Strawberry Scones Recipe
Picture this: A lazy weekend morning, the sun peeking through your window, and the aroma of freshly baked strawberry scones filling the air.
Sounds like heaven, right?
They’re the perfect balance of tender and crumbly, with pops of juicy fruit in every melt-in-your-mouth bite.
And with the right technique, they couldn’t be easier to make at home.
Why You’ll Love These Strawberry Scones
These scones are a dream come true for strawberry lovers! But the incredible flavor isn’t the only thing to love.
Homemade Happiness: Baking strawberry scones from scratch is a simple pleasure that brings joy to everyone lucky enough to enjoy them.
Tender Texture: Combining butter and cream with the proper mixing technique guarantees soft and fluffy scones every time.
Bakery-Worthy Treat: Whether you’re hosting brunch or simply want to spoil your family, these homemade scones are the perfect gourmet treat.
Ingredients
The beauty of homemade scones is how easily they come together with pantry staples.
And if you’ve ever made biscuits from scratch, this will be a piece of cake!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Fresh Strawberries: Juicy, sweet, and bursting with flavor, it’s vital that you use fresh, ripe fruit. Frozen strawberries contain too much excess moisture that will turn your scones dense and soggy.
- All-Purpose Flour: The reliable foundation, providing structure and tender crumb.
- Granulated Sugar: For sweetness and to ensure the perfect crust.
- Baking Powder: The leavening hero that helps the heavy dough rise.
- Salt: To balance the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter: Rich, creamy, and oh-so-indulgent, it needs to be very cold to get that signature flaky texture.
- Heavy Cream: For added richness and moisture.
- Eggs: The binding agent that also creates a lovely golden top.
- Vanilla Extract: For another layer of sweet warmth. You can leave this out if you don’t have it.
- Sweet Glaze. A simple blend of powdered sugar and milk (or cream) drizzled over the top.
How to Make Strawberry Scones
Some people think making scones is tricky. But the truth is, you just need to be gentle with the dough.
You’ll find some tips below, plus the complete list of ingredients and detailed steps at the bottom of the post.
Until then, here’s a quick overview of how to make scones at home:
1. DRY. Chop and dry the fruit between paper towels.
2. PREP. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. MIX. Mix the dry ingredients, including the sugar, in a bowl until well combined.
4. CUT. Add the cold butter and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter. Alternatively, rub it between your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.
5. STIR. Add the fruit, followed by the wet ingredients. Stir very gently until it looks like a sticky, paste-like dough.
6. PRESS. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and very gently press or knead it together. Then, press it into a 1-inch round and cut it into 8-12 wedges.
7. BAKE. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes.
8. GLAZE. Mix the glaze when the scones are cool, then drizzle it over the top. Serve and enjoy!
How to Use a Mixer
I almost always make scones by hand because it’s the best way to avoid overmixing the dough.
But if you have a bigger batch or need to use a mixer, here’s how I do it:
- Add the dry ingredients and cold butter to a stand mixer.
- With a paddle attachment, mix on low until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Whisk the eggs and cream in a measuring glass.
- With the mixer on low, add about 3/4 of the wet to the bowl.
- Mix in 10-second intervals, scraping the sides of the bowl after each stop.
- Add more cream, if needed, until it looks sticky and paste-like.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the dough for a few seconds, then leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and proceed as instructed above.
The slow mixing ensures it’s still soft, and that final, more vigorous mix is to get any last bits of flour.
We then let it rest so the gluten can relax. Easy peasy.
Tips For the Best Strawberry Scones
If you’re still a bit nervous about making scones from scratch, fear not. I have even more tips below!
- Use cold ingredients. The butter should be fresh out of the fridge and solid, and the cream should be well chilled (a few hours or overnight). This is how you get the flakiest texture.
- Grate frozen butter. This nifty hack means you don’t need to cut the butter into the flour. Just grate it and mix.
- Chill the dough. Refrigerate the shaped scones for 15-30 minutes before baking for best results.
- Dry the fruit. As mentioned, frozen fruit won’t work here. But it’s also important to dry the fresh fruit. Otherwise, you’ll have moisture pockets after baking, leading to soggy spots in the crumb.
- Save the juices. After drying the fruit, you’ll have a plate of juice that works so well for the glaze! It’ll be pink and fruity, just like the scones.
- Use a sharp knife or biscuit cutter to portion. Using something blunt, like a glass rim, will press the seams together and keep the scones from rising.
- Freeze the scones for later. Freeze unbaked scones and bake them directly from frozen for fresh scones anytime. Just add 2-5 minutes to the baking time.
- Don’t skip the egg wash. Without it, the tops will be dull.
- Recipe Variations. Try different berries, add white chocolate chips, or experiment with flavorings like lemon zest or cinnamon.