When morning routines get busy, I tend to turn to grab-and-go breakfasts we can snag on our way out the door. This adaptable recipe for buttery, tender easy cream scones is one of my family’s favorites!
Made with just a handful of pantry staples, these sweet scones are perfect baked plain and enjoyed with a simple slather of butter and jam. They are also easily outfitted with your favorite mix-ins. I love adding all kinds of things like dried or fresh fruit, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, fresh blueberries, or even spices into the simple dough. However you choose to make them, I’m certain they will become one of your breakfast favorites, too. For more delicious scone recipes, try my chocolate scones recipe, blueberry scones recipe, and pumpkin scones recipe.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
All-purpose flour — plain white flour is all you need for tender scones. Avoid a higher-protein flour like bread flour, as it can create dense scones.
Granulated sugar — white granulated sugar has a neutral flavor and the perfect chemical composition for a crumbly, tender scone. Feel free to swap in organic cane sugar if you prefer, but avoid brown sugar.
Baking powder — this leavener is what helps the dough rise and create fluffy scones. If it’s been a while since you baked, you can test the baking powder by placing ½ teaspoon in a small bowl, then pouring about ¼ cup of boiling water on top. If it foams and bubbles, it’s still good to go!
Cold unsalted butter — “cold” is the operative word here. Similar to making pie dough or biscuits, we want to distribute small bits of butter throughout the scone dough. As they bake, the butter melts, causing steam to separate the layers and creating the enviable flakiness you’re after. Feel free to swap in vegan butter if needed.
Mix-ins — while totally optional, these easy scones are built for customizing with your favorite mix-ins. Some of my favorites include dried currants or cranberries, chocolate chips, fresh or frozen berries, nuts, orange zest, or lemon zest.
Heavy cream — using cream in our dough helps to create an extra-tender crumb and lovely golden-brown exterior. You’re welcome to swap in slightly lighter “whipping cream” which has a minimum of 30% milkfat (compared to heavy cream’s 36%), or you can use your favorite plant-based whipping cream if needed.
Vanilla extract — for adding flavor complexity to the scones. Feel free to use an equal amount of vanilla paste or vanilla powder, or half as much ground vanilla bean instead. You’re also always welcome to play with different flavored extracts to suit your mix-ins (e.g. maple extract with pecans or lemon extract with berries).
Coarse sugar — also known as “turbinado sugar,” “sugar in the raw,” or “sparkling sugar,” these coarse crystals add a lovely bit of shimmer and crunch to the tops of these tasty pastries. Sanding sugar or plain granulated sugar can work if it’s what you have on hand.
How To Make Scones
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt). Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the cold butter until the pieces are no larger than the size of peas.
2. Stir in ½ cup of desired mix-ins, if using.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (¾ cup heavy cream, egg, and vanilla).
4. Slowly add the cream mixture to the flour mixture, using a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into a ¾-inch thick square. Cut the dough in half. Stack each half and press down, repeating once. Shape dough into a 7-inch or ¾-inch-thick disc. Using a floured sharp knife, cut the disc into 8 equal triangles and place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
6. Brush the unbaked scones with the remaining 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until puffed and the tops are lightly golden, rotating halfway through baking. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Flour your work surface. Scone dough is sticky, so a lightly floured surface and floured hands are your friends.
- Start cold. Make sure your butter and cream are both nice and chilly before starting for a perfectly flaky scone. If it’s really warm in your house, you can use frozen butter but cutting it into cubes and placing it in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Don’t overmix! The dough should look a bit shaggy when you’re done, but it’ll come together beautifully when you shape it. On that note, pat it into a disc using your hands instead of a rolling pin, which can overwork the dough and cause toughness.
- Master the basics, then use your creativity! This basic scone recipe is designed to accommodate the use of a variety of mix-ins. Consider using chocolate chips, fresh or frozen blueberries, chopped dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, and apricots, chopped nuts, fresh herbs, or ground spices. The possibilities are endless, so have fun!
Frequently Asked Questions
While you technically can, I don’t recommend it. Food processors are incredibly powerful and have a tendency to overwork the scone dough. If you do opt to use a food processor, make sure you’re using the “pulse” function instead of letting the blade just run and only use it to incorporate the butter into the flour. I’d then transfer the mixture to a bowl to mix in the wet ingredients.
The reason I love this scone recipe so much is that you can really let your imagination run wild! In terms of flavors to try, consider blueberry (or lemon blueberry scones!), cranberry orange, chocolate chip scones, or strawberry scones, to name a few.
You can also try making dairy-free by swapping in your favorite vegan butter and plant-based whipping cream. You can even make mini scones by cutting them into smaller wedges and shortening the bake time so there’s plenty of goodness for everyone to try!
Scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Feel free to pop them in the toaster oven to warm them up before serving if you like.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Scones recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Scones
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing Bowls
- Pastry cutter or fork
- Knife
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (300g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup cold unsalted butter cubed (76g)
- ½ cup mix-ins dried currants or cranberries, chocolate chips, berries, nuts (optional)
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream divided (195mL)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the cold butter until the pieces are no larger than the size of peas. Stir in ½ cup of desired mix-ins, if using.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ¾ cup heavy cream, egg, and vanilla. Slowly add the cream mixture, using a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into a ¾-inch thick square. Cut the dough in half. Stack each half and press down, repeating once. Shape dough into a 7-inch or ¾-inch-thick disc. Using a floured knife, cut the disc into 8 equal triangles and place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Brush scones with the remaining 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until puffed and the tops are lightly golden, rotating halfway through baking. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Flour your work surface. Scone dough is sticky, so a lightly floured surface and floured hands are your friends.
- Start cold. Make sure your butter and cream are both nice and chilly before starting for a perfectly flaky scone. If it’s really warm in your house, you can use frozen butter but cutting it into cubes and placing it in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Don’t overmix! The dough should look a bit shaggy when you’re done, but it’ll come together beautifully when you shape it. On that note, pat it into a disc using your hands instead of a rolling pin, which can overwork the dough and cause toughness.
- Master the basics, then use your creativity! This basic scone recipe is designed to accommodate the use of a variety of mix-ins. Consider using chocolate chips, fresh or frozen blueberries, chopped dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, and apricots, chopped nuts, fresh herbs, or ground spices. The possibilities are endless, so have fun!
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