Claiming something to be the BEST is quite risky,  not only that people preference are different but most of all, what is the best and perfect for me might not be the case for you. But you know what? I will risk it and claim that this is so far the BEST Cream Scones I have ever tasted, because as far as I am concern, it hit the spot on everything that a great scones should be. It’s tall, flaky, creamy, buttery and it melts in my mouth in every bite, and that is not an exaggeration.

Scones and biscuits are one of my favorite breakfast item, why so? We’ll because they are so easy to make, the ingredients are basic, they can be made ahead of time, they are perfect for freezing, and they taste delicious. Because they are perfect for freezing, all the scone recipe in my website makes 6-8 pieces per batch and really I don’t mind. In fact I love the idea of having a scone available in my freezer whenever I feel like it, most of the time when I’m too busy to prepare breakfast. But when I don’t have space in my freezer (which happens almost all the time because I love make-ahead breakfast like biscuit, scones and pie), I like making small batch like this. This scones makes 4 pieces, just the right portion for two or even three. Perfect size to go with some sausage and egg or with any homemade jam (strawberry please) , or just plain butter. 

I love how soft and flaky this turned out, it’s creamy without the addition of egg which most small batch scones recipe have. This is because I used cream instead of milk and added more cream in place of 1 egg yolk, hence the name Cream Scones. I’ve divided it into 4 pieces, but really sometimes I like dividing it into 2 which gave me a nice bigger size per piece (maybe too big, but i love it)).  Scones are best the day they are made, so don’t bake a lot if you know you cannot finish it all. This recipe is the perfect solution for “right now” and just for me kind of scone. I still get to enjoy a freshly baked scones without having to worry of leftover. You know even though you can reheat scones, it wouldn’t be the same as when you eat it the same day.

Featured Video: How To Make Orange Scones

Make a Variation 

This cream scone is a great base for many scone variations. Add few more ingredients and you will end up with a totally different flavor of scone

• Orange or Lemon: Add 1 zest of large orange or lemon for citrus variation
• Berries: Add 1/4 cup Blueberry, Cranberry, Raspberry or Strawberry
• Dried Fruits: Add 3 tablespoon chopped raisins
• Lemon Poppy-Seed: Add zest of 1 large lemon and 1 teaspoon poppy-seed

 There’s so many variation that you can make from this, be creative and enjoy the process. Let’s get started!

Tips to a Successful Flaky and Light Scones

• Cold Ingredients: This is one of the secret to a flaky Scones just like with biscuit and pie crust. Eggs, cream/milk/water should be cold not only the butter. Using cold ingredients prevents the butter from melting before the scones are baked, leaving it instead to melt in the oven and create a super-flaky end result
• No Over Mixing:  Just like when making bread over mixing could result to a tough scones. This is why it is very important to handle the dough with care, slightly and gradually push it around but do not knead it too much to make the texture smooth. Stop as soon as you are able to gather it up together. With scones, lumps and bumps is perfectly fine, it gave the scone a more rustic look
• Chill or Freeze Before Baking: The dough will soften as you handle it because of the warmth of your hands, so as extra precaution, chilling it or even freezing it before baking is highly recommended for a flaky texture.
• Hot Oven – Pre-heated hot oven is recommended when baking scones or biscuits. This is important so that the scones could reach its fullest height and lightest crumb.

Baking Ahead of Time 

Tempting as it maybe, if you want to really enjoy the Scones, you should bake it the same day you want to serve it. Even better, few hours before serving it. Although you can freeze it, and re-heat it, there is nothing like eating it fresh from the oven. Scones and biscuits are it’s best the same day or few hours after baking it. What you can do is to shape, cut and freeze the unbaked Scones. Leave it inside the refrigerator until the oven is pre-heated, then take it out only when you are ready to bake.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Cake Flour or All-Purpose Flour 
• 2 tablespoon Sugar 
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 
• 1/8 teaspoon Cornstarch 
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 cup COLD Butter (Freeze overnight or minimum 15 minutes) 
• 7 tablespoon COLD Cream (plus more fro brushing top, about 1 tbsp) 

Scones Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly butter or spray the baking sheet with a non stick vegetable spray.
2. Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder cornstarch and salt. Using a cheese grater (this is the BEST option for even butter size) a pastry blender or two knives, cut the cold butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with large. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
3. Dry Ingredients + Wet Ingredient:  GRADUALLY add cream to the dry ingredients mixture and mix just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough. You may or may not use all the cream, stop adding cream as soon as the dough comes together.
4. Cut: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently gather the dough four or five times and then pat the dough and shape into a 5-inch square or disk. Cut four wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Chill in the freezer at least 30 minutes or can be left overnight in the freezer or refrigerator for baking the following day.
   • Tip and Trick: For best flaky and layer scones, after shaping into a disk, cut the dough into 4 portions. Arrange each other on top of each other, like stacking into a pile. Press down lightly and shape into disk again. The stacking will create the layers in the scones
5. Assembly: Brush top of each scone with a cream
6. Bake the scones until nicely browned, about 20 – 23 minutes or top starts to brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. These are best eaten the day they are made but can be covered and stored for a few days.

Baking Frozen Scones:

Bake the scones straight from the freezer. Brush top with cream then bake at pre-heated 400F for 25 minutes or until top turns brown. If needed add few more minutes (about 2-3 minutes) to get it nicely baked and browned.

Makes 4 pieces

Recent Video:

Looking for inspiration on what to bake? Watch my recipe videos and get inspired.

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