Cream Scones
Updated September 25, 2024
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 cups flour
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
Nutritional analysis per serving
34 grams carbs; 46 milligrams cholesterol; 286 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 1 gram fiber; 191 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 10 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and position a rack in the top third of the oven. Thoroughly combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of this mixture, add 1 ¼ cups of cream and stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a fork. Work quickly, stirring as little as possible, until a soft, shaggy dough forms. Add more cream, a tablespoon at a time, if the dough seems too dry.
- Step 2
Use a large serving spoon or cup measure to drop the batter onto an ungreased baking sheet, allowing at least 2 inches between each scone. Brush the top of each with heavy cream and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Private Notes
Comments
I followed the recipe, let the dough rest for 20 minutes and then rolled it on a lightly floured board. I used a biscuit cutter. The end results, after brushing with cream, were delicate and delicious. I normally use a Delia Smith recipe, with butter and half & half, which is fine, but this full cream version without butter is even more tender without as much work. These store well in a paper bag inside of a plastic one. Reheat for 5 min. at 300º F and they're fine.
We add lemon zest (2 lemons worth) to the dry ingredients before adding the cream. Poppy seeds, too.
I've also made these with crystalized ginger, so good.
Added about a teaspoon of vanilla to the cream for a less flour-y flavor. I would do this again or even try adding a little maple extract with pecans next time.
These have been a standard in our house for many years, and today I made them GF with King Arthur GF flour and dried cherries and they were great. I needed the full 1.5 cups of cream, likely because the rice flour soaks up more liquid.
I made these for the second time today and, once again, they turned out great. It’s such an easy method so I’m sure this will be a “go to” recipe. I did make a couple of simple changes: reduced the sugar to 50g, added 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, added 1 tsp vanilla. I followed the suggestions of others and shaped the dough quickly into a disc and placed it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. I made 6 large triangle scones so they took about 19 minutes in my oven.
Marvelously simple recipe with delicious results! This is perhaps the only thing I've ever made from an NYT recipe that came out even prettier than the picture - lovely golden brown tops with the most delicately crispy bits. We top ours with mascarpone (clotted cream not being readily available in Ohio) and strawberry preserves for a Sunday morning treat.