These buttery Hot Cross Scones topped with icing feature all the delightful spices and flavors of traditional hot cross buns but can be made in under 45 minutes.
These scones are filled with rich flavors of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and orange zest. A butter icing is piped into a cross on top of the scones to create the classic hot cross bun look. Like in my delicious homemade currant hot cross buns, I love to add dried currants in this recipe but you could add candied fruit peel or raisins if you would rather.
If you love scones, be sure to try my triple chocolate fudge scones or birthday cake scones for a sweet option or my jalapeño cheddar scones or sundried tomato & smoked cheddar scones for a savory scone.
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Flavorful. Featuring a blend of spices and orange zest and added dried currants.
- Customizable. You could add raisins or candied fruit instead of the dried currants if you prefer!
- Easy & Quick. These scones can be made in about 30 minutes compared to yeast hot cross buns which can take a few hours to make.
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make these dried currant hot cross scones.
- Salted Butter - I use salted butter in most of my baking recipes but you could use unsalted butter and add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
- Orange Zest - A few teaspoons of fresh orange zest bring wonderful flavor.
- Spices - A blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger flavors these hot cross bun scones.
- Currants - You could add raisins, candied fruit peel, or even chocolate chips instead, if preferred.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
Step 2: Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until the pieces of butter are the size of peas.
Step 3: Mix in the dried currants (or raisins or candied fruit peel).
Step 4: Whisk together the cream, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest separately. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until a dough starts to form.
Step 5: Gently knead and press the dough until it comes together.
Step 6: Roll out the dough to approximately ¾-inch thickness. Cut into 16 scones using a 2 or 2 ½-inch cookie cutter.
Step 7: Arrange the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool at least 10-15 minutes before topping with the frosting.
Step 8: Whisk together the melted butter, powdered sugar, and milk to make an icing. Transfer to a sandwich bag or piping bag with a small hole cut in the corner and pipe a cross on top of each slightly cooled scone.
💡 Top Tip
Be sure to wait at least 10 minutes before topping the scones with the icing after they come out of the oven. If the scones are too hot, all the icing will melt and the cross shape will be ruined.
❓ Recipe FAQs
You could use raisins, candied fruit peel, or even chocolate chips instead of currants in these scones.
Hot cross buns are eaten at Easter as a symbol of Jesus' death with the cross representing the crucifixion of Jesus, the spices inside signifying the spices used to embalm Him at his burial, and orange peel is to reflect the bitterness of His death.
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free ingredients, but let me know if you try it!
Yes! Double all the ingredients, bake on two pans, and you will end up with 32 scones.
🧈 More Scone Recipes
Looking for other recipes for buttery and delicious scones? Try these next:
If you tried these Hot Cross Bun Scones or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Hot Cross Scones
Equipment
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- whisk
- pastry cutter
- silicone spatula
- 2 or 2.5-inch cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup cold salted butter, cubed *
- ½ cup dried currants *
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
For the Icing:
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- 1 - 1 ½ tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and spices together in a large bowl. Cut the cold cubed butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the pieces of butter are the size of peas. Stir in the dried currants.
- In another bowl, whisk together the whipping cream, egg, vanilla, and orange zest. Add to the flour/butter mixture and gently fold with a spatula just until the dough starts to come together. Turn the contents of the bowl onto the countertop and knead/press the mixture just until the dough comes together.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured countertop to approximately ¾-inch thickness. Cut out the scones using a medium-sized cookie cutter (around 2 or 2.5 inches in diameter). Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 inch of space between each scone. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10-15 minutes before topping with the icing, instructions below.
To make the Icing:
- Whisk together the melted butter, powdered sugar, and milk to combine. Fill a sandwich bag or piping bag with the icing and snip off a small hole in the corner and pipe onto the mostly cooled scones in a cross. These scones are best served while still warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- You could use unsalted butter and add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
- Currants may be substituted with raisins or candied fruit peel.
Casey W
I've made these before but just realized I neglected to review them that time. We are having these for our Easter breakfast tomorrow, and they are so easy and so tasty! The only thing I did different was to cut the scones in triangles instead of circles.
Naomi Andres
So glad you enjoyed this recipe so much, Casey! Thank you for the review!
Naomi