dreamy cream scones
But… I don’t… I didn’t love the results. One, they were heavy; heavy, and pretty dried out by the next morning. Now, I know scones aren’t supposed to last forever, but I expect to get at least twelve hours out of them. Call me picky. Second, they weren’t sweet enough, but for this, I will take some blame. I don’t really care for a sticky, saccharine breakfast pastry, and while I understand this to be de rigeur in coffee shops, I just can’t handle that kind of excess first thing in the morning. So, when Ina called for a glaze on top, I skipped it, opting instead to increase the sugar amount in the scone by one tablespoon. It didn’t do the trick, and in the end, I resented a recipe that required a glaze or it just didn’t come together. My third point of contention with the scones was that they tasted of baking powder, like a biscuit, but with none of a biscuit’s charm or bright buttermilk flavor. Finally, they were still in a container on my desk on Wednesday, which as we all know among ravished cubicle-dwellers – who sop up leftover, processed corporate-catered pastries as if those lemon-poppy mini-muffins tasted anything but rank – is the ultimate nail in a baked good’s coffin.
Next!
Normally, this is where this post would end; I would sign off with a “better luck next time” and harbor great intentions to try a new scone recipe soon, but every time I would come across one, it would bring up the unsavory memory of those leaden, dry things and skip it. This time, luckily for all of us, I will so arrogantly say, I persevered, and dug into the basic cream scone recipe from the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook last night, the one boasting a promise that it had passed exhaustive rounds of testing with flying colors. (Frankly, shame on me for not using their recipe first.)
These scones are the height of scone perfection, a pastry dream-come-true, should you be as odd as I am and occasionally dream a little dream of scone. They are moist and structured, but still soft and light, ever-so-slightly crisped exterior. They have just the right level of sweet, and I didn’t need to sugar or glaze or really anything them to make them work. Sure, the book offers variations on the recipe, but the basic one, the very first one, is all I will ever need.
And now, with my scone quest fulfilled, I can move onto bigger and better things, like pickle parties and planning Sunday night’s dinner. And by “planning” I mean, “taking Monday off.”
Dreamy Cream Scones
America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a low-protein brand such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup currants (I used dried cranberries, and chopped them into smaller bits)
1 cup heavy cream
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.
2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.
3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in currants. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add currants and pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl.
4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by either a) pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper (the book’s suggestion) or b) patting the dough onto a lightly floured work surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle, cutting pieces with a biscuit cutter, and pressing remaining scraps back into another piece (what I did) and cutting until dough has been used up. (Be warned if you use this latter method, the scones that are made from the remaining scraps will be much lumpier and less pretty, but taste fine. As in, I understand why they suggested the first method.)
6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
oooo…recipe recipe recipe…we need it for Sunday breakfast!!!!!
You are so efficient! You bake not one batch, but two. Bravo to you Deb. I can’t wait for the recipe. (I’m trying your lentils this weekend, btw.)
Can’t wait for the recipe. How is the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook? I’ve been wanting a new cookbook for a while now. Would it be worth my time?
Deb you keep reading my mind! Today, I had an awful craving for scones…so I bought some frozen ones that I just have to pop into the oven at home. Now, I have lovely pictures to look at while my scones sit in the work freezer. I pray that they won’t be poached!
Ooh, and a bit of clotted cream to go with it, perhaps? Delish looking… thank you… and yes, work is kicking my butt too :( But it’s almost time for the weekend… thankfully.
I live and die by my Best Recipe cookbook, but will check out the A’s Test Kitchen one – if they include scrumptious photos (as your blog does) that might push me over the line!
I love when smart people cook. Also, it is only a matter of time before you have your own foodnetwork show. Deb cooks the books (I never said I wasn’t cheesy) – where you cook from famous cookbooks just as the recipes describe with an in-studio audience who taste tests the food. Dare to dream right?
Ah, yes, the Cook’s Illustrated cream scone. I’ve had great success with that recipe, even when I swapped the AP flour for half whole wheat, half pastry. Tenderness incarnate…
I am also a fan of Ina’s and have all of her cookbooks, even the new one. I had tried her scone recipe previously and was similarly disappointed. It was one of the very few times I did’t fall in love with one of her recipes. Can’t wait to try the one you recommended, I love my New Best Recipe book also! By the way, I tried Ina’s Frozen Berries with Hot White Chocolate and found them scrumptious. It’s from her new book and a keeper if you love white chocolate like I do. Deb, I have only recently discovered your blog, and look forward to reading it everyday. Cheers!
I’m glad you carried on and posted this amazing looking, great recipe!
the pictures are so mouth-watering -how do you do it every time??-
I love scones (see my search for the perfect scone…!) This recipe is however really different from my one, am certainly going to give it a try! =)
I made the Test Kitchen scones for a class full of sophomores , and they were DEVOURED in minutes. Seriously, when 15-year-olds are giving the thumbs-up to a recipe that doesn’t involve chocolate or Doritos, what other affirmation do you need?
(New reader of the blog, by the way, and so glad that someone pointed me toward it!)
Highly recommend Gordon Ramsey’s “perfect scone” recipe. I used to go to Claridges for afternoon tea as a treat when I lived in London, and the scones were always the highlight. So when I found Ramsey’s recipe for said morsels of genius, well…the mixing bowl was down from the shelf double quick. The scones are perfect, the man does not lie. Now all I have to do is source clotted cream in NZ and my expat dream will be complete…
Ah. I’ve been making this recipe for years and love it. So simple. So perfect. When I started reading the post and saw that you were dissappointed in your scone recipe I was going to send you to this one and say, “Don’t ever bother trying to find a better one.” So imagine my delight as I read on. I love everything about your site (I’m smitten!) and now I know I can trust your taste and opinions, because they as perfect as my own. I will add that since I have kids to please, I often substitute currants with tiny chocolate morsels and win their favor. I’ll halve the dough and make some for them and some yummy grown-up variation for me.
You inspired me, Deb – and i made my first batch of scones ever on Friday night after work for yummy breakfasting all weekend long. Only thing was frozen blueberries didn’t quite add the punch of flavor I was hoping for….definitely fresh next time.
I have a question. I made these last night, and they ended up tasting great, but the dough was really sticky. Is that how it’s supposed to be? When I pressed it into the cake pan, there was no way it was coming back out, so I just scored the dough and baked it in the cake pan and they turned out fine. I’m just really confused by the dough. I guess I was expecting it to be a little closer to biscuit consistency.
Christine – So, did you make it?
Kelli – How did the lentils come out?
Jessie – Love the cookbook. There are many now, but I started with the one that was first recommended to me years ago. I can’t imagine not liking any of them.
Jenifer – Frozen? Meh! You must try these, too.
Yvo – Mmm, clotted cream. I wish!
Nancy – Both books should be of equal quality because (I think) they are tested in the same kitchens, with the same methods.
C – I would totally love my own cooking show. Of course, there is no marketing angle to cooking from famous cookbooks for Scripps, so I am sure they’d have no interest. Le sigh. I was all excited for the inevitable debssmittenkitchenshowsux.blogspot.com!
Luisa – Now that sounds like more wholesome breakfast idea. I’d actually love to try them with whole wheat pastry flour, something I hear endlessly good things about.
Ivyfalls – Thank you!
Julia – You should. I can’t believe what a following it has. I wish I had more right now.
Max – Not bad! Though my inner 15-year-old thinks that these would be divine with chocolate inside them, as well. :)
Samphire – If you have it, let me know. I’d love to do a comparison. Thanks!
Pam – I love that this recipe has such a following! I only wish I’d found it sooner.
Meghan – You might even want to try dried blueberries – I’ve been seeing them around a lot lately.
Jessie – Yup, the dough was mighty sticky, so I just patted a bit of flour on my hands and the work surface. Of course, shame on me for giving you guys pressing-in-the-pan directions when I’d never tried that method myself first. I suppose they want you to flour it very well first, but didn’t mention. I’ll have to recheck tonight. Glad they worked out anyway!
I found your scone blog through flickr and google. It looked sooooo good I had to bookmark it on my blog for later use. This buttermilk scone recipe is one I’ve tried and really like.
Ooooohhhh…..! Deb, I baked a batch of these creamy scones this evening and they are to die for! So light! I like them better than the buttermilk scones. Thanks again for sharing! I added some orange zest to my dough mix and made bite-size scones. Will take more pictures tomorrow when there’s better lighting before posting.
Hi Deb,
try Nigella Lawson’s scones (from “How to be a Domestic Goddess”) They are perfect – and she also tells you what to do to make them rise so high. All other recipes I tried just left me with rocks in funny shapes. (If you don’t have the book and can’t find the recipe on the www, let me know).
Thanks for all the wonderful things you are sharing!
These made my day!
I’d had a huge craving for scones with my tea, but the last time I made them was a disaster (a huge amount of baking powder made them taste metallic). This recipe is a godsend! I made baby-scones, and they reheat very well. Perfect for a tea-time snack!
:}
i made this recipe last night and served them this morning to my editorial staff. the scones were a HIT!!!
i had three people ask me for the recipe (and I gave them the smittenkitchen website address telling them it was my favorite online recipe kitchen) and everyone came up to me saying how wonderful they were.
i couldn’t believe how easy they were to make, either.
thanks Smitten Kitchen!!!
Okay, so I made these twice last week. And while I thought they were awesome and delicious and easy(!!!), my bf said they tasted too biscuity. My dough never got really sticky, either. What should I do next time? I added more liquid the second batch and they came out slightly better but I’m afraid to add tooo much more liquid. Thanks!
These turned out wonderful and were so quick to make! I’ve been making a lot of scones lately, and these were by far the best. They easily split in half and were so tender and flavorful that I just enjoyed them plain. I chopped up a 1/2 cup of moist prunes to sub for the currants with much success.
After cutting the scones into shapes, I flash-froze them for a half hour, then wrapped them individually and stuck them back in the freezer. I plan on baking them straight from the freezer (adding a minute or two, as Dorie suggests) for a quick breakfast. Thanks so much for the post.
Oh these were fantastic! Super easy to make and, best of all, the cooking time is so quick that you don’t have to wait long to savor these scones. I ate them with lemon curd to counter their light sweetness, and it was absolutely delicious.
Dear Internet:
I was hired by a co-worker to bake a whole crap load of scones for a big bridal shower. I tried the following recipes:
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/recipes/search/onerecipe.php?number=2457 (too tough)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cranberry-orange-scones-recipe/index.html (too dry! I think I must have done something wrong here. FOUR eggs? 3/4 of a POUND of butter? and THEN cream? How could they be dry! Perhaps I overcooked them? But I was careful? Bah!)
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CRANBERRY-ORANGE-SCONES-15682 (was good)
But this recipe that Deb of smittenkitchen has highlighted here made the best scones by far. By. Far. They melt in your mouth. They are delicious. I just got back from delivering my hours worth of scone labor and everyone was thrilled.
Thank you, Deb!
I made these scones, and they were wonderful! I love them. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I love scones, and I love to hear of others’ adventures!
These scones look great and i can’t wait to try them. I’m from England so i’m always in search of a good scone recipe.
This one from Delia Smith is also very good:http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/richfruitbuttermilks_67262.shtml
Hi,
I’m making these scones right now. Thanks for a cream-based recipe. I ran out of buttermilk and was thinking of going to the store, but now I get to use up my extra heavy cream.
Also, a tip for all the fellow “by hand” scone bakers – you can freeze your butter and then grate it into the dough. It’s much easier than cutting the butter in. It’s also faster (which keeps the butter colder).
Keep up the great work. I love your site!
Just made these last night. You’re right, this is the only recipe Ill ever need. I added bits of dried apricot and apples to mine: perfect!
I didn’t have any heavy cream and used a mix of lowfat milk and greek yogurt. And added raspberries. They are really delicious – have made them two days in a row.
Scone-makers of the world unite! You’re going to have to trust me here, but this is really the answer.
3 cups self-raising flour (or normal +baking powder)
1 cup pouring cream
1 cup lemonade
Mix. Spread out. Cut. Bake. Eat.
No joke, this is the very very best recipe for scones – and also a very traditional Australian recipe – which are a staple of country cooking here. It used to be said that a good countrywoman (always a woman in those unenlightened days) was someone who could get some scones into the oven before the kettle had time to boil – the idea being that if someone “dropped by” from “next door” (sometimes an hour’s drive or more, in the North) then you better be able to get them something tasty pretty quickly.
So please – I implore you – if you are a scone fan, just try this once. You’ll be worried by the soft dough, but ignore it and just chuck them in a very hot oven, in whatever shapes you chose, and the soft, billoughy, just a touch sweet texture will blow you away. I can’t help thinking of scones as a quintessially Anglo-Australian thing – I think yours are a little harder? but seriously, you’ll never look back.
And the variations are only limited by your imagination – don’t bother refining hte mix, it can take any additions: chopped dates and a swirl of maple syrup? apricot and almond? savoury, with cheese, paprika, and perhaps beer instead of lemonade?
A friend and I ate these with some homemade lemon curd and they were delightful! Thanks so much for always putting up such great recipes.
Sorry for commenting on an entry that’s three years old – but I was looking for something simple to bake for the first time in my tiny new apartment, and I just made these. But I forgot a few things in my “apartment startup” grocery shopping – namely salt! – and I typically eat pretty healthily so didn’t have any heavy cream.
I made these with salted butter (hoping for that to make up for the lack of salt) and – get this – a cup of 3.25% strawberry yoghurt and a couple of splashes of milk to give the dough the right texture. I ended up with slightly strawberry-flavoured scones. They’re a bit rubbery – next time I’ll follow the recipe – but yum! A success for the first baked goods in this apartment :)
Just wanted to let you know that I just make these scones for a St Patricks Day dinner with my family. They turned out wonderfully. Light and soft with gentle crisp crusts. Thanks for the recipe! I added some chopped dried cranberries and the zest of a lemon. Tastey.
My little dream of scone has finally come true!
I subbed half buttermilk for the cream because it was laying around. With lemon curd and blackcurrant preserves (fresh off the plane from France, as a traveling gift from one very smart boyfriend), these were so good I almost fell over in the kitchen.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!!!
hello! me and my grandkiddies made these together they’re sure somethin! eat em up diggy dogs!
hey girlz! you should like totally make these things! theyre like so totally delicious! yumm… live love laugh!
hi these remind me of my new song its called scrumpchious scones! omg!
Yum! I just finished making these and have just enjoyed the irregular little one that I made with the dough scraps. They are divine- so light and fluffy yet moist and creamy. And soooo easy to make and the flat smells gorgeous- I’m almost sorry to decimate the baking smell when I start to mash garlic for the arroz con pollo!
I just made these with fresh strawberries and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour to sub for 1/4 cup of AP. They are wonderful! I love your blog.
Made these just now, and they are delicious! I didn’t have cream, so I subbed with plain yogurt and a little bit of whole milk, and it adds a slightly tangy flavor to the scones, which works perfectly. I also made them bite-sized and rolled them in sugar before baking. Thanks for this recipe!
My girls and I made these on Sunday and they were super good. We used strawberries instead of currants. We probably broke all kinds of baking rules too! We used previously frozen strawberries that we thawed and cut up… It added moisture to the mix and I probably should have cut some cream out but didn’t. Still good, just didn’t hold together as well as regular scones. Also, we made ours in a muffin tin instead of cutting them out. VERY good.
~K
I made these this past weekend for the husband with chocolate chunks and they were the absolute best scones ever… I think I might try to fold in some rhubarb this weekend… wonderful recipe! I love scones.
Making these right now and looking forward to it! My first smitten kitchen experience….Can’t wait! Love your smitten kitchen.
I <3 Deb’s scones! Love the blueberry/fresh fruit ones from you visit to the North Fork this fall (exactly 2 weeks before my own trip to the North Fork for the first time on a wine tasting trip!). I have a scone fanatic now, they’re so easy and just so damn tasty! Thank you!
I’m baking these tomorrow with my toddler’s preschool class, and then we’re churning our own butter to spread on top. Should be quite the experience, me and a bunch of 3-year-olds, baking scones…
ohhhhhh these are soooo good!!!! I’ve made these before but with a little orange zest. It gives it just the teeniest bit more umph.
:D
Well, the preschool experiment was a success! (Though I’m not sure which they liked more–the scones or the homemade butter.) Thanks so much for the recipe.
I just made these and they are warm out of the oven. I already tried a piece :-) They are delicious!! Thanks for the recipe.
Oh dear. These are seriously, seriously delicious. I used 3/4 cup of blueberries instead of cranberries and the result was OMG AMAZING. This is actually the first time I’ve ever attempted scones, but I just told myself that this is a rich, baking-powdered pie crust and chilled everything, including the mixed dry ingredient. (The butter I stuck in the freeze AFTER cubing.) These are wonderfully light, have an amazing flavor with just a hint of sweetness – I can’t think of any way to improve them. (Knowing me, though, I won’t be able to resist screwing with them in some way… Perhaps some lemon zest?)
I’m so glad someone else recognizes the superiority that is Test Kitchen! After trying this recipe on faith that it would be as good as their strawberry ice cream (with the secret ingredient, Vodka), I have since found it difficult to choose between it and my own recipe that I spent years perfecting! I have had a passion for Scones since Scrooge McDuck raved about them in a book I had as a kid. You can’t go wrong with these, even though everyone will ask ‘what those funny little biscuit things’ are, they will also ask ‘if I pay you, will you please make some more?’ : ) Thanks for posting this, and for all of the other recipes that are quickly filling up my summer’experimental food’ calendar!
Wow. I made these yesterday, plain, without cranberries (as the only ones I had were about 8 months old) – even my English brother-in-law approved!
Very easy, I patted the dough into a round (1 inch thick) then cut it into 8 wedges before transferring to baking sheet lined with parchment. I am terrified of rolling pins, but hope to one day try rolling and cutting…
They did collapse sideways, but didn’t stick to each other and had a “rustic” look.
Shall try them with orange peel and cranberries next! Tks Deb
Wow, these were great! Easy to make and a major hit … Deb you make me look like a pro. Excellent with clotted cream and jam, yum!
these were great – easy easy fast and came out perfect!
Deb, I want to make these for my coworkers too! These look great! One question, though: how should I store them to keep them fresh for the next day? Just an airtight container?
That would work, but just to note: these are definitely best on the first day. (But, a good enough recipe that they’ll taste better on the second day than any other scone would.) Do you have any ability to make the dough, cut and lay it out on your baking tray in the freezer overnight and just bake them in the morning? I’ve done this when short on time and gah, freshly baked scones are always the best.
Just made these with chocolate chips and subbing in homemade plain whole milk yogurt for the cream – just delicious and much much healthier! Highly recommend substituting some or all of the heavy cream for yogurt. If the dough is too sticky to roll out you can also do drop scones, just put a spoonful of dough on parchment paper!
Thanks for the tip, Deb! I’ll probably try freezing them the night before.
I made these last night substituting Pamela’s gluten free baking mix for the flour and adding dried cherries and chocolate chips. Holy crap they were SO good – especially if you dip them in the leftover cream as you eat them – mmmmmmmm. Thank you, Deb!!!!!
Being Scottish and therefore born with not a silver spoon in my mouth but a scone I have inherited the secret to perfect scone making…..it’s not the recipe that’s important-it’s the handling. Once the butter/marg has been rubbed in and the sugar, sultanas (or whatever) are added – the stage from adding the milk and achieving an elastic consistency to cutting out must be seconds more than minutes. The lighter handling at this stage results in a lighter scone. So from the bowl to the surface – to the baking tray needs to be as light and quick as poss.
Someone told me this trick and I was wondering if anyone knows if it’s true. If you take two cookie sheets and layer them on top of each other, THEN put the scones on the sheet, they’ll brown better on the bottom and have less a chance of burning. Is it true?
I was trying to find a recipe to use up some heavy cream I had, when I stumbled upon this little gem. Instead of currants, I used blackberries (each halved), added an extra tablespoon of sugar, and the zest of one whole lemon. Holy deliciousness batman! These are not dry at all. I had some issues forming them, so I just made them look ugly. I wanted to eat them too bad to spend time making them look pretty. :)
OMG, I made these last weekend and flash froze them in individual portions then heated a few up for my weekly playgroup on Tuesday. Absolutely amazing! Thank you for posting this recipe. It totally takes me back to my childhood when my mom, sister and I would go to Printers Inc cafe for scones, coffee and books. I love that I know have them in my freezer for whenever I need an afternoon pick me up.
These look fabulous and found this while searching through your fall squash recipes by chance. This scone looks yummy and very similar to the ones I make from the Zune Cookbook. The Zuni’s one adds a touch of orange zest which really brightens the flavor.
These are fantastic! I made them in no time after stumbling out of bed Sunday morning. I substituted chopped fresh cranberries for currants and they turned out absolutely perfectly — light and not too sweet. I should probably chop the cranberries the night before when I’m not so sleepy and have less risk of the loss of fingertips in the chopping process. I think next time I might run an egg wash over the top and a sprinkling of sugar to give them just a little sparkle. Thanks for such a terrific recipe.
Just made these, with the 8-inch pan wedge method, for a Sat. AM treat. DELICIOUS. Cream is what makes scones, apparently…we have a great scone bakery (in Ottawa, Ontario, which is such a much smaller city, you might not expect a dedicated scone bakery) called Scone Witch…pricy but worth it…these are ALMOST as good :-) Thank you for sharing and all the beautiful work you put into the blog.
OMG…I have a new name for these…Better Than Sex Scones! I have no other words to describe them (other than my son also had me put in 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips along with the cranberries and the two worked great together!). These are going to be my Holiday gifts to my friends…5 wedges wrapped in clear cellophone with a pretty ribbon around it :)
This is the second day in a row I baked these scones…per my mom’s request. Its a really delicious and quick recipe. It definitely tastes more biscuity than scone to me, but I already have requests to flash freeze some before I leave.
woohoo! i made the dough last nite – using dried cranberries instead – and flash freezed them. just popped a few in the oven for some christmas day tea and WOW – really really good. buttery, light, just the right amount of sweet. i’ve never made scones before and have always been afraid to – no more! even my hubby liked ‘em and he’s not a scone type of guy. thanks!!
Made these this morning with chocolate chips and I am embarrassed to say i’ve eaten most of the batch. I was surprised that they were very biscuit-y and was wondering how to give them more of a crumble. Also I noticed that many other scone recipes include eggs – what effect do the eggs have on a scone–would it be more cakey? Next time (and that will be very soon) I will add a simple glaze or add sprinkling sugar. Thanks for demystifying the scone – it will be my new go-to recipe….
Diana — An egg would make it more cakey or even spongy, a little less light/crumbly. I have one scone recipe on the site with an egg that’s not half-bad or excessively cakey, but I still think cream scones hold their ideal texture longer.
Just made these as a New Year’s morning treat for my husband, who loves scones. He hates raisins, craisins, and all similar things in baked goods so I made them plain. Only had salted butter so I used that and then skipped adding any extra salt. And since I didn’t want to dirty an 8″ pan, I just very lightly rolled these out to an 8″ round and cut them into wedges from there. I’m not big on scones at all, but I must say, these are delicious – and very light and crumbly – mine didn’t come out biscuit-y at all – and just the right amount of sweet. Thanks for another great recipe!
Also just made these today pretty much stuck to the recipe (since cranberry scones were my craving anyway) and DE-LICIOUS. I like the texture of the scones so much I’m going to keep making this over and over until my house is the land of scones and tea.
Thanks much!
I hate scones but these were very good. I made them with cinnamon chips from King Arthurs Flour and they were amazing.
Deb! you are my go to girl… my LIFESAVER! ha :)
i woke up yesterday craving scones and had no dried fruit or anything desirable to put in my scones but then i found this recipe which was exactly what i was looking for! I ended up adding a tsp of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla to the batter and topped them off with cinn/sugar while baking and ended up with the most perfectly moist scone!! so THANK YOU!
I know that this is loooooooong after the original post, but I made scones from America’s Test Kitchen cookbook this weekend, and was curious to see if you had another scone recipe…lo and behold they’re the same one!
These are fabulous. I added a heaping teaspoon of orange zest with the butter as was recommended by the book for cranberry scones, and it gives the dough that extra little zing that makes them perfect. I also lightly glazed them with leftover buttermilk and dusted with sugar before putting them in the oven; might try a dusting of sugar in the raw next time, but it might make them too sweet.
Hi Deb,
Love your blog and your dedication to finding the perfect scone. Would you say the America’s Test Kitchen scone was on the flaky side or crumbly, biscuity side? I’m looking for a flaky scone myself. Thanks!
Rosemary
I wouldn’t say either; they’re moist. Maybe more like a biscuit but less dry and/or airy.
Hmm, I just made these today and got a flaky product, which is what I wanted. But the drawback is that they tasted floury to me. Also, this dough was harder for me to get it to come together than another recipe that I recently tried. Did anyone else have problems getting it to come together?
http://theblogthatatemanhattan.blogspot.com/2007/01/perfect-scone-song.html
I think I’ll try Gordon Ramsay’s recipe, which someone recommended on this page as well. Thanks for all your help!
Hi from Russia!
Dear Deb, I hope you`ll read my comment. You`re definitely a great cook, a was inspired by your recipe. I`m just starting cooking, may be this is the main obstacle)) Things I`ve got at the end were toooo saulty (it`s only my fault) and sodden. I`ve got only one question: were did I go wrong?) I mean, putting a whole cup of cream makes the dough sticky, hard to form and to cut. How did you manage this?
I hope you could give me an advice, Deb!
Thanks in advance,
you are welcome in my city Saint-Petersburg in Russia!
Hi Maria — I would love nothing more than to visit St. Petersburg one day! It does make for a sticky dough. You want to handle it gently on a well-floured counter and try not to work too much flour it or they get dense. Really, just gently pat it into a circle and cut it into wedges and get them in the oven. Bake them until they’re slightly brown at the edges. Hope that helps.
Thanks for your help, Deb!
next time they will be brilliant like yours!
oh my goodness! Made these last night for an easy valentines day breakfast, paired perfectly with mimosas. These are so soft and light, I don’t know if I can ever go back to a non-cream scone. Thanks for another great recipe!
Looks like a good recipe. Could you flash freeze this dough and bake it off at a later date?
Adam — Yup. I do so all of the time with this recipe. I’ll bake them directly from the freezer the morning I need them for a brunch or whatnot. Just needs a couple extra minutes baking time.
Wow, I made these with fresh-ground whole wheat flour, sucanat honey crystals, and dried blueberries and they rivaled PopTarts in flavor (we like PopTarts but avoid them because of trans fats and presevatives and high sugar) ad we so crumbly and good. YOM! I cannot wait to try them with apples next and strawberries when they’re in season!
How does one add fresh fruit? The dough came out extremely wet and thought I had made a grave mistake and redid the dough. They turned out much like a lighter-version biscuit, I thought scones were meant to be more moist. They took a very long time to brown.
I just made these for breakfast, substituting whole milk for the cream (I just couldn’t get myself to use it!!), and they came out perfectly good! One thing: these were a bit cakier than I thought they’d be, as I’d really expected something “shorter”. Very good, though, and my husband devoured them!
I just made these for breakfast, but they turned out tasting like baking powder. All of the other comments say that these taste so amazing, so I’m wondering where I went wrong? Thanks, and I love your blog!
Chelsea — Did you use an aluminum-free baking powder? It makes a difference. Read more.
This recipe is awesome! I made these to bring to my office this morning and this is now my go-to scone recipe. Thanks!
I just want to say that I used this recipe to make my first entry on my own blog. I changed your method and used a method I learned in a cooking class, but used the same ingredients. They were great! Thanks for this :)
i made them just now and they’re truly melt in the mouth. i followed the patting on cake tin method and instead of wedges sliced them into squares and spaced them a bit apart. delish is an understatement. thanks loads for this wonderful recipe.
Have you tried the Joy of Cooking recipe for cream scones? It is dead simple (no cutting in of butter) and I get raves every time I bake them. Easy to alter with additions of lemon zest/blueberries, orange zest/currants, or whatever suits your fancy! I’ve made a dry mix for Christmas gifts–all you do is add cream to have delicious fresh scones…
thank you for this recipe! i just made these about an hour ago and had some for breakfast. they we’re okay with my morning tea, not amazing but that’s because i didnt have heavy cream and made a substitute instead. i also didnt have unsalted butter, but was desperate to make them, so i used salted butter. i also used cranberries instead, but they were still a good, comforting treat. and they do look adorable with the heart-shaped cut-outs i used :)
These were great. I didn’t use the book’s method, with the pan and wedges, but cut them out too. Raisins also made it that much better. Probably the best scones I’ve ever made!
Made these today and used the pan method and cream fresh from the farm. I used dried cherries and 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. They turned out AMAZING! Hands down the best scone I have ever made.
And surprisingly easy! Thank you for the recipe!
WOW! I know you’ll appreciate someone finishing up a cooking project around midnight. I just finished a batch of these scones and it is a good thing I’m committed to bringing them to work tomorrow or I wouldn’t have been able to stop at one! I patted my dough into a 6 x 9 rectangle; cut it into six 3 inch squares and then cut the squares into triangles (12 pieces). They are the perfect size! One was a little too crumbly so I worked just a little and then reshaped it. As you promised, it was a little more lumpy but still delicious!
hi deb!
i’m sure you’re busy but thought i’d throw this out there…. loved these scones. i served them to faculty wives and board members, and they raved, especially when i told them how easy it was! but it tasted a bit salty to me, and then noticed you had another recipe for cranberry & meyer lemon scones — which recipe is a better base for the scone? btw, tried and loved your kale chips, oatmeal raisin cookies (it replaced my Martha Stewart one).
Sharon — Both are awesome, seriously. But this is my standard. Don’t miss the other though, when you’re craving those flavors.
I made them this morning and they were amazing. Probably the best scones I’ve ever made! Thank you for the recipe!
I made these last night as a gift for friends and they came out perfectly. I have tried several different scone recipes in the past but NONE are nearly as good as this one. I used fresh blueberries instead of dried cranberries which made it slightly difficult to knead the dough because the blueberries kept squishing but as long as I was careful and light in the kneading most of them kept in tact. I of course had to test them and mmm they were awesome! I will DEF be making these again soon :)
I made these over the weekend for a brunch party and it was a hit to say the least! I hope you don’t mind that I plagerize your recipe on my blog and link to this page. I also have another “best” scones recipe that you might be interested in testin ;)
I made these last week and they were delicious!! I am making them again, and this time and trying them with chocolate chips! Do you think soy mild would work instead of the cream? That is all I have in my fridge at this moment :)
These are my go-to scones. I’ve made them at least a dozen times since I found the recipe a little over a year ago. I just whipped up a batch using fresh cherries and will be drizzling some blue lemon spiked glaze for the upcoming holiday. love, love, love this recipe, i almost have it memorized. Thanks!
Perfection! I made them with whole milk. My butter was frozen, so I shaved off 5 tablespoons and mixed it in. It never fully incorporated which made for lovely little pockets of lightness in the scones. I had 3/4 cup of currants, but I cant wait to try in a week when the blueberries come in season. SOoo good! Thanks as always.
I just tried your scones this morning. They are SO delicious. I didn?t add any fruits (my family doesn?t quite care for them) and I put a very light white chocolate drizzle. It was SO delicious. The best scone recipe I have ever came across. This one is going into my book of favorites.
Love and Blessings from Hawaii
Kainoa
Mmm with a cup of jumbo blueberries!
I have made this recipe well over 20 times in the past year and still LOVE them! This is what I give to all my friends for xmas presents and they anxiously await their delivery. My boys and I have found that the most delicious way to eat them is with homemade whipped cream and honey (my 8 year olds idea and I LOVE him for it!). Just wanted to share.
I just tried this recipe today with chocolate chips and i must say, it was a really good scone which replicates the scones i’ve been having in uk!
I made these scones yesterday with cherries and orange zest. Fabulous!
I tried this recipe yesterday with chopped dried cherries and it came out so incredibly well! I also put the remaining scones in tupperware and ate one for breakfast the next day – it was still moist and delicious.
I needed shortcakes for some strawberries I bought today and decided to try this recipe because it looked so simple. These are wonderful! Light, flakey, moist and rich; they were perfect as the base for my fruit. Since I was using it as a shortcake, I used vanilla sugar in them and it made them dessert worthy. Thanks, Deb.
Made these this morning. Amazing, just as described. And with a food processor, practically no work.
Can I just chim in here a month late to say that I too made the Ina Scones last week and was totally disappointed! Even the ones that didn’t burn in my incredibly hot oven (see blog post) were basically un-delicious. Just made your recipe and waiting for them to cool — they look great! Thanks for helping me feel better about my Ina catastrophe.
Deb.
O_M_G
I know this is very late to comment, but I just made these for the first time. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve ever made scones. After making the first batch, getting a million thumbs up from my tummy, and then 2 million more thumbs up from the tummies of my husband and roommate, I immediately went to the kitchen and made 2 more batches, one for each of our families for xmas morning (from frozen dough, of course). Thank you for making my first scone baking experience the best one ever. I will never deviate to another recipe!!
FYI – I used 1/2 cup of buttermilk and 1/2 cup of whipping cream because I didn’t have enough whipping cream and wow, the tiny bit of tartness really compliments the sweetness of these scones.
awesome recipe! Thank you!!!!!!!
I was wondering how many scones this will make if you use the cut out method?
Depending on the size of your cutter but for a fairly standard one, 8.
Oh My God!
These are the best things i have ever tasted!
Thank you sooooooo much!
I made these this morning for a freshly baked breakfast and they were amazing in terms of both taste and texture. I subbed fresh blueberries for the currants. Next time I make them with blueberries, I will probably add some grated lemon peel
I just made these for a dessert potluck and I couldn’t believe how easily they came together and how delicious they are. Thanks for sharing it!
This is one of my favorite recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks. I add an extra tablespoon of sugar. I place the wedges on parchment paper on a thin cookie sheet and baste them with beaten egg mixed with a teaspoon of water and sprinkle coarse sugar on top. If you use half cream and half buttermilk, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. For blueberry scones, add a teaspoon of lemon zest. Cranberry and pecans, add a teaspoon ground orange peel. Next is apricot walnut.
I love drop scones, can I use this recipe and make drop scones instead of forming into a round or cutting them out?
I just made these, my first attempt at scones. I used cranberries and added orange zest from one orange. The result was heavenly! So easy to make and so good!
Just made a quarter recipe with White Lily flour ( I live in the south! ) so I could try it – Thank God I only made a quarter recipe – these are to die for seriously!Probably impossible to stop eating more…….. Am going to make the full recipe when I get my organic cake flour from Anson Mills later this week – will make individual ones and freeze them and then just get out one for me and one for hubby!
I made these following the directions; I had to cut in the butter (with knives) as I didn’t have a pastry cutter…took a while, also I baked them for 13 min. but they were just lightly golden, cooked for 4 more minutes. Still DELICIOUS! Defiantly will do again when I get a pastry cutter.
Wow wow wow.
Just made these using dried cranberries and lemon zest and they are amazing. Light, airy, melt in the mouth – perfect with clotted cream and lemon cued for lunch!
Now to resist the rest of the batch…
I’m way late to this party, but Oh Mah Gawd…. these are outrageous! I made them as directed (although all I had was all-purpose bleached flour) and they are phenomenal. I pressed them with my hands into a slightly bigger than 8 or 9 inch circle and them cut them like a pie into 12 pieces. They are still a very satisfying size. I flash froze them so we can have them fresh for breakfast… although that won’t stop me from making the whole batch in the morning!
I just made these and oh my! I love scones so much and it is hard not just to eat up the whole batch by myself. The only substitution I made was whole milk for the cream only because it was what I had on hand (I forgot to get cream at the store). Even with this substitution they still taste heavenly. Also I was really surprised how quick and easy it was to make! It’ll be hard not to make these every week!
Just made these for a work meeting. They were so easy to make, I was able to do them in the morning while getting my 3-year old off to preschool, packing lunches for him and myself, and hauling my 38-week pregnant self to work by 8:30am. YES!
Oh, and they were delicious!
I’ve made these a couple times now and just love them! The best part is the lack of “tinny” baking powder taste that so many scone recipes seem to have. I thought I’d share my accidental variation. I was listening to podcasts while making them last week and forgot to add the cranberries I was planning on. I had the dough all mixed and cut into wedges so it was way too late. I just ended up mixing some sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and brushing it on the top of all the wedges and baking them like that. They’re a little sweeter, and a little plainer than the cranberry or current scones, but I actually really liked them! I made them this way again tonight, and added a bit of vanilla extract to the heavy cream. YUM!!
Made these using candied orange peel and
dates. Wonderful. Used a 1/2 cup of
each finely chopped.
One question about salt. What type of
salt does SK use in baked goods?
Sherry — I use table salt unless otherwise noted. I’m trying to make a point (in newer recipes) to note that I’m talking about table salt. You can use any salt you wish but a coarser salt will need to be used in a larger amount for the equivalent saltiness of fine table salt.
A tip I just picked up for blending butter into the flour…instead of cutting the butter into cubes and mixing in with a pastry blender–grate the butter using your grater on the biggest holes. The butter gets more incorporated into the flour and yields even better scones if that is possible!
This was my first attempt at scones, and they turned out amazingly! I used dried cranberries and orange zest, and topped them with a quick vanilla drizzle. I made the dough by hand, and used the grated butter trick mentioned in the comment above. Another perfect recipe!
These are amazing. Probably the best, moistest (is that a word? It should be) scone I’ve ever had. Served it at brunch with lemon curd… Oh my. Thank you for this winner!
Awesome, once again! I should just stick to your recipes and forget the rest! I made these this morning, substituting mini chocolate chips for the currants and they were FANTASTIC. I also made another recipe for chocolate chip scones from another site, at the same time, because I needed more than 8, and was curious about the difference. Honestly, I thought the other would be better….2 sticks of butter and 2 cups of flour… NOT!!!! They look and taste like they were fried in butter..the spread way out, they seem more like pie crust. Meanwhile…yours came out lovely, thank goodness! Thank you!!!
I made these with lime zest and white chocolate. That combination is to die for! I loved the texture of the scones, so light.
these are heaven right out of the oven! terrific recipe.
I JUST made these…I used 1% milk in place of the cream, because I had none at home. I used dried cranberries and lemon zest and added choc chips to half of the dough. THEY ARE AMAZING.
I was away for the weekend in a very non-stocked kitchen and made these TWICE. Once just w/orange and lemon zest and another time with orange zest, pecans and chocolate (we went to the store for those) and they were AMAZING. You make em in 5 minutes and they are so delicious! I used the circle method – could not be easier.
these scones are fantastic! ps, the second time around I subbed vanilla sugar for regular sugar, added a tsp of vanilla and a tablespoon of vanilla ice cream and made vanilla bean scones. They had a delicate flavor and were really delicious. thank you!
I would really like to make scones with Buttermilk and abuelitas Mexican chocolate mix. How would I go about doing this?
I wish I’ve found your blog earlier! I consider myself a novice baker and all my experience with baking came out of a Betty Crocker box. But I tried making these scones and they turned out perfect! Exactly the way I like them.
Hi!
I was wondering if this will come out okay plain (i.e. sans currants or any other fruit)? Have you tried this?
Thanks!
Jyoti
They’d be just fine. Delicious, even!
Hi Deb, I just wanted to you know that I made these scones yesterday for my book club and they were a complete success!!! Thank you so much for this blog and this DELICIOUS recipe!!!
I have only been following/sifting through your blog for a week, but I have already made your pate brisee (twice) and this great scones recipe. The dough actually treated me well, and wasn’t sticky at all, and would have done well in a cake pan. I think the key might just be well-chilled ingredients. I just wanted to express my complete adoration for your site. Even though I’m amassing a list of great food blogs/recipes, the format, your monologues, pictures–the ambiance AND the recipes keep me coming back. Thanks for being here.
I forgot to mention this over the summer, but my son earned a purple ribbon (Grand Champion) at our county fair with this recipe! We are making it again to take for a hotel breakfast this weekend.
Deb, I don’t know if you still read all the old comments from your posts, but I had to tell you – I didn’t even think I LIKED scones, but since I had the ingredients, my new food processor, and was looking for something to bring to my grandparents for easter morning, I tried them – and these are amazing. I never new “crumbly” could be a GOOD adjective for a baked good.
So glad you are sharing your talents with the world – clearly a great cook, fantastic writer, photographer, and you share the best photos of your beautiful boy! Thank you!
Ah-mazing. I whipped these up this morning for my sweet friend Whitney’s wedding shower brunch. I added some orange zest and an orange vanilla glaze, and they were perfect (they would have been alone, but I like a sweet extra glaze on mine). They were light and airy, and I also used Almond milk instead of cream, and rather than butter I used Earth Balance because i like to bake vegan when possible. I will definitely use this recipe again! The dish was the only one that was finished at the shower. Success!
I’ve made these scones two out of the last three days, and now have a question. When I made them for the first time two days ago, I used white whole wheat flour, and used grated lemon zest and chopped candied ginger instead of currants. They were PERFECT and I am not a baker — I was so excited! So today my best friend mentioned that she is hosting her book club tomorrow night and wants to make “English” food in honor of the Royal Wedding, so I immediately volunteered to make my famous Lemon Ginger Dreamy Cream Scones. This time I used whole wheat pastry flour, which is what I really meant to use last time, and as I was measuring out the heavy cream I realized that I only had about half a cup so I filled up the cup with fat-free half and half. Otherwise did everything the same, but the dough was VERY wet, not at all floury like it was last time, and I had to add lots more flour to get it firm enough to pat out and cut. Anyone know if this difference might have been from the different flour or using part ff half and half (I knew those fat-free things were evil!)? I’d love to figure out where I went wrong but I guess I’ll just try it again with my first ingredients and see if I can re-perfect — and in the meantime hope the heart-shaped ones I cut out and froze tonight will work for Kelli’s book club!
It might have been the half-and-half. Heavy cream is pretty thick and thus drier.
I’m waking up early tomorrow morning for the royal wedding and thought scones would be apropos with my tea, so looked here for a recipe — and found one with raves! (of course!) Will mix them up tonight, pop them in the freezer, and bake tomorrow am. Planning on wombat47′s idea of apricot walnut. Mmmm, that sounds good.
Score! Had to bake off a couple tonight, of course, as testers. Apricot walnut. The convenience store only had light cream and they were still plenty light and dee-lish. Even my husband, who doesn’t like (1) cooked fruit, (2) nuts, and/or (3) scones, really liked them!
I have been a long time reader but this is my first time commenting. I made these scones for our Royal Wedding inspired English breakfast (which included Jamie Oliver’s Full English Breakfast) which we ate while watching the festivities. They were a wonderful treat! Thanks!
Hello Deb! I follow you from a long time but never left a comment… Thank You for all this wonderful work! :)
I have some fresh blueberries and I love scones… How much should I use with this recipe? and, heavy cream , is it the cream that you can use for savory dishes? Usually when a recipe calls for cream I use the cream for “wipping cream”, is it ok? here in Italy it’s kind of dense anyways…
Hope you understand me! Sorry for my rusty english! Love your blog and you are very welcome in Tuscany !! ;)
Ciao Deb! Made it,with the “whipp” kind… 3/4 cup fresh blueberries & orange zest.DELICIOUS !! Thank You :)
I just made these and they are DELICIOUS…I just wanted to share that I cut the dough in half… I thawed and drained some frozen blueberries and added them to half and chocolate chips to the other half. I was afraid of the blueberries because they made the dough really wet again but they are SO moist and delicious. While the chocolate chips ones are great, they could use a little cream or butter or dunking in tea/coffee but the blueberry ones are AWESOME! Thanks for this recipe…new family favorite!
Stop! This is it! You need no other scone recipe in your life because these are the absolute best.
I was happy how easy these were to make. I never thought I would be using my Vita-Mix for baking. The flash freezing works well. I have some lemon zest and blueberry beauties sitting in my freezer right now.
i love this recipe! so easy to make and great for throwing in whatever add-ins i have in the pantry. i’ve been flash freezing them after they’re baked and toast them in the morning for breakfast!
Hi Deb
I woke up at 5AM to make these scones today. I am an English teacher and whenever we finish a book, I always bake something related to it for my students. We finished Macbeth last week and since Macbeth travels to Scone to be crowned, I thought your Dreamy Cream Scones would be perfect. I made a practice batch for my family this weekend and there wasn’t a crumb left. They were SO good and so easy. It was a smitten weekend for me–I also made your ribboned asparagus salad and strawberry cake. I love your site and look forward to reading each new post. Thank you!
Love, Gia
These scones are THE best I’ve made!!! I’ve been trying to find a good recipe and had one that my son liked but they were very thick and not really moist on the inside. I followed the recipe exactly the same but with a few modifications. I didn’t have heavy cream so I used 3/4 cup milk with 1/3 cup melted (but cooled) butter. I added vanilla and made them plain (just to test them). However I made a single one for myself with dried cherries…..Delish!!!!
Thank you for the recipe, this is now one of my go to recipes ;0)
Hi Deb,
Thanks for this recipe! Have you ever tried this with fresh fruit, like blueberries?
Chris, I have tried this recipe numerous times with lemon zest and fresh blueberries. When baked, some of the blueberries ooze out creating a slightly rustic looking scone- but they are always polished off.
I made these scones last week for an English tea-themed book club, and oh my goodness were they good. I made the recipe exactly as written with the currants, and they turned out beautifully! I served them with Devon double cream and strawberry jam, which was an excellent (if decadent) combination. Can’t wait to try these again with some of the other suggested fruity variations.
This scone is the PERFECT dough recipe for any scone. I have swapped out the currants for cranberries, cherries, and raisins; any dried fruit really works. MOst recently I have added dried lavender (which I thought was some crazy speciality herb that only gourmet chefs can use but I found it in Fairway and am now obsessed), lemon zest, and vanilla. These scones are a god send (it may be the cup of heavy cream haha) So good though, thank you!
Just made these for the first time. SERIOUSLY!?!? They are incredible. Can’t. Get. Over. It.
I just made my 16th batch! Orange/cranberry, cherry/ white chocolate, cinnamon chip, toffee and chocolate chips….. Possibilities are endless, results always amazing. I always make the batter, cut and freeze. So impressive when I take them places early in the morning, warm and fragrant. Thank you!
I made these for the first time April 29, 2011 for my Royal Wedding tea party. I have since made them 2x a month ever since. These are THE GREATEST SCONES EVER!!!!!! I love them with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Devonshire cream and jam optional. Really a decadent treat!
Thanks for the recipe. I love a scone that isn’t so dry, and these were definitely of the moist variety: http://mywifeisperfect.blogspot.com/2011/08/dreamy-creamy.html
My wife continues to use your blog as her go-to destination for solid recipes.
Thank you, Deb! Been craving scones and wanting something homemade for breakfast to give to the large hungry beings in my house–my teenagers eat mass quantities of food! Didn’t have enough cream so I used 1/2 cup buttermilk and traded a 1/2 tsp. of baking soda for baking powder. Taking a tip from another Smitten recipe, I subbed 1/2 cup barley flour for 1/2 cup wheat, and instead of currents, I added chopped frozen peaches. I can’t wait to try these with other combinations of fruits/nuts/chips.
Thanks again for the wonderful recipe deb! I made mine with blueberries: http://petitedecadence.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/baking-frenzy-part-iii-blueberry-cream-scones/#more-297
Delicious. Made these in advance and froze them for a brunch. So good.
just made them…they are indeed nery nice, a light flavour,
VERY EASY TO MAKE(not more than 5 min to make and 15 to bake) which makes a big difference!!!who has time to waste???
However the best ones I have ever tasted were in a small cafe shop by the pier in Bangor, north wales UK…heaven in ur mouth…sorry I dont have the recipe though… :(((
P.S We love gordon in Greece, always to be trusted
thanx for the recipe xxx
i don’t understand how you can taste the baking powder in ina’s recipe but you can’t in the ATK recipe…the flour to baking powder ratio is the same.
Ah, but in this recipe, there’s heavy cream and the sweet fattiness of the cream blocks the unpleasant flavor. Buttermilk is thin and only has about 1.5 percent butterfat; it doesn’t hide much.
aaaah, love these!! =] they are PERFECT!
i just handmixed everything.. and also used dried cranberries.
i’m a beginner cook, and i can’t believe 3/3 recipes i’ve found here were a success! thank you so much, ms. deb! =]
I’ve made this recipe several times with blueberries, but how would I go about making them pumpkin flavored? I’m not sure how the addition of pumpkin puree would affect the amount of dry ingredients.
I used half heavy cream and half light cream in this and it was 100% delicious. I think it would be just as delicious with all light cream or even half light cream and half whole milk (you know, to make it a tiny bit less bad for you). All in all: yum!
I make these to take to work in the mornings and have a few varieties … cheese and chive (cutting back on the sugar to 2 tbsp), blueberry etc. .. I make them the night before, cut them, put them into the fridge and in the morning I pop them into the oven to bake, they turn out fantastic each time
Thank you so much for making holiday baking a breeze! I added a teaspoon of orange zest to these scones for Christmas day breakfast and your vanilla roasted pears for a light dessert. It all turned out amazing!
made these today -I substituted buttermilk for the cream. thought they were too moist for me cause I like a dry scone. will try the north fork ones next. always searching for the perfect scone. oh, and i put fresh blueberries in them too-no wonder they were so moist.
Chris — If you like a firmer scone, you might like these.
I made these tonight using tart dried cherries. Soooooo good. What a simple and wonderful recipe. I’ll be using this one for years to come! I was looking for a great scone recipe. Here it is. Thank you!
I have made these scones at least a dozen times now (best way I know to use up extra cream before it expires by using other stuff I already have in the cupboard), and they always turn out perfect.
My favorite variation is to use 3/4 cup peeled diced apple instead of currants. I also add in a couple pinches of nutmeg and a generous heaping teaspoon of cinnamon. When I’ve formed the individual scones out of the dough, I dip the top and sides in brown sugar (brushing off any excess) before baking. So yummy!
Sorry to comment on a post that is over five years old (!!!) but I have a question of dough wetness. Are the currants/cranberries dried or fresh? I have some dried black currants and was thinking of soaking them in some brandy to plump up before I make these. Would that make the dough too wet?
I don’t think it will make the dough too wet if you drain them after you plump them. I regularly make these scones with fresh berries and have no problems.
Just made these with nearly a cup of fresh blueberries and some crystallized ginger – wow! Thanks for a great recipe – one that’s likely delicious as written and a great base for heading off into uncharted territory. It took longer than usual to put my daughter to sleep tonight, and the scone that was waiting for me when she was finally asleep was a terrific reward.
Loved these! So wonderfully surprised that my first scone-baking adventure was a success. Will be making these with new variations for any brunch I ever host :)
Great recipe. We have made this several times using different fruit. All of the combinations were great (fresh blueberries, dried cranberries). I did add a little more sugar than the recipe called for. Really like using the food processor to blend.
I’m on a Smitten Kitchen kick and loving it – made these, cranberry walnut chicken salad, and the dough for the beef empanadas for tomorrow’s dinner this evening. Dreamy is exactly the adjective for these scones! I think they’re replacing my mother’s scone recipe as my go to – shhh don’t tell :)
One word: fabulous.
A few more: Buttery-tasting, flaky, soft, mildly sweet, just plain awesome.
I made these for a brunch I hosted for my family. I thought I didn’t like scones! I was totally wrong!! These are absolutely wonderful. I made them with raisins because I can’t find currants EVER. It’s not like there is a lack of grocery stores/ health food stores/ specialty food stores in my area but no currants! bah! But I love raisins, so oh well. ANYWAY – these are so. good. I wish I had more excuses to make them, but there are only 2 of us and I get stuck on the “best the day they are baked” thing.
Thanks for another winning recipe! Nowadays it seems everything I make starts with a post here!
Please help! I’ve made these twice now and I followed the recipe to a T but my scones don’t rise up in the oven, instead they spread out and end up looking like flat disks instead. This also happens when I made your chocolate chip cookies recipe. What am I doing wrong?
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe- I’ve tried a few other recipes that were very mediocre tasting and wasn’t a huge fan until I tried these. I too used dried cranberries and also added some orange zest- they were so delicious and I can’t wait to try your other scone recipes!
Just baked & loved them!
I had a pack of sour heavy cream which is just started to sour (tasted sour but not bitter yet) and wasn’t good anymore for coffee or whipping. I used it for the cream in the recipe, they came our gorgeous and very tasty. I added walnut halfs a well.
Thanks!
I just made these yesterday and I accidentally used a whole cup of currants….I just noticed that it says 1/2 a cup. Needless to say my coworkers and hubby loved them. They were perfect with my homemade lemon curd. 3 people told me they were the best scones they ever had. Thanks. ^_^
I added shredded coconut to the dough, then used some leftover coconut milk for a glaze and sprinkled more shredded coconut on top. The coconut on top browned a bit more than expected but it didn’t burn and overall they were pretty durn awesome. I actually liked the coconut version better than the strawberry version I made the first time around. Will try these with currants sometime when it is not summer…
I didn’t have heavy cream in hand so I used my chocolate chip ice cream.
I melted it and mixed in. It tastes wonderful!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Made this today, following the mixing instructions to a T, and the texture/taste was perfect! I used finely-chopped dates instead of currants and added grated lemon peel. To approximate a lower-protein AP flour, I used 1.5 cups of King Arthur flour with 1/2 cup of cake flour (Softasilk). Thanks for this recipe!
omg!! u should read my blog post from march 10, 2012. It completely parallels this (your) post. In other words, i too almost gave up on making/eating scones after trying ina gardens scone recipe. and unfortunately for me, and just like you, it was my 1st scone baking experience and i just happened to pick a horrible recipe. not like I’m trying to bash ina and i know u weren’t either, but lets be real, clearly her scone recipe is a “scone” turn off. unless “dry-cardboardy-things” is your idea of a good scone. i think the biggest problem w her scone recipes is that they call for eggs. I’m starting to see that scones are better w/out eggs. looks like the cream, butter, no egg scones are the best
Would this work with fresh cranberries?
Zuri — I don’t see why not. You might want to increase the sugar. I have another scone recipe that uses fresh cranberries, if you’re interested.
Truly amazing! These were so delicious and easy to make! Thanks for sharing and building up my baking confidence!
These are the best scones I’ve ever eaten. Now, I did change the recipe up a bit to make it healthier: I replaced the 1 cup of cream with 3/4 c. greek yogurt and 1/4 c. skim milk. I also used fresh blackberries I’d picked instead of currants, which tasted like little pockets of jam within the scone. I swear, these were so moist and delicious, I’ve made them three times this summer so far. I’m totally obsessed. I plan on making them with cranberries for fall.
Oh my! I was looking for the perfect scone recipe to give me my scone fix rather than driving 30 minutes to my favorite bakery. This really hits the mark. I followed the recipe but.. added 1/3 cup sugar instead of the suggested amount, mopped the top with cream and a little more sugar. Won’t have to search any more, I am there!
These are amazing! I just made them for the second time and they are a favorite in my family! Thanks Deb for another great recipe! I made them with the dried cranberries both times.
Oh, the second time I also substituted in a cup of white whole wheat flour when I doubled the recipe. It turned out just fine that way. First time I used straight white flour.
Made these this morning with dried cranberries. It’s a keeper! Def going to freeze the dough next time and bake in the morning for a brunch, such a good idea!
Rye T- my guess as to why your baked goods are spreading is because your butter may not be cold enough. You want it RIGHT out of the fridge and chopped up into the scone dough and then right into the oven (or back in the fridge or freezer). Hope that helps!
I have been making ATK scones for a few years now. They are the best with fresh wild Maine blueberries! I mix the dough up by hand until it starts to come together and then gently mix them in, but before it fully comes together and pops the blueberries I dump the mix into a 8″ round pan. I have the pan lined with plastic wrap, pack the mixture down till it will stay together, then flip it over onto the baking sheet and cut up into 8 scone wedges. Also, a sprinkle of raw sugar on top gives them a nice crunch when cooked.
Beautiful photos and love the blog!
Cheers!
For the commenter who wanted to know about sourcing clotted cream – we can’t find (good) clotted cream here in Atlanta, either, but this fabulous lady offers suggestions for making your own, if you’re ever so inclined.
http://marriedanirishfarmer.com/2012/03/26/clotted-cream-dreams/
As for this recipe – I used cut up dried cherries, and they’re delicious!
Ok I tried these and alas was forced to substitute some ingredients because I didnt have time to go to the store (disastrous) However decided to give the benefit of the doubt so I decided to try again with all the required ingredients and I must say this recipe is by far the best
Made these last night for a teacher breakfast at my girls’ school this morning. They are divine!
Hi Deb, I’m sure you are terribly busy from book touring but any chance the scones can be frozen before baking?
The first batch I made got gobbled up pretty quickly but I wanted some frozen and ready to go when I’m feeling lazy. I didn’t have heavy cream so I subbed with Chakoh Coconut milk. Also added 1/2 cup sugar and used 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries. They turned out divine.
Your book is gorgeous! I have been pouring through it daily for inspiration.
Sorry, one more question. I am planning on making these with raspberries next. Should I put them in frozen or thaw them first?
Thanks!
Yesterday I made the pear/chocolate scones which were yummy and well received BUT today I made these scones and they were PERFECTION !!! seriously this is a great authentic recipe. I made them with chopped raisins…
Hi Michelle — It might get a little messy to add them to this recipe but I have a ricotta scone recipe with fresh raspberries that adjusts for their extra moisture over here. Any scone or biscuit can be made, frozen on a tray overnight and baked directly from the freezer the next morning. If more than overnight, I’d transfer them to an airtight freezer bag until needed.
Hi Deb! Would it be possible to incorporate chopped apples and cinnamon into this recipe, or do you think the moisture ratio would be affected? Thanks always!
I just made these and they turned out perfect!!!! I added cinnamon and took out the currants because I didn’t have any, but they’re still divine. I’m so glad that I have a go-to scone recipe <3
First of all, my good friend Ben gave me your cookbook which he had personalized (I’m the Morgan who ignores her work to read the blog. which may or may not be true), and it’s wonderful! Thank you! I made these for breakfast this morning with dried cranberries and they are perfection!
Lovely for my first baking attempt of 2013 and it fit all of my requirements – fairly easy, with ingredients that I have on hand and delicious. Many thanks!
Thank you so so SO much for this recipe! I totally relate; after so many failed attempts at scones that all turned out to be dry, tough, overly-chewy rocks, I finally found a buttery, light, tender scone!! I rarely repeat recipes, and I already made this twice!!!
This is literally the most favorite thing that I’ve ever baked!
http://thekitchenkook.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-best-most-perfect-scone-recipe-ever.html
I made these for my mom for Christmas ( she is english) and she LOVED them….and so did I! Thanks for such a great recipe! :)
Hello! Thanks for this recipe. I have tried many scone recipes and mostly have experienced epic fail, which I doubt is the fault of the recipe. This one seems to be magically charmed, so thank you! (bow)
I am having one of those use-up-what’s-in-the-fridge days and had cream here, highly unusual. No fun currant/berry type things, so i tossed in the 3 squares of good chocolate I had here and some orange peel, and cut back a bit on the sugar. They are not too sweet with a nice bittersweet bite to them.
Probably silly question, but: I usually have buttermilk or half/half here…would that work as a replacement when I don’t have cream?
Thanks again, love the book and blog.
Best wishes on future successes!
:) Terri
These ate fabulous!! My first attempt at scones and what at success. Can’t wait to bring them to the next brunch party.
Buttermilk will not always work for cream, in some cases it does, but it will not be as rich. Chemically, half-and-half is fine, but it also will not have the same rich crumb as is that hallmark of these scones when made with cream.
Thanks! Well, then I’ll just start having cream at the house…what an excuse to make more scones!
And, just for the record: More amazing to me than your amazing recipes is that you have time to respond to blog comments. What else are you putting in those brownies? Egads. You go, girl!
Thanks again, best wishes on continued success with all your adventures!
T
I checked out your website for the first time today (Thank you Today Show)…As a Celt, I do love my scones! I’ve been a diehard King Arthur Flour fan for many years and wondered if your experience would recommend me to purchase something other than KAF, like the Gold Medal mentioned in your recipe?
Best Wishes,
Lisa
Lisa — I don’t have a single flour brand preference (I like to use whatever I can find around) but I do go back to King Arthur most often.
Deb, if I don’t have heavy cream (and I don’t want to use the milk/butter substitution – that I saw online – for the heavy cream), could I just use milk instead?
I just made these this evening, with cranberry and chopped dark chocolate per my husband’s suggestion (I’m half Welsh, so currants sounded awesome to me!). They turned out very well!