Favorite Basic Cream Scone Recipe. First published March 31, 2020.

One of my new afternoon routines is to have tea with a scone while doing my Bible study. It makes the time extra special to sit and slowly sip tea in silent peace while occasionally nibbling on a scone. It is a lovely part of my routine as I make my way through an overview study of the New Testament. My favorite basic cream scone recipe has been a favorite of family and friends for years! It is flavorful, comforting, and versatile- a great quality for a recipe. So, whether you want to add fresh, frozen, or dried fruit or maybe chocolate chips, this recipe is a good base to work with. It is wonderful with an icing drizzle or served plain with good preserves. I’ve made this recipe so many ways and people always love it.

This recipe is very easily doubled or tripled. However, there are a couple of tips to remember: while the scone dough is not particularly sensitive to handling, I still recommend not over-handling it, especially after adding the whip cream. Mix until combined, knead a few times, and then stop. Another thing to note is the brushing of the scone before baking with whipping cream. I don’t recommend omitting this because it gives your scone a slight pleasing crispiness on the outside.

And finally, a note on whipping cream. Either regular whipping cream or heavy whipping cream works for this recipe. However, I don’t recommend half and half or light cream as the texture of the scone is noticeably different as well as drier.

Favorite Basic Cream Scone Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder (No baking powder? Use 2 tsps. cream of tartar plus 1 tsp. baking soda.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter (room temp)
1 cup whipping cream (Heavy whipping cream is fine here too!)
extra whipping cream for brushing on scones
sparkling sugar (optional)

Instructions

Note: This recipe can be made by hand or with a kitchenaid. Just be careful not to overwork the dough.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
Cut in butter until mixture is fine crumbs and "disappears" into the flour mixture.
Stir in 1 cup whipping cream until dough forms.
Knead dough on floured surface 10-12 times.
Pat the dough into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.
Cut into 8-12 triangles.
Place triangles on a parchment lined baking sheet (unlined is fine too).
Brush scones with remaining whipping cream. This gives is a nice crust on top.
If desired, sprinkle scones with sparkling sugar.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until starting to brown. Don't overbake.
Cool and enjoy! These are excellent with good preserves!