Start with our soft and flaky homemade Scones recipe and add your favorite mix-ins.  Then drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze on top and bask in pastry scone heaven.
I love the smell of fresh baked pastries and breads like scones, Cinnamon Rolls and Lemon Poppyseed Bread that give that warm comforting feel to our home. These are the best because they’re simple to make and I always have the ingredients!
Homemade scones with dried cranberries, and glaze on top.

This is a pastry scones recipe, not fry bed scones!  These scones are more like sweet pastry biscuits with a glaze…..and they are absolutely the best scones recipe! This is also a one-size fits all recipe where you’ll never need another one and it’s so easy to adapt to any type of scones you want to make including blueberry scones, orange scones, and peach scones!

These perfect homemade scones are MOIST, SOFT, and FLAKY; plus I’ve got all the tips for making sure your scones turn out perfectly every time.

My mom used to make these scones regularly on Sunday mornings. The smell of fresh scones always made it easy to get out of bed, and I knew I’d have to get to the kitchen quick or my siblings would devour them first!

The Secret to Perfect Scones:

There are a couple of tricks that will ensure your scones turn out perfectly.

  1. Cold butter.  COLD Butter is the key to making perfect scones. As the butter cooks it creates air pockets in the dough that make those great big, fluffy, flakey layers that we love in a great scone or biscuit.  Use frozen butter, or stick your butter in the freezer for 20 minutes while you gather together the other ingredients.
  2. Don’t over-work the dough. When the dough is formed you don’t want to knead it or handle it too much. Just pat and shape it enough to help it come together into a round, flattened disc. Just like with a good pie crust or biscuit recipe, if you over-handle the dough then the baked product will be tougher, instead of tender and flakey.
  3. To avoid flat scones:  Place the dough in the refrigerator after step 6.  I didn’t include this in the directions because flat scones have never been an issue for me with this recipe.  But, if you notice your scones are getting flat or you butter is warm, put the dough in the refrigerator for several minutes and then reshape the dough and try again.

How to Make Scones:

1. Mix dry ingredients.  Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. Cut in butter.  Grate the frozen butter and add to dry mixture. Use a fork or pastry blender to cut in the butter.

3. Mix wet ingredients.  In a separate bowl whisk together yogurt, cream, egg, and vanilla until well blended.

4. Gently Knead.  Combine wet and dry mixture and craisins, and fold the ingredients in until it starts to come together in large clumps. Gently knead mixture by hand (in the mixing bowl) just a few times until it comes together in a ball.

5. Shape and cut dough.  Dust a clean surface with flour and drop dough onto surface. Gently pat and shape into an 8-inch circle.  Cut into 8 wedges then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.

6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 16 – 18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before drizzling the glaze on top. These are best served the day they are prepared.

Six process photos for how to make scones.

Add-Ins and Variations:

  • Chocolate chips:  Mix in a handful of any flavor chips (white, chocolate, peanut butter, etc.).
  • Coconut
  • pecans
  • Dried cranberries
  • Raisins
  • For blueberry scones: mix in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
  • For orange scones: replace vanilla with fresh orange juice and add 1 tsp of orange zest to the glaze.
  • Peach Scones
  • For vegan scones: substitute vegan butter, vegan yogurt, flax egg, and replace heavy whipping cream with coconut milk.
  • For Gluten free scones: substitute gluten free flour.

Uncooked wedges of homemade scones on a baking sheet.

MAKE AHEAD AND FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:

To make ahead: The scones dough can be made one day in advance. Prepare the recipe through step 5, cover dough and refrigerate for up to one day.

To freeze dough: Cut dough into wedges and place them on a baking sheet. Loosely cover them and place them in the freezer for one hour.  Once frozen, store scones in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months.  Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.

To freeze baked scones: Allow scones to cool completely. Store in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months.  Allow scones to thaw completely on the countertop and warm for 20 seconds in the microwave before eating.

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Recipe

Homemade scones with dried cranberries, and glaze on top.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 30 minutes
Save Recipe
YouTube video

Ingredients
 
 

For the Scones:

For the Glaze:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
  • Grate the frozen butter and add to dry mixture. Use a fork or pastry blender to cut in the butter.
  • In a separate bowl whisk together yogurt, cream, egg, and vanilla until well blended. 
  • Add to the dry mixture along with craisins (or other add-ins) and use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients in until it starts to come together in large clumps. 
  • Gently knead mixture by hand (in the mixing bowl) just a few times until it comes together in a ball. Try not to handle the dough too much.
  • Dust a clean surface with a little flour and drop dough on top. Gently pat and shape into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. 
  • Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 16 - 18 minutes. 
  • Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before drizzling the glaze on top. These are best served the day they are prepared.

For the Glaze:

  • Add powdered sugar to a mixing bowl with 1 Tbsp milk and stir until smooth. Add additional milk, if needed. Drizzle over scones.

Notes

Add-Ins and Variations:

  • Chocolate chips:  Mix in a handful of any flavor chips (white, chocolate, peanut butter, etc.).
  • Coconut
  • pecans
  • Dried cranberries
  • Raisins
  • For blueberry scones: mix in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
  • For orange scones: replace vanilla with fresh orange juice and add 1 tsp of orange zest to the glaze.
  • Peach Scones
  • For vegan scones: substitute vegan butter, vegan yogurt, flax egg, and replace heavy whipping cream with coconut milk.
  • For Gluten free scones: substitute gluten free flour.
Make ahead Instructions: The scones dough can be made one day in advance. Prepare the recipe through step 5, cover dough and refrigerate for up to one day.
Freezing Instructions:
To freeze the dough, cut prepared dough into wedges and place on a baking sheet.  Loosely cover them and place them in the freezer for one hour.  Once frozen, store scones in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months.  Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
To freeze baked scones, allow scones to cool completely.  Store in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months.  Allow scones to thaw completely on the countertop and warm for 20 seconds in the microwave before eating

Nutrition

Calories: 361kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 167mgPotassium: 152mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 539IUCalcium: 75mgIron: 2mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

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I first shared this recipe January 2014. Updated March 2020 with process photos and flavor adaption tips.

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RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Quick and easy! I added a 1/2tsp of cinnamon and a mixture of dried fruits. Fabulous! I also dropped them by tbs on the cookie sheet (easier to eat on the go).

  2. 5 stars
    Made these Saturday morning and they were the bomb- added dried Montmorency cherries and these were delightful not a hard biscuit type but soft and luscious

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