A good scone is a treat, and if it's bursting with blueberries so much better, right? This recipe makes tender, buttery, flaky ones that are fantastic warm with a dollop of butter, and can be made ahead and kept unbaked in the freezer for whenever the craving comes. Start now and have them ready in an hour!
About scones
Scones are one of my favorite things to eat and bake. I talked several times about my great-grandmother's recipe that I was never able to recreate, according to my family. So I went and found my favorite Buttermilk Scone recipe and decided to wing it.
They are not hard to make, and the ingredients are simple everyday staples, but it really is all about the details: cold ingredients, working the dough as little as possible, right oven temperature, etc.
Scones with added fruit are a great way to start the day, beautiful for a brunch table or for an afternoon snack with your favorite cup of whatever it is you drink. Coffee for me please, thank you.
Ingredients
- Blueberries - fresh or frozen (without thawing) can be used with great results.
- Butter - no substitutes, please.
- Baking powder - this is an essential ingredient, so make sure it hasn't expired; otherwise, the scones will not rise.
- Milk and cream - you can also use half and half.
- Flavorings - I like vanilla and cinnamon, but it's up to your palate to use all of them. Or add lemon or orange zest.
Easy steps
They are quite simple to make, but take into account the details in the recipe to achieve the best results.
- Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, add the cold butter pieces.
- Integrate with your hands or with a pastry cutter. You can do this in a food processor but make sure you stop when the butter is about the size of peas.
- Lightly whisk the eggs and add with the milk and cream to the flour mixture. Mix with a fork or spoon a little. You just want to moisten the dry ingredients but not create a paste.
- It will look very dry but if you take some of the mixture and squeeze it, it will come together.
- Add the blueberries and barely mix to incorporate. You don't want to crush them.
- Dump the mixture onto a clean surface. It will look extremely dry and some blueberries will be loose.
- Gently bring the shaggy mass together with your hands, folding it onto itself a couple of times until you can form a disk. It does not have to come together like a pie crust, so touch it as little as possible and just to create a disk that you can cut.
- Cut the round of dough with a kitchen knife or a dough scraper into 6 triangles.
- Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes before baking.
WATCH THE STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO 👇🏻
My top tips
- Very cold ingredients. I’m not kidding when I say almost frozen butter, at least very cold. And don’t take the milk and cream half an hour before you start mixing the scones. Butter, cream, milk, they belong in the fridge until you need to scatter and pour them.
- Don't work the dough much. It should come together but still have floury patches. You don’t need to work it until it’s smooth, like a pie dough for instance. It is an uneven dough, with dry spots, and that’s good for flakiness later.
- A rather high oven. They need that extra heat (and baking powder) to rise however they can in spite of all that butter and cream. And if by any chance you forgot to turn the oven on before you start with the mixing, please don’t leave the baking sheet with the cut scones waiting on the counter. Put them in the fridge or freezer the ten or fifteen minutes it takes for the oven to reach its temperature.
Frequently asked questions
With this recipe! It's delicious and has easy-to-follow instructions (in the recipe card) and a step-by-step video above.
Make sure they are cold before going into the preheated oven and that you used good baking powder. They need all of that to have that first surge in the oven that makes them rise. Fluffiness also has to do with the recipe. Some are dense due to more butter and/or add-ins (the double cheese scones recipe for example), and others are lighter, like the buttermilk scones recipe.
I have three main tips: very cold ingredients, not overworking the dough, and preheated oven at the right temperature. If you want more details you can read it in the Notes of the recipe card, or in the post itself, above.
Overworking the dough too much, not preheating the oven well, and using old baking powder are the most common reasons I see people make.
Related recipes you might like:
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Blueberry Scones
Scones that are bursting with blueberries, this recipe makes tender, buttery, flaky ones that are ready in an hour and can be frozen.
- Total Time: 60
- Yield: 6 large 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white, granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter, cold
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons cream (whipping, heavy, or double)
- 1 ½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (directly from the freezer)
Instructions
Make sure the butter cubes, cream, and milk are as cold as possible. I like to put them in the freezer for 10 minutes before starting.
By hand:
- Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
- Add butter and integrate using your hands or with a pastry cutter until it’s the size of peas. Don’t overwork it. The butter should remain cold. If it’s starting to become extremely soft put the bowl in the refrigerator or freezer until the butter becomes cold again.
Food processor:
- Put the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a few times to integrate.
- Add cold butter pieces and pulse on/off until the butter is the size of peas. The only thing to watch out for is not getting carried aways and processing the butter too much.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
For both methods:
- Beat slightly the egg and add to the butter mixture together with the milk, cream, and vanilla.
- Mix lightly with a fork or spoon. It will be floury but, if you take some of the dough in your hand and squeeze, it will come together.
- Add blueberries and mix lightly, trying not to crush them.
- Transfer this whole shaggy mass to a clean surface.
- With your hands (I use a cornet to aid me) start bringing the dough together, folding it onto itself as best as you can. Don’t knead it as you would a pie dough. It only needs to be patted into a rough circle. (I recommend you watch the video in the blog post for guidance). There will be floury patches.
- Cut in half and each half in 3 wedges with a kitchen knife or the cornet.
- Transfer to the prepared cookie sheet and pop into the freezer for 10 minutes or the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Bake for 10 minutes and turn the oven down to 350°F/180°C and continue baking for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden and dry.
- After 30 minutes, take out the sheet and check that the scones are done by carefully lifting the top of one and checking that the inside is done and not still raw. Bake for 5-10 more minutes if needed.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
- Store at room temperature for 1-2 days and warm slightly in the oven before eating.
Notes
Liquid: you can use half and half instead of milk and cream.
Freezing: unbaked scone wedges are great to have in the freezer. Simply baked them directly without thawing them.
Flavorings - I like vanilla and cinnamon, but it's up to your palate to use all of them. Or add lemon or orange zest.
Very cold ingredients. I’m not kidding when I say almost frozen butter, at least very cold. And don’t take the milk and cream half an hour before you start mixing the scones. Butter, cream, milk, they belong in the fridge until you need to scatter and pour them.
Don't work the dough much. It should come together but still have floury patches. You don’t need to work it until it’s smooth, like a pie dough for instance. It is an uneven dough, with dry spots, and that’s good for flakiness later.
A rather high oven. They need that extra heat (and baking powder) to rise however they can in spite of all that butter and cream. And if by any chance you forgot to turn the oven on before you start with the mixing, please don’t leave the baking sheet with the cut scones waiting on the counter. Put them in the fridge or freezer for the ten or fifteen minutes it takes for the oven to reach its temperature.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Scones
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙
- Calories: 375
- Sugar: 21 g
- Sodium: 117.3 mg
- Fat: 14.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 55.6 g
- Protein: 6.1 g
- Cholesterol: 67.3 mg
Keywords: blueberry scones
angiesrecipes says
They are our favourite too, esp. the one with berries! Yours look so amazing!