It's the season for Mandarin Oranges, one of my favorite fruits; truthfully, they are almost like eating candy. Today is a baking day, and Sweet Mandarin Orange Scones are going in the oven.
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I love seeing the sweet, juicy Mandarins heaped up in mounds at the store with the stems and leaves attached. These beauties are grown in Placer County in Northern California, and I am fortunate to have such an abundance in our stores.
Late fall is the season for Mandarins in the Northern California foothills. During November, the Mountain Mandarin Festival takes place and is a perfect time to visit the many orchards and experience all things Mandarin.
Not only are mandarins perfect for snacking, but they are great in all types of recipes. Mandarins have a sweet yet bold flavor and are a great addition to these homemade scones.
Scones are really quick to make, which is a good thing because who has time to wait all day for something good to come out of your oven? I actually have plans for a big pot of tea and a warm, fresh-from-the-oven scone today, so let's get started.
What is a mandarin?
- A mandarin is a type of orange that is small, usually seedless, very easy to peel, and its sections separate easily.
- This fruit is sweet, juicy, and has amazing flavor, perfect for snacks and baking.
- There are many types of mandarins, and today, I am using the popular Satsuma for this recipe. Look for a bright orange color; many times, they still have the stems attached.
This is what I brought home from the store, minus a couple I ate on the drive home.
🍊 Ingredients for scones
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder~baking soda~salt
- Butter - I use unsalted butter
- Buttermilk
- Orange juice
- Mandarins
- Confectioner sugar (also called powdered sugar)
How to make orange scones
Step 1. The first thing you need to do is zest two to three mandarins. The easiest way to do this is with a citrus zester. Since the peels on mandarins are loose you need to go slow zesting so you don't tear the skin. Unlike an orange where the peel is attached to the orange tightly which is easier to zest.
Really this is the hardest part of the recipe and it is not really that hard. Personally, I like zesting citrus, crazy I know, but it releases all the citrus scent and makes my kitchen smell so good.
Step 2. Once zested, peel the mandarins and separate them into sections, and cut them into small pieces. The easiest way to cut the mandarins is with a pair of scissors. Since the mandarin slices can be very juicy cutting them with a knife isn't always easy, so grab your kitchen shears and cut each slice into about four or five pieces.
Step 3. Make the dough by adding all the dry ingredients to a large bowl.
Step 4. Cut in the butter using two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like small peas.
Step 5. Mix in the buttermilk, the orange zest, and the Mandarin orange pieces. Just mix gently until all the flour disappears. Overmixing will make the scones tough.
Step 6. After the dough is mixed, turn it out on a well-floured board, knead and flatten the dough into a ¼" disk.
See all those mandarin pieces in the dough, they are going to give these scones a burst of citrusy flavor.
Step 7. Cut the dough into 8 wedges and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-17 minutes.
Step 8. While the scones are baking go ahead and make the glaze Just mix powdered sugar, mandarin orange zest, and orange juice. If you have more mandarins, you can use the juice from one. This icing is super simple.
Can I make this recipe with oranges instead of mandarins?
Yes, you can. Since mandarins are a seasonal fruit you can always make this recipe with oranges. Like any fruit, the size varies but one large orange should be enough for this recipe.
Tea and Scones
These scones are moist and tender, a little bit sweet, and with the mandarin orange pieces and zest, the citrus flavor is in every bite.
More favorite scones to make and eat!
- This recipe for Apple Scones is one that we make over and over.
- Another fruity scone that you will love are these Blueberry Lemon Scones. They bake up with tender inside and with crispy edges on the outside.
- Orange Cranberry Scones are made with Mandarin oranges for the best citrus flavor in a tender scone.
Don't forget to pin to your favorite board
Tools to get the job done
- The one kitchen tool you need for this recipe is also one of my most used tools. The citrus zester. Not only can you zest all kinds of citrus but you can also zest ginger and garlic. This is the zester I use and it gets the job done.
- Good sheet pans are a must and I have multiple sets of these rimmed baking sheets. They bake foods evenly, no warping, and parchment papers are baking mats fit perfectly.
- Lastly, mixing butter and flour with a pastry blender makes the job so much easier.
Did you know you can freeze unbaked scones?
Here is my little secret. I make a batch of scones but I set two aside and freeze for later when I want a quick breakfast treat or an afternoon snack. You can also freeze the whole batch for later when you have company pop in, they will revel in your baking skills, but watch out, once they taste these scones they will keep popping in for more treats.
How to freeze scones
- Simply make the scone batter and cut out the shape you want
- Wrap each individual scone in plastic wrap and freeze
- Once the scones are frozen, remove them from the freezer and place them in a plastic bag and freeze
- It is best to freeze the scones for one month
How to bake frozen scones
- Get your scones out of the freezer and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you don't have parchment you will be washing a pan, sorry about that!
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. While the oven is preheating the scones will start to defrost.
- The recipe calls for 15-17 minute baking time, for the partially frozen dough add a few more minutes to completely bake the scones
- Remove from the oven and top with icing and enjoy
Enough said, let's bake!!!!!
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Recipe
Mandarin Orange Scones
Ingredients
SCONE INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ¾ cups AP flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup buttermilk
- zest of 2 mandarine oranges reserve 1 teaspoon for the glaze
- 6 ounces fresh Mandarins oranges chopped, about 2
GLAZE INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon mandarin orange zest
- 1-2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Mixing the Dough
- With a citrus zester, zest two mandarin oranges and then peel the skin off the oranges and divide into sections. Next, slice all the orange sections into small pieces. Reserve any juice to add to the batter.
- In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into small cubes and then add to the flour mixture. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry cutter until the mixture is the size of peas. Next add the buttermilk, orange zest, and mandarin oranges pieces.
- Gently stir this mixture with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated.
- Turn dough onto a well-floured board and knead the dough until it comes together; add flour as needed if the dough is sticky.
- Press the dough into a round disk about ¼" thick then cut into eight wedges Transfer the wedges to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 to 17 minutes.
Sweet Orange Glaze
- Combine confectioners' sugar, reserved mandarin orange zest, and enough orange juice (or mandarin orange juice) to make a runny glaze.
- Pour glaze over warm scones.
- Scones are best served warm from the oven. If you have leftovers, place in a sealed container for a couple of days.
Notes
How to freeze scones
- Simply make the scone batter and cut out the shape you want
- Wrap each individual scone in plastic wrap and freeze
- Once the scones are frozen, remove from the freezer and place them in a plastic bag and freeze
- It is best to freeze the scones for one month
How to bake frozen scones
- Get your scones out of the freezer and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you don't have parchment you will be washing a pan, sorry about that!
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. While the oven is preheating the scones will start to defrost.
- The recipe calls for 15-17 minute baking time, for the partially froze dough add a few more minutes to completely bake the scones
- Remove from the oven and top with icing and enjoy
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Nutrition
First published: Feb 14, 2016, Last updated: Aug. 27, 2021, for better readability.
Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog!
Please leave a comment to say hello or tell me what you are baking; I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Do you have any questions or want to chat about the recipe? Please visit my About page for information, and I’ll be happy to help!
About Jere' Cassidy
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place. I am glad to be sharing sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
Dannii
I love any kind of orange dessert and these scones look incredible. I can't wait to try them.
Jessie
I have never made scones before but these look amazing and I am going to need to give it a try.
Nicole Durham
I didn't even know that scones could be made with fresh chopped orange wedges. I'm so excited to try this recipe as I have a ton of mandarin oranges on hand right now.
Shashi
I am enjoying all the citrus this Winter and these scones would be such a delicious way to get my citrus fix - especially with a warm mug of milky tea!
Jere Cassidy
I agree, scones and tea just are perfect together. You will love these citrusy scones.
Kathy
I tried these mandarin orange scones and the flavor was delicious. They seemed a bit chewy instead of flakey an crumbly as most scones are. Any suggestiions.
Jere Cassidy
Kathy, thanks for asking questions about the scones recipe. Usually, anytime a scone is chewy is it has been overmixed. This recipe is a bit tricky since you do have to get the mandarin pieces mixed in. And then, you need to gather up all the dough and form it, also tends to overwork the dough. A solution is instead of turning the dough onto a floured board, turn it into a pie plate and press the dough in, bake and cut into triangles. This way you aren't handling the dough as much. I do this with the Irish Apple Scones. Hope this helps.
Rina
Hoping they turn out as I had to add over a half cup more floor because the dough was SO sticky! Did I not juice the mandarins enough? I about stopped and threw it away is was so sticky.
Jere Cassidy
For this recipe you do not need to juice the Mandarins, just cut them into sections, however, there are times you can get some really juicy citrus and can throw a dough off. You were right to add extra flour, and obviously, that didn't help you this time and I know how upsetting it is to throw away a dough with lots of ingredients.
Deborah
These orange scones look amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love scones and will have to try this one.
Catherine
Jere,
Thank you for this recipe. They are great even though I subbed almond milk and vinegar for the buttermilk, subbed 3/4 cup flour for oat flour and Earth Balance stick butter, it was what I had.. Even with these subs they were delicious. Would never have thought to use mandarins in a scone. Oh, I added cardamon to the icing.
Jere Cassidy
I love it when fellow bakers can make these recipes their own. I think your substitutions are genius. And, I am a big fan of cardamon so next time I make these scones I am adding that.
Carol Story
I’m new to baking and this recipe was easy to follow for the most part! I was a little confused about cutting in the butter but I got it sorted out and the scones are soooooo good!! They are flaky and delicious! Thank you so much!
Jere Cassidy
So glad you enjoyed the scones. I will try to clarify cutting in butter better so it makes more sense. Thanks!!
Eileen
I had a bag of mandarins that were just "okay!" I thought that they'd be best in a recipe rather than peeling and eating. I found your recipe this morning and decided to make your scones! They are delicious!! I see more being made in our future. For the glaze I used the juice of one mandarin (2 TBS), the zest of one mandarin (didn't measure....it was more than 1 tsp) along with 1 cup of powdered sugar. I sprinkled in some sliced almonds that I happened to have. Two thumbs up from my husband and myself. My little sleepyhead has yet to wake up to have one. I have no doubt she'll love them too! Thank you for this recipe! It's a keeper!
Eileen
I forgot to add a "star rating" to my previous comment! 5 stars!!
Jere Cassidy
So glad you found this recipe and enjoyed the scones. We make these a lot.
josie gomez
Can you use coconut oil as substitute for butter?
Jere Cassidy
Yes, I do a lot, unless the recipe needs cold butter like in scones and biscuits then it doesn't really work.
Amanda
The scones itself were good but the icing was a bit much mine needed much more mandarin juice
Jere Cassidy
It's always hard to tell how much liquid to add to a powdered sugar frosting to get just that perfect consistency. It's always good to start out with the smaller amounts and add some extra liquid to get the consistency you want. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Michelle
Scones are hard to find where we live and this is the recipe I have been looking for! I just made these this morning and my family ate almost the entire batch!
Will definitely make again
Thank you so much for sharing!
Jere Cassidy
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. There is nothing better than homemade scones, right out of the oven.
Peyton
I had to read this post, my great grandmother was from Wales and scones were a staple for every visit, but I haven't had any since she passed. It's brought up happy memories and I am definitely making these! They sound delicious; I'll definitely be sending this to my family - you can never have too many scones!
OneHotOven
Peyton, I loved reading your comment about your great grandmother, what a wonderful memory. We love scones too; they are so easy to make and go great with a good cup of tea.
Andrea | Moonlight Sweetness
Hi, Jere! Your blog is amazing! I swear, the second it loaded and I saw all those fantastic pics of yummy desserts I started to crave all the wonderful desserts you have! I confess I have a HUGE sweet tooth! I absolutely love desserts. These mandarin orange scones look terrific. I will definitely give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing! (btw, I tried to leave a comment on the Rose Petal Shortbread but it didn't let me. Those shortbreads look soooo yummy and chic!)
OneHotOven
Aww, thank you so much for the kind words.
Susan | The Sparrow's Home
I have never seen a recipe that uses chopped citrus like this. I'm intrigued--they look delicious! Pinning this one !
OneHotOven
You get a burst of citrus in every bite! Thanks for the pin.