Seriously. These scones are the BEST you’ll ever make. Did you know that making scones can be SUPER easy too? I had a friend ask me on the MOMables Facebook page what she could do with a huge batch of cherries she has in her freezer. While I could name her about ten things she could make off the top of my head, I told her that these scones will rock her world – and yours too if you take the 20minutes to make them!
My mother-in-law shared this recipe with me about eight years ago from her trip to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, CA. What I love about this recipe is that you can make a huge batch of scone dough, freeze it and pop them in the oven as you need them. If you need to make these dairy free, the revised recipe is at the end. Enjoy!
PrintThe BEST Scones on Earth
This basic recipe can be transformed into your favorite scone!
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups heavy cream or half and half
- ½ cup add-ins (optional) dried fruit, chocolate chips, frozen fruit, nuts)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (optional topping)
Instructions
- Cut two 10-inch circles of parchment or waxed paper. Use one to line a 10-inch round cake pan; Reserve the second piece.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
- Add the cream or half and half to the flour and stir, until a batter is formed. Fold in fruit or add-ins.
- Transfer the thick batter into the lined cake pan and press into an even layer. Cover pan with the second parchment paper circle and freeze, until the dough is very firm, about 6 hours or overnight.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the freezer while the oven preheats and turn the cake pan upside down onto a cutting board. With a large knife, cut the dough into 10 equal wedges and place them on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Brush scones with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar (optional).
Thaw the dough for 5 minutes at room temperature; turn it out of the cake pan onto a cutting board; Cut the dough into 10 equal wedges and place them on the baking sheet about 2-inches apart; Brush the scones with milk and sprinkle with the sugar. - Bake the scones until golden brown, 30-35 minutes and remove from the oven to cool down to room temperature.
Notes
- Want to make this recipe whole wheat? Use 2 cups whole wheat white flour (pastry flour) and 1 cup white flour or if using regular whole wheat flour, use 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups white flour.
- To make these scones dairy free, substitute canned coconut milk for the heavy cream of half and half.
Natalie Vandenberghe
Does this recipe really not have any butter in it?
Laura Fuentes
This recipe for scones does not. Enjoy!
melanie
When do i add the honey and does it need to be melted
Melanie
How can I do this gluten free? I have a all purpose flour mix
Thanks
Laura Fuentes
I’ve never made these gluten free and I’m not familiar with every gluten free mix. you could try swapping it out… but i can’t guarantee that they will be the same.
John Murdock
*watering mouth* the pictures make me hungry. I can’t wait to try it at home. 😀
Laura
glad you liked these! I am not kidding when I tell you that these scones are super EASY and delicious!
Suzanne Ferenczy
Laura, these were not what I had hoped they’d be. They certainly did not turn out as described. I followed to a T but had no coarse sugar so I left the surface bald. I expected them to be delicious on their own. I’m not sure why these are listed with your other amazing recipes. Please consider removing them from your website. Or at least change the name. Tough and flavorless might be a better descriptor. Feedback is so important to your reputation I thought you would want to know.
Laura Fuentes
Hi Suzanne, thank you for your feedback. I make these regularly and are the base recipe for many of my other scones. They come out fluffy and far from tough. Do you think something could have gone wrong? This is one of our favorite recipes I make often. With that, I am sorry they didn’t turn out for you like my other recipes. I do want to thank you for the feedback and trying my recipes.
Jennifer Smith
Well I had the same reaction to the above poster. The scones came out thick, dense, dry. Not sure why but maybe this recipe needs tweaking.
Baker
I thought they turned out great, but wish I’d used cream instead of half and half so they would be even more buttery. Maybe something odd happened with your batch.
★★★★