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This is my scone recipe for the best scones ever – buttery, crispy on the outside but velvety on the inside perfection! These scones are simple to make and will have you baking them weekly for your weekend breakfasts.
Slather these with clotted cream for the perfect combination!
The Best Scone Recipe Ever
I have been baking these scones for as long as I can remember. I think, sometimes, that my husband married me for my baking. Not all of it, but some. He has admitted, in a sugar-induced haze, that he married me so he could savor my butter tarts every Christmas. Now, don’t go getting all excited, I mean butter tarts, there are no sneaky innuendos or double meanings implied there. My family’s recipe for butter tarts. Yup. Savor them he does. Or is the word inhale?
And then that evolved to my mincemeat tarts. And then my shortbread. Now the past few years, its my scones.
I guess baking is cheaper than a divorce in any case, right?
Do Scones Have Eggs?
This recipe does and I think that’s what really sets it apart from all others. I use sour cream AND an egg to make the ultimate rich scones. Really, just read all of the raving reviews below from readers that have made these – I don’t call anything the best unless I REALLY think it is!
Sour cream is what sets the best scones apart from all others, it yields a tender crumb inside while the butter in the recipe makes the outside crispy and snappy, the perfect scone in my opinion. This recipe is one of the oldest on my website and has been updated many times over the years with new photos and even a new how-to video- but never a new recipe!
Simple, Easy Scones Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 4 cups of flour
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 1 cup of blueberries or raisins, or whatever fruit you want.
- 1 cup of margarine or butter
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Kick the tires & light the fires to 350 degrees.
Step by Step How to Make Good Scones
Get all of your ingredients ready to use! It’s easier when you have everything ready to go, or “mise en place” as chefs say, which translates to “everything in it’s place.”
More pretty.
Take your bowl with your cup of sour cream, and mix in the baking soda. It makes it poof up. That’s my well-educated explanation of the chemical reaction that happens. It poofs up.
It…poofs…up.
Ok, throw those 4 cups of flour into a big mixing bowl. I brought out my Big Steel Baddy for this job. He can handle it.
Add your cup of sugar.
Add in your baking powder.
And your salt.
And whisk them all together, or sift. If anyone out there owns a sifter you can go ahead and feel free to use it. Don’t be intimidated by my whisk, and the fact that it can kick your sifters hiney, then come back and fluff my ingredients right up, then come back for a second helping of kicking hiney on your sifter. Just saying.
Ok, butter time. And even though there are some scone purists who may clutch their pearls and fan themselves rapidly with their cookbooks, I have used margarine in this recipe, and it tastes great as well. Choose your poison.
Now, this is one kitchen do-hickey I cannot live without, my pastry blender. Can you believe that I used two knives scissor style for years? And for the gold cookie award, does anyone want to guess who gave me this for Christmas one year? Leave your answer in my comments, I am sure you can guess correctly.
Cut the butter in until your arms ache, and it looks like this. If your arms aren’t aching, it ain’t cut in enough!
Hello world. Meet egg. I love this picture because it shows how I am loathe to wash more dishes than I have to. See the little salt sprinkles on the front edge? I just re-used the closest dirty bowl to me.
Beat the egg slightly.
Take your poofy sour cream and your egg and add them in.
Mix it well, and then add your fruit. With fresh fruit, you have to be oh so careful not to squish it in too much. Raisins are amazing in this recipe as well, they make a sweeter scone than the blueberries do. Raisins, you can pound the heck outta the suckers and you won’t even make a dent. Blueberries are a delicate fruit to use, but worth it in the end.
Be gentle.
Divide into three equal circles, patting each into a circle that is one inch thick (width ranges from 6-7 inches).
See? If you look at the front, even I squished the berries. After I had the gall to lecture you. Serves me right. Later I will show you what it looks like all baked up, don’t even sweat it if you squish some.
Cut each circle into 6 pieces.
Lay your beautiful little pie-like pieces onto your very well greased baking sheets. Blueberries like to stick.
Pop them into your preheated 350 degree oven and bake until the bottoms are nice and brown, and the tops are slightly browned.
So here is a squished one, see how it just shoots little blue veins through the dough? No big deal, in fact, fairly attractive looking.
These are great plain, better with margarine or butter, and fantastic with jam.
More Scone Recipes
Here are a few more tried, tested and true recipes here on The Kitchen Magpie!
- Glazed Meyer Lemon Scones
- Christmas Cherry Scones
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Scones
- Pumpkin Spice Scones
Best Scones Ever Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use cold butter ( even frozen) and grate it into the scones if you have a grater. Don’t fear however if you want to make these and you didn’t have time to freeze the butter, cold from the fridge works great as well!
- Try not to overwork the dough if you can. The heat from your hands will soften the butter. IF you think you did over work the dough, you can refrigerate the scone triangles before you bake them to get the butter hard again.
- Make sure to read my Step by Step How to Make Perfect Scones. It will totally help you with cutting the scones up!
Happy baking!
Love,
Karlynn
Scone Recipe: The Best Scones Ever
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 minutes
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Course
- Breakfast Meals
- Cuisine
- British
- Servings
- 18
- Calories
- 287
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 cups of flour
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup of butter
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of blueberries or raisins or whatever fruit you want.
Instructions
- Kick the tires & light the fires to 350 degrees.
- Take your bowl with your cup of sour cream, and mix in the baking soda.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar,baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives in a criss-cross fashion, until the butter is broken into pea sized morsels in the flour.
- Beat the egg and mix in into the sour cream.
- Add the sour cream mixture into the dry mixture, working it in.
- The dough can be a bit dry, but if you use your hands to combine it, it will be perfect. If needed add milk until it’s combined. The secret to a good scone is a drier dough, not gluey.
- When the dough is combined, mix in the fruit. I fold in delicate berries by hand.
- Divide into three equal circles, patting each into a circle that is one inch thick (width ranges from 6-7 inches). Cut each circle into six equal triangles.
- Bake on a well greased or parchment lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, until the scones are browned nicely on the bottom and slightly on the top. Watch them carefully!
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Tips & Tricks
- Use cold butter ( even frozen) and grate it into the scones if you have a grater. Don’t fear however if you want to make these and you didn’t have time to freeze the butter, cold from the fridge works great as well!
- Try not to overwork the dough if you can. The heat from your hands will soften the butter. IF you think you did over work the dough, you can refrigerate the scone triangles before you bake them to get the butter hard again.
- You can substitute in currants for a very traditional scone!
- Make sure to read my Step by Step How to Make Perfect Scones. It will totally help you with cutting the scones up!
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Bridget says
This is the same recipe I’ve used for years. I add a tsp of cinnamon and a cup of cinnamon chips!
Brenda says
If I could rate this higher I would. I have been baking for years and love it. I thought I had found my perfect scone recipe a couple of years back, but you proved me wrong. These are soooooooooo delightful. I made mine into mini scones. I used Kraft caramel bits and diced up apple. After they had cooled I made a caramel icing. Thank you for such a fantastic recipe! I will be playing with different combos next time 🙂 . Have a blessed day!
Katie Oke says
What happens if the butter goes soft? I have always been taught to work butter or margerine in with my fingers, but perhaps I shouldn’t.
Thanks
Deondria V says
Soo delicious! I’ve made raisin and almond, blackberry and peach. All three were huge hits! I tan out of sour cream with the blackberry so I used half greek yogurt and it worked. I love the tip of adding the baking soda to the sour cream and watching it poof! Thank you for a great recipe!
BERNADETTE BENTO says
I am going to try this tomorrow. My question is are scones supposed to be crispy? when in Ireland, they were fluffy and you added jam and/or cream to the middle. Is there a different recipe for fluffier scones?
Chandra says
My husband is a burly guy who knows food and these scones have become a staple in our house. *note* I’ve used Butter flavored Crisco as a substitute for butter in this recipe.
Chris McLaughlin says
Wonderful recipe. A little too sweet for me (I used dates and that might have added to the sweetness) so next time I’ll use less of that, but thanks for a great scone recipe.
Francis MacDougall says
I have started baking these for Valiant Coffee in Milton, Ontario. They have quickly become the house favorite and I have been baking them several times each week as a result. I have a suggestion that I think you will like. Instead of the 4 blades of the pastry knife, I suggest that you add the hard butter to the flour mixture using a fairly wide mouthed cheese grater. As you shred the butter into the flour mixture, mix it frequently since the strength of the recipe comes from the baking of these flour mixture encased elements. If you have someone around, engage them by having them mix the butter as it falls into the flour from your shredder. Again, this should be a wide mouthed shredder. We are looking for larger butter flakes here, well mixed with the flour.
Jo says
Best scones ever! Had high tea at the Ritz in London, and these were way Better! ❤️
Evelyn says
Hi, first time scone maker here and I’m looking forward to trying my hand at these. I would like know however, if this recipe can be halved? Thanks!
John T says
I made these scones for the first time based on the ratings/comments and also your commentary. It was pretty funny and I don’t usually read all that. Anyway, I like that you add the baking soda to the sour cream because if it doesn’t “poof up” then at least you know it’s not fresh, so that’s cool. I made these in the heat of the California summer so although it seemed crumbly and dry at first, once I got it on the counter, it came together without too much working it. I even measured them so they were as close as I could get (a little over 1 lb each). I started with 10 minutes on the middle rack on a Silpat and perforated sheet and I kept going until about 17 min. I checked the smallest one (no matter how hard I try, I can’t get them all the same damn size) and it was so good. Moist and held together perfectly. The next batch I stuck in the freezer for about 17 min to rechill the butter and see if there was any difference. I left them in for 19 min (again, these were a bit larger) and I really didn’t see or taste any difference. I made these for my mother-in-law’s tea party themed birthday and will serve them with lemon curd. Thank you for a great recipe!
Dolores says
These were awesome….I used honey greek yogurt and cut down on the sugar by half. They were yummmmmmmm. Made them this morning for my Hubby, he says… hey can you make them thicker so I can cut them in half and put butter on both halves? Spoiled? TOTALLY
Barb H says
I would add two tips that have been a huge plus in my scone baking. (Credit goes to King Arthur Flour blog.) 1. Grate the cold or frozen butter into the dry ingredients; this saves your arms and spreads the butter throughout the batter in the small size you want. 2. After everything is put on the prepared pan (I line mine with parchment paper.), put the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax, and your scones will puff up so much better. I have made many different kinds of scones, and I have found both of these tips to help tremendously.
Carola says
Sounds like 2 great tips! I will be trying them out the first time I make these scones. Thank you!
Francis MacDougall says
I will try that!
Antoine says
I tried this recipe last night cause I needed something for breakfast. Quite easy to do, quick and tasteful !
I made half of a recipe but kept the same amount of fruits. I used frozen mixed berries and it worked just fine!
I baked them for 25min
Annelise says
Incredible scones! I added about a 1/4 C of milk just to make it stick together. I also added zest of a lemon to the chopped dates that I used. Soooo yummy!
M.A. says
Made these with my 6 y/o this morning. I forgot to add the sugar but they still turned out perfect and tasted fantastic. I took the advice of another commenter and added a little lemon zest. I also did not have a pastry blender, so when my arms got tired from using 2 forks, I used a potato masher which worked perfectly for me!
Lebea mercy says
They seem to be more delicious. And I would like to get them.
Phyllis says
Just saw this today, will definitely make your scones. I think your husband bought you the pastry blender, yes?
Eilish says
Made these several times, each time perfect!!!! aHIT for sure.
Gail says
These are absolutely delicious! So tender and delicate. I made them with rhubarb. I foresee making them with many different variations.
I sprayed my hands with cooking spray, which made the dough perfectly easy to shape. Thank you for a great recipe!
Belisa says
First timer here!!! Scones were more than perfect! I was impressed how I got it right. It’s a keeper for sure.
Tom says
Good luck printing the recipe. I finally figured out the recipe appears on pages 30 and 31, for those
who may be interested. Good results though
Susan says
Actually, if you hit the print button at the bottom, it prints perfectly.
Brenda says
I love scones and have tried many recipes but this one is the best by far! While I’ve made these several times I made a mistake today and put baking soda into my flour mixture. Can I proceed or will this alter the scones and I should start over? Appreciate your help ?
Genoveva says
This looks easy and delicious. I’ve just discovered the world of scones and would like to try making. But alas I am a diabetic. What adjustments could be made for diabetics?
Isabel Gates says
Flavor wise, outstanding, but there were some problems in ease of execution. Too dry, as others have mentioned, and this leads to the need for extra hand mixing. With scones, (as with pie pastry) it is critical that the butter stay cold, and extra fiddling with the texture challenges that. My baking time ended up being 29 minutes.
I also agree that a little lemon zest would be amazing with those blueberries.!
Diana says
I was a caterer way back in college, so I DO know how to cook but baking……Well, it has always been a bit tough for me, as it is more “exact” and a science.
While I would not say these are easy, I was able to execute them and I had my dh taste test them, before I sent some to our neighbors. LOL He loved them!
Not dry at all……A lovely recipe…..Though I will admit those freakin’ blueberries were slippery little devils…..I lost a few to the floor….Oh well, 12 second rule…..All good!
Sandra McIntosh says
Perfectly delicious and perfect texture. I made half the recipe and it was still perfect.
Courtney Lennon says
I haven’t yet made the scones, I need to go to the store for the sour cream. I just wanted to say that I almost always don’t read what the authors wrote but my goodness you are very entertaining and I love how you explain everything. I am an avid baker and most blogs are not fun to read but I would read yours!
Jenny says
I have tried this recipe a few times & I ABSOLUTELY love it. I’d like to know if I could use almond flour as a substitute..
Stephanie Thomas Berry says
I made these this morning–my first time making scones–though I am not a novice, just a Southern woman who loves her biscuits. Anyway, these were a delicious entry point to the realm of scones! I thought my dough was too dry, too, and so I made one of my three balls with the dry dough and the other two with two tablespoons of cream added. The first batch was delicious, if a bit crumbly, but the second two were perfect! It’s winter so everything in the kitchen is drier, including the flour. It would be interesting to see if the dough was dry in the middle of summer. That said, my daughter and I both agreed that while they were delicious, they needed some pop. We thought some lemon zest would do the trick. I imagine if you made these with blueberries that would have been less noticeable, still, lemon and blueberries is almost always better than just blueberries, right? Anyway, we made our scones with dried goji berries that I soaked in boiling water to soften, and I added a little vanilla extract. Is that scone blasphemy? Who knows. Saving this recipe for future scone adventures.
June says
Mine would not mix with the amount of sour cream and egg. Must have had a small egg. Had to add at least a 1/4c of milk. Don’t make these the first time with blueberries. Use raisins or dried cranberries. Then it would be easier to mix for a beginner. Will try again with less flour.
Lyn Darling says
Have you ever used frozen fruit in the scones – It’s winter here – no fresh fruit. I will in the meantime use raisins
Thanks