Soft tender raspberry scones with bright juicy berries and a hint of almond are made with a brilliant quick and easy new method!
raspberry scones made with a new method
There’s no accounting for taste, and nothing illustrates that better than scones. For something so simple there are a surprising number of variations, and a surprising number of ways to fail. I’m a firm believer that scones are best made at home as I’ve rarely had a commercially made scone that hit the spot. These raspberry scones have a little crunch on the outside, but are soft and plush inside; which is just my style. They’re made with an interesting new method that comes from my friend Chris.
Instead of cutting cold butter into a flour mixture to make scones, she combines cold cream with melted butter to get the same effect. The cold cream causes the melted butter to coagulate into small bits, which is just what you want for baking light flakey scones. It’s an interesting method that’s a good alternative to the way I usually make my scones, in the food processor. Since I’m always on the lookout for fun new ways to bake up pastries, I gave it a try with these raspberry scones.
ingredients
- butter
- cream
- flour
- sugar
- I used regular granulated sugar, but if you want to get fancy you could use raspberry sugar!
- baking powder, baking soda, salt
- vanilla or almond extract
- raspberries
- with delicate raspberries I find using them frozen is best. If you have fresh berries, pop them in the freezer to firm them up before using. Just lay them on a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. I’m using some of my precious hand picked raspberries from last summer 🙂
equipment
- baking sheets. I recommend non-insulated aluminum ~ these are the ones I use.
- parchment paper for lining your pans. I love to buy parchment paper in pre-cut sheets, it makes life so much easier!
- a 2-ounce (1/4 cup) cookie scoop for portioning out your scones. You can find these on Amazon.
raspberry scone melted butter method
- Measure out your heavy cream and put it in the freezer while you prep your other ingredients.
- Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl, add the salt and extract, and set it aside to cool (I like to put it in the fridge.)
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Add the cold cream to the melted butter and stir to form lots of little butter globules.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. About halfway through mixing, sprinkle in the berries so that everything gets evenly incorporated ~ but don’t over mix!
- Use a large (2 ounce/1/4 cup) cookie scoop to portion out your scones onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Bake!
Why did my raspberry scones turn blue?
Raspberries interact with aluminum baking powder to turn blue or green because they are acidic. When exposed to baking powder containing aluminum, the acidity in the raspberries reacts with the aluminum and changes the pigment in the berry to blue or green. To counteract this use an aluminum free baking powder, such as Rumford which you can find in your regular grocery store.
why are my scones spreading?
This can happen for a few reasons:
- make sure you measure accurately ~ too much liquid or too little flour can throw off the balance in these scones and cause them to spread.
- Don’t try to add too many raspberries, or, if you’re using frozen berries, don’t thaw them first.
- Freeze your scones for a full 15 minutes before baking.
- I like to use an aluminum baking sheet that is not insulated, I recommend these.
- Make sure your oven is at temperature when you slide your pan in.
- Sometimes spreading is just random, so try not to stress about it!
why do I use frozen raspberries in these scones?
Scone dough is thick, and raspberries re super delicate, so when you try to mix the two, the raspberries lose. They fall apart. Frozen berries hold up much better.
raspberry scones can be served plain, or glazed
Sometimes I’ll just sprinkle sugar over my scones before they go into the oven. They get nice and golden and are perfect as is. Sometimes I’m looking for something a little extra, and I’ll top them with a sweet almond or vanilla glaze. To make the glaze stir together a cup and a half of powdered sugar with enough milk to thin it down to a drippy glaze. Flavor with a bit of almond or vanilla extract.
to freeze scones
Freeze your scones either before you bake them, or after. Either way be sure to wrap them well to prevent freezer burn, which can dry them out.
- If you’re freezing baked scones, be sure to let them cool off completely first before wrapping.
- To freeze unbaked scones, first freeze them solid on a lined baking tray, then you can pop them into a heavy duty freezer bag, or other container. To bake a frozen scone there’s no need to defrost it first, just pop it in the oven frozen and add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
why I’ve fallen hard for these soft scones
- The melted butter and cold cream method makes a soft tender scone, which I like. To me it has a biscuit-like texture.
- The scoop method is quicker and easier than rolling and cutting the dough, with less clean-up, which is key.
- Raspberry and almond have a special affinity for each other and the flavor of these scones is wonderful.
more scone recipes to try
- Classic Cream Scones Recipe
- Fresh Strawberry Scones
- Darina Allen’s Irish Soda Scones
- Easy Apple Pie Scones
- Fresh Tangerine Scones
- Rhubarb Scones
- Maple Oat Nut Scones (Starbucks Copy Cat)
and be sure to make some clotted cream to go with!
Raspberry Scones
Equipment
- aluminum baking sheet
- parchment paper
- 2 ounce cookie or ice cream scoop
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 Tbsp aluminum-free baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 cup frozen raspberries* (do not thaw)
Instructions
- Put your heavy cream in the freezer while you prep your other ingredients.
- Line your baking sheet pan(s) with parchment paper
- Melt the butter and salt in a large microwave safe bowl. Stir in the almond or vanilla extract and set aside to cool. I like to put it in the refrigerator.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl and set aside.
- Add the cold cream to the melted butter and stir to combine. The butter should form little globules as it mixes with the cold cream. Note: if you don't see the little globs of hardened butter, put the mixture back in the refrigerator to chill more.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter bowl, and fold gently to combine. About halfway through, scatter in the frozen raspberries and continue to fold until everything is combined and there is no dry flour left ~ but don't over mix!
- Use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to portion out scones and place them on the lined baking sheet. Put them the freezer for a full 15 minutes. Note: if you want to leave them longer than 15 minutes, I recommend the refrigerator rather than the freezer. Cover the scones with plastic and you can prep them up to a day ahead.
- While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 400F. Make sure it comes to full temperature before baking.
- Sprinkle the scones lightly with sugar and bake (2" apart) for 18 minutes, or until starting to turn golden and not wet or jiggly in the center. They might take a minute or two longer.
- Serve the scones warm or at room temperature, with clotted cream or butter.
These turned out more muffin-like for me than scone but are delicious nevertheless – definitely need to try with aluminum free baking powder
Can you suggest a substitute for raspberries? Do you think frozen blueberries would work?
You can use chopped strawberries, or really any berry. Frozen blueberries will work too.
Hi Sue, was wondering about changing the shape of these scones. Could I pat in a circle (or two) and cut into wedges? If so, should I make 1 circle and cut into 12 wedges or 2 circles and cut into 6 of each? Thanks so much! These look perfect!!
Can you halve this recipe with success ?
Yes, that will work, but keep in mind they freeze beautifully, so you could take half the unbaked scones and save them for later.