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by Danielle on Sep 9, 2019 (updated Sep 7, 2020) 422 comments »
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4.96 from 148 ratings
Learn how to make delicious, soft, light, and tender scones with this easy tutorial. This scone recipe is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Scones are one of those recipes that some people tend to think are dry or bland. But the truth is that when made correctly, scones are actually super soft, light, and can melt in your mouth!
So today I’m bringing it back to the basics and showing you exactly how to make homemade scones. These scones come together in about 15 minutes and they only take about 20 minutes to bake in the oven.
This scone recipe is also a perfect base for creating different flavors, so I’ve included options for different flavor variations.I’ve even included a few different options for glazes so you can really make this recipe your own!
What You’ll Need For This Recipe
For this scone recipe, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients. Let’s break down each one:
- All-Purpose Flour: When it comes to measuring your flour, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Too much flour can lead to a crumbly dough and scones that don’t taste as good. I talk about this more in my post on how to measure flour.
- Granulated Sugar: I typically stick with granulated sugar because I prefer the taste, but brown sugar will work too.
- Baking Powder & Salt: There is one tablespoon of baking powder in this recipe and I promise it’s not a mistake! In order to get a good rise, you need a decent amount of baking powder.
- Cold Unsalted Butter: Since the amount of salt in salted butter can vary quite a bit between different brands, I prefer to stick with unsalted butter. Also, cold butter is key to creating the perfect scones. As the cold butter melts in the oven, it creates steam pockets that help the scones rise and creates a lighter texture too.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: When it comes to soft scones that don’t dry out, heavy whipping cream is the best option. A little cream brushed on top of the scones before they go into the oven creates a beautiful slightly crisp and lightly browned exterior too.
- Egg & Vanilla Extract: The egg helps to create a lighter texture and the vanilla adds flavor.
How To Make This Scone Recipe
As I mentioned earlier, scones are INCREDIBLY easy to make and throw together. To start, you’ll whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then, cube your cold butter into small pieces and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut it into the dry ingredients until you have small pea-sized crumbs.
Next, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl and stir the mixture together until it just comes together.
Then, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, work it into a ball, flatten it into a disc7 inches in diameter, and cut it into 8 equal-sized pieces.
Lastly, you’ll want to place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and place the baking sheet in the freezer for 5-10 minutes so that the dough is thoroughly chilled.
Once it’s nice and cold, brush the tops of the scones with a little heavy whipping cream. If you don’tplan to add a glaze on top, you can sprinkle them with a little coarse sugar or granulated sugar. Then, place them in the oven and let them bake for about 20 minutes or until they’re lightly browned and golden on top.
Recipe Variations
As I mentioned earlier, this recipe is a great base for adding other flavors. Here are a few ways that you can change up this scone recipe. I suggest mixing in these ingredients right after you cut in the butter and before you mix in the wet ingredients.
- Blueberry: Add 1 cup of fresh blueberries
- Cranberry Orange: Add 2 teaspoons of orange zest and 2/3 cup of sweetened dried cranberries (or 1 cup of chopped fresh cranberries)
- Cinnamon Raisin: Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 2/3 cup of raisins
- Lemon Poppy Seed: Add the zest of 1 medium lemon and 1/2 tablespoon of poppy seeds
You can also find my chocolate chip scone recipe here and my apple cinnamon scones here.
I’ve also included a vanilla glaze option, but you can easily change up the glaze too. Here are a few ways to do that:
- Orange Glaze: Omit the vanilla extract and use fresh orange juice instead of milk
- Lemon Glaze: Omit the vanilla extract and use fresh lemon juice instead of milk
- Cinnamon Glaze: Add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Baking Tips
- When measuring your flour, make sure to spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Cold ingredients are best for this recipe! Make sure your dough is as cold as possible before you place the scones in the oven. I suggest placing the baking sheet with the scones in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before baking them.
- Brush the top of each scone with a little heavy whipping cream before placing them in the oven. This will create a slightly crispy exterior and help them brown too.
The BEST Scones Recipe
4.96 from 148 ratings
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
Learn how to make delicious, soft, light, and tender scones with this easy recipe and tutorial. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
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Ingredients
Servings: 8 scones
For the scones:
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
- 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter cubed into pieces
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream plus more for brushing the tops
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the vanilla glaze:
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the scones:
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut it into the dry ingredients until you have small pea-sized crumbs.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. The mixture may be a little crumbly at this point, this is okay!
Scoop the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and work it together in a ball, then flatten into a 7-inch circle. Cut the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces and place them on the prepared baking sheet, making sure to leave a little room between each one.
Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 5-10 minutes or until the scones are chilled.
Brush the tops of each scone with a little heavy whipping cream. If you're not adding a glaze, you can top them with coarse sugar if desired.
Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the scones are lightly browned and cooked through.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
To make the vanilla glaze:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until well combined. If the glaze is too thick add more milk to thin it out and if the glaze is too thin add more powdered sugar to thicken it.
Top the scones with the glaze and allow to harden for 10-15 minutes, then serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Store scones in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Milk: Whole, 2%, 1%, skim, or almond milk allwork fine for the glaze.
Scone Variations:Here are a few ways that you can change up this scone recipe. I suggest mixing in these ingredients right after you cut in the butter and before you add the wet ingredients.
- Blueberry: Add 1 cup (150 grams) of fresh blueberries
- Cranberry Orange: Add 2 teaspoons of fresh orange zest plus 2/3 cup (105 grams) of sweetened dried cranberries (or 1 cup of chopped fresh cranberries)
- Cinnamon Raisin: Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon plus 2/3 cup (105 grams) of raisins
- Lemon Poppy Seed: Add the zest of 1 medium lemon plus 1/2 tablespoon of poppy seeds
Glaze Variations:You can replace the milk in this recipe to create different glazes too.
- Orange Glaze: Omit the vanilla extract and use fresh orange juice in place of the milk
- Lemon Glaze: Omit the vanilla extract and use fresh lemon juice in place of the milk
- Cinnamon Glaze: Add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Danielle
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.
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Breakfast
originally published on Sep 9, 2019 (last updated Sep 7, 2020)
422 commentsLeave a comment »
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422 comments on “The BEST Scone Recipe”
Camille —Reply
Can I make these dairy free?
Danielle —Reply
Yes, you can! You can replace the butter with a dairy-free butter, like Earth Balance. The heavy whipping cream can be replaced with something like coconut cream. I believe Silk makes a plant-based heavy cream that would probably work too.
George —Reply
Yes ! I SAW SILK PLANT BASED CREAM in my grocer’s dairy cooler.
Wonderful recipe !!
Thanks Camille
Greg —Reply
So easy and so much better than boxed scone mix
Susan K —Reply
This scone recipe was fantastic!!! I wish I could give it 10 stars. 🙂 Crispy outside, yet soft inside. I added 1 cup of frozen blueberries (frozen berries hold their shape better when mixing). I used a lemon glaze for the topping. The only thing I would do different next time is to make them smaller. They are delicious but very filling. Side note- don’t cheap out by using margarine, butter is the key ingredient!
Blessing —Reply
Please what can i substitute heavy cream with???
Danielle —Reply
You could use half and half, whole milk, or canned coconut milk. Just keep in mind that they will be thinner than heavy cream, so you may need to use 1 to 2 tablespoons less liquid so the dough isn’t too sticky.
Blessing —Reply
And also if i don’t have a baking sheet or paper to line my tray what can i use???
Danielle —Reply
You could use another kind of pan like a casserole dish. If you don’t have parchment paper, you can lightly grease your pan with some butter/nonstick cooking spray.
Sholeh —Reply
Fantastic recipe! Worked beautifully, even I baked scones for first time.
Annie —Reply
Dough was way too crumbly to work with. When I cut the triangles, they instantly fell apart. I even added a bit more cream and it didn’t help.
Danielle —Reply
I’ve never had any issues with the dough being too crumbly to work with. Did you spoon and level your flour? And did you double check that you used the correct measurements for the wet ingredients?
Christine S —Reply
I’ve made this recipe twice in less than 24 hours the first ones I did exactly as the recipe stated the second batch I added half vanilla and half lemon flavored extracts in addition to a little lemon zest and halfway through. I put a raspberry on top of half of the batch. They were delicious.
Mia —Reply
What do you think, can I prep/shape the dough and toss them in the oven the next day? Would that not comprise the quality?
Danielle —Reply
I haven’t tried just refrigerating the dough overnight, but I have frozen it and baked from frozen. I think that it would be okay to make it and shape it the day before, then refrigerate it overnight.
Alexandra Shea —Reply
I made these for a bunch of people at work for our Thanksgiving Bake sale ( union support !) and they LOVED them ! I don’t really cook so I loved how easy they were to make and how terrific they tasted ( even uncooked😝)!
Elena —Reply
I baked them round, similar to English or Irish scones. They flattened immensely with no rise. Not too pleased with this recipe.
Danielle —Reply
Did you happen to twist the cutter when you were cutting out the scones? If so, that will seal off the edges and prevent them from rising. If your butter wasn’t cold enough or the dough was overworked, it could cause that to happen as well.
KStew —Reply
I didn’t know that about twisting a cutter, great info!
Lauren —Reply
Could I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh?
Danielle —Reply
Yes, that would be fine. I wouldn’t thaw them, you can mix them in frozen.
Lindsay Glasspoole —Reply
These were perfect! I did a round shape with the dough then cut them into triangle shapes. I froze the individual scones then cooked them from frozen in the air fryer. Turned out perfectly my family loved them !
Russell Grabowski —Reply
Great scones. Best I have made
Gaylen Mast —Reply
My friends now call me the “Scone Queen.”
David —Reply
These turned out fantastic! Very light and fluffy.
Susan —Reply
Can I make these ahead of time and freeze? Do they taste as fresh defrosted?
Danielle —Reply
Yes, that would be fine! They won’t taste quite as fresh, but they will still taste good.
Deloris —Reply
Can I use the dough hook on my mixer to knead the dough once mixed?
Danielle —Reply
I don’t recommend it for this recipe. You’re not kneading the dough, just working it together into a ball with your hands.
Adi —Reply
I love them
Karen —Reply
Could I substitute almond extract for vanilla extract?
Danielle —Reply
That would be fine! Almond extract is pretty strong though, so I would start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more as needed.
Linda —Reply
Wow! These were the best scones I have ever tasted! They were sooo easy to make too. I added a cup of dried cranberries and about 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Definitely a keeper base recipe. thank you!
Rdo Ange —Reply
Easily sourced ingredients for the basic scone recipe. Terrific!
Mary Combs —Reply
Love scones
Mia —Reply
I’ve made this recipe twice and can confidently say it’ll be my go to scone recipe now! The scones come out tender and moist, with a nice crunch. I really like how easy it is to incorporate add-ins (the first batch I used frozen blueberries and second time freeze dried strawberries).
John —Reply
Spectacular! Thank you!
HSC —Reply
I made this recipe and loved it. Now I need to make ‘something’ for an event that I’m attending. I wondered, could these be cut smaller and made ‘mini’? Would the baking time need to be adjusted?
Danielle —Reply
Yes, that would be fine! You will need to reduce the baking time, but it will kind of depend on how small you cut them.
Joe —Reply
Excellent recipe thank you my scones came out really good.
