Photograph of fruitcake scones laid on a cooling rack with coffee, a plate with crumbled scone, and another with a full scone on a marble countertop.
Fruitcake Scones

Fruitcake Scones

Recipe by Molly Marzalek-Kelly
Not Yet Reviewed

These Fruitcake Scones are everything you love about holiday fruitcake, but in a form that’s quicker to make, fresher to eat, and harder to resist. Buttery, tender, and orange-scented, they’re packed with toasted pecans, warm spices like Vietnamese cinnamon and nutmeg, and, of course, plenty of brandy-soaked fruit. The soaking liquid makes a second appearance in the glaze, ensuring you don’t miss the nod to classic boozy fruitcake.

Prep
20 mins
Bake
14 to 16 mins
Total
2 hrs
Yield
16 mini scones 
Multiple fruitcake scones photographed on a cooling rack showing golden brown scones with a glaze drizzled atop and dotted with dried fruit. - select to zoom
Multiple fruitcake scones photographed on a cooling rack showing golden brown scones with a glaze drizzled atop and dotted with dried fruit. - select to zoom
Fruitcake scones photographed from overhead and an arrangement of ingredients from King Arthur Baking. - select to zoom
3/4 view of a fruitcake scone showing the glaze drizzled over the top and the edges with a golden brown scone dotted with fruit. - select to zoom
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Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. To prepare the fruit: In a medium bowl, combine the dried fruit and brandy; cover and let rest overnight. For a shortcut option, combine the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until very hot, then cover and let rest for 1 hour. 

  2. Preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the upper third. Lightly grease the wells of a mini scone pan.  

  3. To make the scone dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and toss to coat in flour. Use your fingers or a pastry blender to work the butter into the flour until unevenly crumbly, with most pieces the size of a pea.   

  4. Strain the fruit, reserving any liquid (you’ll use it to make the glaze), then add the fruit and pecans to the flour-butter mixture and stir until incorporated. 

  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla, and orange oil. Use a flexible spatula to stir the liquids into the flour-butter mixture until a soft, sticky dough forms with no dry bits of flour remaining. The mixture will be wet. 

  6. Portion the scone batter evenly into the wells of the mini scone pan; a rounded 2-Tablespoon Scoop works well here. Wet your fingers and gently smooth the batter, spreading it to the corners of the wells.  

  7. Bake the scones for about 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. 

  8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before turning them out to finish cooling on a rack. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. 

  9. To make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and reserved fruit liquid. Add 1/2 teaspoon milk and stir vigorously with a spatula, until combined. Add the remaining milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle.   

  10. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the warm scones. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

  11. Storage information: Store any leftover Fruitcake Scones, covered, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage. 

Tips from our Bakers

  • If using orange zest rather than orange oil, whisk the zest into to the initial dry mixture in step three. 

  • If you don’t have a mini scone pan, make the recipe as “drop scones” (scones that are scooped onto a pan). Prepare the batter as directed and use a 4 Tablespoon Scoop to portion it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set the baking sheet with the scones on top of a second baking sheet to prevent the bottoms from getting too dark; bake at 425°F for 14 to 16 minutes. Glaze as directed.  

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