- 8
- 15 mins
- 28 mins
Ingredients
- Sweet Variations:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 1/2-inch cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup whipping cream, divided
- Wax paper
- 1/4 1/4 Stir in 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries and 1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted pistachios with the cream.
- 1/2 Sugar-Pecan - Substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans with the cream.
- Savory Variations:
- 3/4 1/4 2 1/2 - Omit sugar. Stir in 3/4 cup (3 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup finely chopped cooked bacon, 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives, and 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper with the cream.
- 3/4 1/2 1 Asiago - Omit sugar. Stir in 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh pear, 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese, and 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary with the cream.
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Freeze 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cream, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn dough out onto wax paper; gently press or pat dough into a 7-inch round (mixture will be crumbly). Cut round into 8 wedges. Place wedges 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush tops of wedges with remaining 2 Tbsp. cream just until moistened.
Bake at 450 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden.
Tips: Make sure the dry ingredients are well stirred together to distribute the baking powder and salt.
Quickly cut ice-cold butter into the flour mixture, leaving crumbly pieces the size of small peas. If the butter is softened or cut in too finely, the texture of the scones will be dense and coarse.
Handle the dough as little as possible - the less you work it, the more tender the scones will be.
Festive touches:
Add a sweet Vanilla Glaze: Whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. milk and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract until smooth, adding up to 2 tsp. additional milk for desired consistency. Drizzle over tops of scones.
Sprinkle scones with sparkling sugar before baking.
Make bite size scones: pat dough into 2 (4 inch) rounds. Cut rounds into 8 wedges. Bake as directed for 12 to 13 minutes.