Say goodbye to dry, bland scones! This tried and true easy plain scone recipe is the base for all the scone flavors I make. In this post I share my best tips and tricks for making moist, flavorful scones that are anything but boring! While they flake apart perfectly for spreading with your favorite toppings, these are good enough to eat by themselves. Enjoy the basic scone recipe on its own or follow my tips for mixing in sweet or savory additions to create any flavor you can think of — all in just 30 minutes!
Line a baking pan with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and give it a quick whirl to combine.
Add the cold, diced butter to the food processor and pulse until the mixture mostly looks like damp sand and some pea-sized pieces of butter remain. (See note 1)
Mix the egg, cream, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl or measuring cup.
Create a well in the dry mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk it around from the center with a fork or use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until a dough starts to form. This will still be pretty dry looking and crumbly (see process photos in post), but that’s normal! Don’t overwork the dough trying to get it too smooth.
Form the dough into a ball, pressing any loose crumbles into the dough until it holds together, and transfer to a lightly floured surface.
Flatten into about a 7” circle. Using a floured knife or bench scraper, cut the circle in half, then each half into four wedges. (See note 2)
Arrange the scones about 1 inch apart on your prepared baking pan and brush the tops with a bit of heavy cream. Sprinkle liberally with coarse sanding sugar. (You may freeze the unbaked scones at this point if you'd like to save them for later. See note.) Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown around the edges of the top.
For mini scones: Form the dough into a 7-inch square instead of a 7-inch circle. Cut into a grid of 9 squares, and cut each square in half diagonally to make 18 mini scones. Position about 1/2 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar as directed above and bake for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Store for up to 5 days at room temperature (they may dry out over time) or refrigerate for up to a week. See notes for freezing instructions.
Notes
Pulsing the butter with the dry ingredients in a food processor is great because it’s quick and doesn’t transfer heat to the butter. However, if you don’t have a food processor or prefer a more hands-on approach, you can rub the butter in with a handheld pastry blender or your fingertips (not the palms of your hands, as they will transfer too much heat).
When cutting your scones, cut straight down and remove the knife straight up, rather than sliding the knife across the dough. Sliding or twisting will interfere with the nice flaky rise on the sides of the scones.
Customizing your scones: See details in the post about adding custom flavors, mix-ins, and toppings to make these scones truly your own!Freezing scones:To freeze before baking: Arrange unbaked scones on a baking sheet and freeze for an hour or until set. Then store for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer bag until you're ready to bake them. Bake the scones as directed, or bake straight from the freezer and add a few minutes to the baking time.To freeze after baking: Arrange baked scones on a baking sheet and freeze for an hour until set. Store for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer bag. Thaw overnight and reheat in the microwave, or preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 10 minutes until warm.