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Best Recipe for Scones (Sweet or Savory)
4.8 from 441 votes

Best Recipe for Scones (Sweet or Savory)

Best Recipe for Scones provides a versatile dough suitable for both sweet and savory scones, made with flour, sugar, baking powder, cold butter, and a mix of cream, sour cream, egg, and vanilla. The dough incorporates cold butter pieces for tender, flaky layers, and can be shaped, frozen, and glazed for freshness and flavor.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Chilling Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 6 large scones
Calories: 802 kcal
Course: Breakfast, Snacks
Cuisine: Eastern European

Ingredients

  • 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 & 1/2 tablespoons baking powder yes really
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) COLD butter, frozen butter is great too
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • cream for brushing, more
Optional add in
  • 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese chopped, cold
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar for coating cream cheese
For the glaze
  • 2 tablespoons butter very soft
  • 1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1-3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine 2 and 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar**, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons baking powder.
  2. Wet ingredients: In another medium bowl, add 1 egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla (omit for savory scones), 1/3 cup cream and 1/3 cup sour cream. Whisk it together. Set aside.
  3. Cut in butter: Now back to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the COLD or frozen butter. You can also grate the butter using a cheese grater and mix it in that way. Cut the butter in until it is incorporated and there are still pieces of butter about the size of a pea. Don't overdo it! See photos.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir it together until it forms a shaggy dough.
  5. Coat your hands with flour and finish kneading the dough in as few strokes as possible. (Overworking the dough makes for a tough scone.) Use your hands to fold the dough on top of itself, creating more and more layers until it has come together and all the flour is incorporated. You can add a tablespoon or two of ice cold water if you think it's necessary. I try to get the dough to come together in 5-8 folds. Do your best and remember that you will get better with practice!
  6. Mix-ins: At this point add in any mix ins you plan to use. (If you want to add cream cheese like you can see in the photos, chop an 8 ounce block of cream cheese into 1/2 inch chunks. Coat with 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl, making sure all the cream cheese is coated. Carefully fold into the dough.)
  7. Prepare a work space with plenty of flour. I like to use a pastry cloth. Transfer the dough to the work place and use your hands to shape the dough into a 6 to 8 inch circle. I like really thick, tall scones. The thicker your circle of dough is, the taller your scones will be. If you added mix ins, your circle will be a bit larger.
  8. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the circle in half. Cut each half into 3 equal triangles.
  9. Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Place the scones at least 3 inches apart from each other.
  10. Freeze for 30 minutes.*** If you don't have room in your freezer, you can put them in the fridge for 45 minutes. If you don't have room to chill a whole baking sheet, place the scones on a plate and then transfer to the baking sheet when they are frozen/cold.
  11. 15 minutes before the scones are done freezing, turn your oven on to 400 degrees F.
  12. Place the cold scones on a baking sheet if you haven't done so yet.
  13. Brush the top of each scone with cream. This will make the scones get nice and brown. Top each scone with coarse sugar if you like, or a bit of salt if you are doing savory scones.
  14. Bake: Put the scones in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
  15. Turn the heat down to 375 without opening the oven.**** Bake for another 8-15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. DO NOT OVER BAKE. This is where the magic happens, so stay nearby. If you over bake your scones, they will be dry even if you did everything else right. If you are not sure, use a spatula to lift up one of the scones. If they are a nice golden brown on the bottom, they are done.
  16. Remove from the oven and let set up on the pan for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  17. Make the glaze: in a small bowl, whisk or use an electric beater to cream 2 tablespoons of very soft butter. Add 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon milk. Whisk together and add more milk until you have a consistency you like. Drizzle over the tops of the scones and let harden (it usually takes 20-30 minutes.)
  18. Top your scones with butter and jam! They are great reheated in the microwave.
  19. Store scones covered on the counter for 2-4 days. They are best eaten on day 1 so that you can get those crispy edges. After storing for a while it's hard to avoid a bit of sogginess. (Starbucks solves this problem but leaving them out in the air, but then eventually the center gets dried out. So, pick your poison. Or just eat all 6 scones single handedly on day 1. No judgment here.)

Notes

  • Heavy cream refers to the thick dairy cream often called whipping cream, providing richness to the scones.
  • Adjust sugar amount for savory scones, keeping a small amount to aid baking structure and flavor balance.
  • The dough can be frozen shaped, then baked straight from frozen, with a slight increase in baking time.
  • Baking at a higher temperature initially promotes good rise by activating baking powder, then lowering temperature prevents excessive browning.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1scone Calories 802kcal (40%) Carbohydrates 101g (34%) Protein 9g (18%) Fat 41g (63%) Saturated Fat 24g (120%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 11g (55%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 148mg (49%) Potassium 160mg (3%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 59g (118%) Vitamin A 1418IU (28%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 258mg (26%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 large scones

Amount Per Serving

Calories 802

% Daily Value*

Serving 1scone
Calories 802kcal 40%
Carbohydrates 101g 34%
Protein 9g 18%
Fat 41g 63%
Saturated Fat 24g 120%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 11g 55%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 148mg 49%
Potassium 160mg 3%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 59g 118%
Vitamin A 1418IU 28%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 258mg 26%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.