This is my favorite scone recipe. It’s easy to make from scratch and always offers the perfect scone that is light, soft and fluffy.
My whole family loves this scone recipe. I share storage info below, but honestly, we didn’t need it. The moment they come out of the oven they disappear.
This is a basic scone recipe made with a short list of simple ingredients. The scones are served on the perfect left plain, either by yourself or with butter and jam. It’s also a great recipe to adapt to your favorite mixins like berries, fresh fruits, chocolate chips and more. I adapted this recipe for these blueberry scones.
Important ingredients
Flour: I stick to all-purpose flour for scones. It consistently produces light and flake-like results. Use your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour for your gluten-free scones. Butter: The secret to a really soft scone is the very cold, salt-free butter. So don’t take it out of the fridge quickly. The same goes for drop biscuits and these buttermilk biscuits. Cream: I love traditional cream scones, so my master scone recipes are inspired by them and I want generous amounts of heavy cream. Adds flavor, fat and softens. Sugar: Use powdered sugar, coconut sugar, or honey. I especially love the flavor of these honey and share some tips on how to adjust honey recipes instead of the sugar below. Baking Powder: This adds a lift in the middle of the scone. Use fresh aluminum-free baking powder to taste the best flavors. I like Bob’s Redmill. Because I think it’s the perfect way to make my favorite pancake recipe. Vanilla and Salt: These create a delicious flavor and balance the flavor of flour and baking powder. I highly recommend vanilla! Optional Add-ins: These are great plain and have nothing added to the fabric, but they are really easy to adapt to your favorite scone mixins. Consider adding fresh berries such as blueberries and raspberries, chopped strawberries, cherry, peaches, dried fruits like raisins and cranberries, or combinations. Nuts and chocolate chips also work. When I make this recipe, I especially love the regular chocolate chip and mini chocolate chip mixture.
Find the complete recipe for the measurements below.
How to make the best scones from scratch
Tip 1: Cold is important. If it’s a light, flaky scone, think of it like a biscuit or pie crust. Cold butter creates a steam pocket in the hot oven. This gives the scone a soft, fluffy texture (as shown in the photo below). Use cold butter to make sure the heavy cream is also cold.
Tip 2: Don’t overwork the fabric. When cutting cold butter into flour, leave small pea-sized pieces. These will melt and swell in the oven. You can do this (as in my photo) using a pastry blender, also known as a pastry cutter, or you can grate frozen butter by placing a large hole in the box in the flour. You can also pulse the mixture several times in a food processor, like when making homemade biscuits.
Tip 3: Chill before baking. To ensure an additional soft, flaky scone, let it cool for 15-20 minutes before entering the oven. Place the cut-out scones on a plate or small baking sheet (or something that fits in the fridge) and refrigerate them.
Tip 4: Brush with cream and sugar. For a beautifully finished top, polish the scones with a little extra heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Using raw sugars like Turbinado and Demerara gives you a nice crunch and glow, but simple granular sugars also do the job.
More scone recipes
Easy scone
Preparation
10 minutes
Cook
15 minutes
total
25 min
This is my go-to classic scone recipe. I love plain without adding anything. Alternatively, you can use it as a master recipe to add your favorite mixins such as fresh berries, chopped fruits, chocolate chips, currants and more.
I love the honey flavor in this recipe, so I provided some tips below for using it as a sugar alternative listed below.
Create 8
You will need it
Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus more if needed (260g)
sugar plus sugar for more information on tops, see the tips below for honey use (65g)
Use 2½ tsp baking powder, aluminum-free
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Six tablespoons of cold butter, cut into small pieces (85g)
More details on the top (235ml) in addition to 1 cup of cold heavy cream
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup mix-in, options including berries, dried fruits, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.
direction
1Prepare the oven and baking sheet: Adjust the oven rack to the center position. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line up parchment on a large baking sheet or use a silicone baking mat.
2Mix the dry ingredients: Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. If you are using honey, whisk with wet ingredients instead.
3Put the butter: Using a pastry blender, place the butter in the flour mixture, resembling a coarse crumb with small tiny pieces of pea-sized butter. You can also put frozen butter in flour or use a food processor.
4Add wet ingredients: Add the vanilla to a small bowl until the whipping cream and vanilla are mixed together, then add to the flour and butter mixture. Use a rubber spatula to mix until a crunchy dough has formed. This fabric should be a little sticky. If it’s sticky, add a little more flour. If it’s too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream. The mix-ins are gently folded (although it’s okay if the fresh berries hit a little).
5Cut off the scones: Transfer the dough and all dried, powdery bits to a lightly powdered surface. Knead 3-5 times until the dough is exactly together. It forms on a disc about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 triangles.
6Make them cold (optional): For best results, place scone wedges on a dish or small baking sheet and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
7Bake them: Place the chilled scones on a baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Brush the cream on the top of the scone and lightly sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake for 14-16 minutes until it turns halfway through and light golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Adam and Joan tips
Storage: Store remaining scones in the fridge in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also freeze scones. Freeze to hard on a baking sheet, transfer to a safe container or bag in the freezer, and store in the freezer for up to a month. Alternative Honey: If you use honey, use ⅓ cups (110g) and expect to add 2 tablespoons of flour to the mixture. Whisk honey into the cream before adding to the dry ingredients. Use sour cream or buttermilk. Replace half of the cream with sour cream or buttermilk and it’s a bit perfect (½ cup cream and ½ cup sour cream or buttermilk). Flour Measuring: For perfect scones, add flour to the measuring cup, either measuring the weight of the flour or using the spoon and level method. Apply flour into the container and gently scoop it into the measuring cup until it mounds a little, then use a knife to level it from the top. Mix in: For fresh berries, use pile cups. For dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips, use a slightly smaller amount, such as ¾ cups. Delicious scones: This is a sweet scone dough (like American scones), but you can adapt it to delicious scones by reducing the sugar to 3 tablespoons and adding cheese and herbs such as rosemary and chives. Nutrition information provided is estimated.
Nutrition per meal
Serving size
1 scone
/
calorie
276
/
Total fat
14.4g
/
Saturated fat
8.9g
/
cholesterol
39.8mg
/
sodium
154.2mg
/
carbohydrates
34.2g
/
Dietary fiber
0.9g
/
Total sugar
9g
/
protein
3.7g
author:
We are Adam and Joan, who have been passionate about cooking and sharing trustworthy recipes since 2009. Our goal? To encourage you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh, flavorful meals with confidence.
