Chef notes
The combination of strawberries and cream is delicious in so many forms, be it ice cream, strawberry shortcakes or scones. A traditional scone gets its fat and flavor from butter and its moist texture from a liquid ingredient such as milk or buttermilk. This recipe features exclusively heavy cream in lieu of the usual butter and milk combination, hence their creamy name.
A cream scone is thus the simplest of all the scones, to cut butter and fold it into the dough to create perfect layers. Instead, you whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the cream and fold everything together with a spatula or wooden spoon (if you’re feeling old-school) — voila: your scone dough is done. After a brief 20 minute bake, you’ll be biting into a crispy, incredibly rich and flavorful scone. The addition here of chopped strawberries i and a cream glaze, you is why this scone recipe is our favorite.
Scones are best eaten day-of but will keep tightly wrapped on the counter for up to three days.
Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.
Technique Tips: Don’t overmix the dough, or the scones will be tough — mix until the cream is just absorbed by the flour. If you want slightly taller, loftier scones, freeze the scones after shaping them for about an hour before baking. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add a little more cream, about a teaspoon at a time; and if it is too runny, try adding a little more sugar — again, just a little bit at a time.
Swap Option: Swap an equal amount of fresh blueberries or raspberries for the strawberries — or even all three for a mixed berry and cream situation.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, divided
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
Preparation
1.Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a standard baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt.
3.In a separate glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup cream and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and stir with a flexible spatula until a shaggy dough forms. Gently fold in the strawberries.
4.Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roughly shape the dough into a 7-inch round, using your hands to press any crumbly bits back into the dough. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, slice the dough round into 8 wedges and evenly arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
5.In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and salt. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the scones.
6.Bake for about 25 minutes, rotating at the halfway point, until the scones are nicely browned. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
7.Meanwhile, make the glaze: in a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cream and sugar. Using a whisk or fork, decoratively drizzle the glaze over the scones.
