Since I never have buttermilk, I often make sour milk to use instead, by combining 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice with milk to let it curdle. You can also do this with plant-based milk to use in this recipe.
Helpful Tools for Scones
I always recommend using a pastry cutter (affiliate link) with blades to work butter into scone dough. You can also use two knives, crossed, to cut the butter as if you're shredding meat. Either way, working cold butter into the butter will be easier if you've diced it into small cubes.
I always use my bench scraper (affiliate link) to cut the dough into wedges evenly. Pressing straight down through the dough with it creates better edges, and makes your scones rise better, than sawing through the dough with a knife.
Bake your scones on pans lined with parchment paper or silicone mats. It's time for new ones if food starts to stick to a silicone mat (affiliate link).
How to Make Scones - Step-by-Step
You'll have an easier time of making the scone dough if you dice the butter into small pieces before you get started.
- Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, being sure to break up any clumps of brown sugar. Next, cut in your butter using a pastry cutter (affiliate link) or two knives criss-crossed.
- Stir in the dried cranberries and pecans, separating any cranberries that are stuck together. Use a fork to stir in the buttermilk, mixing just until clumps form. Resist the urge to add more liquid.
- Use your hands to gently mold the dough together the rest of the way. If you have trouble getting the dough to stick together now, add a teaspoon or two more milk, just enough to get the dough to stick together. Pat any stray crumbs into the ball of dough.
- Divide the dough into two, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and pat each portion into a 6-inch round. Sprinkle it with sugar and pat it on so it sticks, then cut it into 8 scones, preferably using a bench scraper (affiliate link).
- Place each scone on a greased or parchment-lined (or Silpat-lined) baking sheet.
- Bake the scones at 375F for about 20 minutes, until they begin to brown. If you insert a toothpick into a scone, it will come out clean, or with a few crumbs on it.
Cool the scones for a few minutes before eating.
Hint: The dough will be crumbly and it will seem like it needs more liquid, but wait. It should hold together when you pat the dough together into a ball. If it doesn't at that point, go ahead and add a little extra milk just to get things to stick together.
Serving and Storage
Serve scones warm. With pecans and tart-but-sweetened cranberries, the scones have lots of flavor and don't need any accompaniment other than a nice cup of coffee or strong tea. Or hot cocoa if you're serving them on Christmas morning.
Scones are best on the day they're made. I recommend baking what you'll eat, and then freezing the rest of the dough as I describe below.
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can gently reheat a baked scone for 8 seconds in the microwave. Don't overheat the baked scone, or it will become tough and unpleasant to eat.
Make It Vegan!
I haven't made these scones vegan, but I think you'd be able to if you:
- Use vegan butter sticks in place of the butter, which should give you comparable flavor and texture. I believe coconut oil would be too heavy for these scones.
- Use plant-based milk instead of buttermilk. Add 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice to the plant-based milk to let it curdle, replicating buttermilk or sour milk. In my experience, soy milk works best for this since it has a neutral flavor; almond and coconut milk also work but bring distinct flavors to the scones.
Make-Ahead and Freezer Instructions
I strongly recommend freezing this scone dough! It's one of my favorite tricks. It's an easy way to have a fresh, festive breakfast on a weekend or holiday morning without having to actually cook before you have coffee.
After shaping and cutting the scones, place them on a plate lined with waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap. (This makes them easier to lift off once frozen.) You can crowd the scones together, but don't let them touch.
Freeze scones until they're solid to the touch - at least 2 hours, but overnight is fine. Transfer frozen scones to a freezer bag, labeling it with the baking temperature and time so you don't have to look it up later. The best part? Your family can bake them for you!
To bake, just preheat your oven to 375F. Once it's hot, remove the scones from the freezer and place them on your greased or parchment-lined baking sheet - no need to thaw! Just bake frozen scones for an extra 2-3 minutes.
Tips for Making Great Scones
- Use a fork to toss the dough together. Dough clumps up on a spoon more easily.
- A little dry flour in the bowl is normal and okay. This dough in particular looks like it needs more milk, but don't add it yet. The dough should stick together when you shape it.
- That said, if the dough seems way too dry when molding the dough into a ball, add another teaspoon or two of milk. It's better overall to have a wet dough than a dry dough.
- Handle scone dough gently, and don't overmix, which develops gluten and make the scones tough.
- Cold butter makes the scones rise better and spread less when they bake, but is hard to work into the dough. If you're planning to make and freeze scone dough ahead of time, you can soften the butter a little to make it easier to mix.
Recipe FAQ
I wish the answer was yes, but I'm not sure that the Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones can be made gluten-free. Since there's no egg in these scones, the gluten in the wheat flour helps hold the scones together. You could try a reliable, cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum in place of the wheat flour, if you have a brand you've used and liked. I'd love to hear how they turn out!
Yes! To make these scones vegan, I would use vegan butter sticks in place of the butter, to provide the most comparable flavor and texture. Coconut oil would likely be too heavy. In place of the buttermilk or yogurt, substitute 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice plus enough plant-based milk to equal ¾ cup; let it rest for 10 minutes to curdle before using. I recommend using soy milk, over almond or coconut milks, to reduce adding unwanted flavors.
I can't recommend using fresh cranberries in Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones, because the extra liquid would make them bake differently. These scones also need the sugar that's added to dried cranberries to counter their tartness.
Yes! I usually freeze a portion of scone dough when I make scones, and these Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones are no exception. Make the dough and cut as usual, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, and store in a freezer bag. Remove to a parchment-lined baking sheet when you want them, and bake without thawing for an extra 2-3 minutes. Frozen scone dough will stay good for a few months.
I often think that my Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones dough is too dry when I mix it, but it's usually not. A little dry flour in scone dough is normal, and can be patted into the ball of dough by hand. If the dough won't stick together when you mold it together, add another teaspoon or two of milk, just enough to make it stick.
The dough for Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones isn't usually too wet. If it is, it'll still make tasty scones, but you'll want to treat it gently. Turn it out onto a very well floured surface. Flour your hands so that the dough doesn't stick to them as you pat the dough into circles. Use a bench scraper or spatula to transfer the wedges to the baking sheet. And chill the wet dough for 15 minutes before baking.
My Christmas Food Traditions
I originally made these Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones as recipe #367 of 2010, when I started this blog to challenge myself to try 365 new-to-me recipes. It was my overachieving last recipe that year, and I made them from scratch for Christmas morning breakfast when I visited my parents.
I made them that year because King Arthur Flour had originally called them "Christmas Scones," likely because they have festive flavors of cranberries and pecans. They're certainly holiday flavors but aren't the flavors of my Christmas past.
My childhood Christmas mornings started no later than 6am with little chocolate mini donuts while we opened presents. Sometimes we'd follow it up with a hot breakfast for all dozen of the extended family together; other times, we'd eat cookies and other homemade snacks. We'd have our main meal (lasagna, although we're not Italian) around lunchtime. Later on we'd have leftover lasagna, chocolate pie, pecan pie, or chocolate chip cookies, and snacks like sausage balls or summer sausage and crackers.
We don't usually vary our lasagna or pie on Christmas day, but I like to try out different festive recipes during the month of December, like these scones. 'Tis the season, after all.
Once I was older, my family moved farther away from my grandparents. With our smaller Christmas at my parents' house, we would sleep later, and with just 4 or 5 of us there, we didn't want to spend time making breakfast on Christmas morning, so we dropped our elevensies.
In 2010, I made these Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones from scratch on Christmas morning. I wouldn't do that now; holidays should be for resting, not cooking. Much like when I make these cinnamon rolls, I'd make these scones in advance and freeze them to bake fresh on Christmas, just after the sun comes up.
Other Make-Ahead Breakfasts
Here's some of my other favorite festive breakfasts.
Other Holiday Treats
Here's some of my other favorite holiday recipes.
Interested in other recipes? I save and share recipes I like or want to try on my Pinterest page - follow me there! You can also check out my Facebook page for more recipes and helpful tips. I'm also happy to try to help troubleshoot my recipes there.
Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Oat Pecan Scones (Christmas Scones)
Equipment
- pastry cutter (affiliate link)
- bench scraper (affiliate link)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)
- 1 cup rolled oats (90 grams)
- ½ cup brown sugar (packed) (100 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
- 1 cup dried cranberries (lightly packed, if they don't stick together; 120 grams)
- 1 cup chopped pecans (108 grams)
- ¾ cup buttermilk or yogurt (170 grams)
- sparkling or granulated sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. (Be sure to break up clumps of brown sugar.) Use a pastry cutter (affiliate link) or two knives to cut in the butter, until it resembles crumbs.
- Stir in cranberries and pecans. (Break up the cranberries if they clump together.)
- Stir in the buttermilk. Use a fork to toss the milk and crumbs together gently, until the mixture forms large clumps. Don't mix it too much. The dough will be crumbly and clumpy. This will be ok; don't add more liquid yet.
- Press the clumpy dough together with your hands, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. (If it won't stick together at this point, add another teaspoon or two of milk.) Divide the dough into two.
- Gently form each piece of dough into a flat round about 6 inches in diameter (1 inch tall).
- Sprinkle each round with sparkling sugar and press it in so it sticks. Use a bench scraper (affiliate link) or knife to cut each round into 8 small wedges. (Press down on, rather than saw through, if possible; this will give you better rise when they bake.)
- Separate scones onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 1 inch of space between them.
- Bake at 375F for 17-20 minutes, until the scones are golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of a scone should come out clean, or with just a few crumbs.
Freezer Instructions
- After cutting the scones, place on a waxed paper or parchment-lined baking sheet. Crowd as closely as possible, but don't let them touch.
- Freeze until solid (at least a few hours, or overnight). Remove scones and store in a freezer-safe zipper bag, labeling it with baking time and temperature. Bake scones within a few months.
- Place frozen scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake, without thawing, at 375F for 22-23 minutes, until golden brown.
Notes
[Recipe originally written November 12, 2018. Restructured and clarified November 13, 2025.]
Leona Konkel says
These scones are irresistible when they bake. They're such a welcome addition to breakfast. Although they're very festive, they're great anytime during the fall and winter. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!