Strawberry Scones are stuffed with lots of juicy fresh strawberries tucked inside a flaky tender pastry and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. For Mother’s Day, Easter brunch, and lazy spring mornings.
all you’ll need for fabulous strawberry scones
- strawberries
- all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- butter
- baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- milk (use half and half or cream for extra rich scones)
- confectioner’s sugar
- vanilla extract (you can use almond extract as well)
You can count on my scones to be super tender, none of that cardboard coffee shop stuff. But one warning – DON”T try to eat these in the car on the way to work, they’ll crumble in your lap, ruin your work clothes, and definitely cause some collateral damage, your insurance will go up, it won’t be good. These scones are meant to be enjoyed in a civilized manner, at an actual table, with a plate, a napkin, and a cup of tea. (Imagine!)
I make my scones quick and easy in a food processor
The secret to flakey scones is to cut the butter into the flour quickly and thoroughly. I find the food processor does an amazing job at this, much better than I could do by hand.
If you don’t have a food processor you can definitely make them by hand, just be sure to use cold butter and a pastry cutter to blend the butter and flour efficiently.
which is better, rounds or wedges?
Somehow I think round scones are a little more elegant, so if you’re baking for a sweetheart, or a Mother’s Day breakfast in bed, you might want to use your biscuit cutter.
Cutting scones into wedges has advantages, though. You won’t have to reform any of the dough, or have any waste. Just pat the dough into a fat 8 inch circle and slice like a pizza.
fresh or frozen strawberries?
Often I’ll recommend using frozen berries for baking, but for this recipe you’ll want to use fresh strawberries. Frozen strawberries will be too watery and will throw off the classic scone texture.
make ahead directions
Scones are best eaten the day they’re made, but if you want to make them ahead you can cut out the scones (up through step 7 in the recipe) and then refrigerate them until you are ready to bake, up to a day ahead.
If you want to bake them a day ahead, be sure to add the glaze right before serving.
storing and freezing scones
Store leftover baked scones lightly covered at room temperature. They can be briefly microwaved to refresh.
Scones can be frozen before or after baking. I prefer to freeze them before baking. Just place the cut scones into the freezer until they’re frozen solid, then transfer them to an airtight freezer container, or even a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag.
Place them in the refrigerator the night before you want to bake to allow them to thaw.
what to serve with strawberry scones?
Serve your scones with a little pot of clotted cream, of course! Clotted cream is hard to find in stores, but you can make clotted cream at home, with this easy recipe!
a glaze gives scones some additional sweetness
Scones aren’t super sweet on their own, so the glaze really helps make them extra special and brings out the flavor of the strawberries, in my opinion. If you don’t want to glaze them you could sprinkle them with sparkling sugar before baking.
still hungry?
- rhubarb scones
- fresh cranberry white chocolate scones
- tangerine scones
- apple pie scones
- maple oat nut scones
“As I sit here, covered in crumbs and glaze, I cannot help but thank you for this recipe. This was my first attempt at scones. I followed your recipe exactly and they came out too delicious. I will most certainly make these again.!!” ~ Stephanie
Strawberry Shortcake Scones
Equipment
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour ~ measured with the fluff, scoop and level method
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter ~ cut in pieces
- 3/4 cup whole milk , buttermilk, half and half, or cream
- 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
- 1 cup finely chopped strawberries
icing
- 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
- pinch of salt
- 4 Tbsp milk, cream, or half and half to thin, or more as needed
Instructions
- preheat oven to 400F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the butter pieces and pulse about 30 times to incorporate it, the mixture will be crumbly.
- Add the milk (or half and half, or cream) and the extract to the processor and process briefly just until the dough comes together. It will be soft and sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl and fold in the strawberries with clean hands.
- Mix just enough to get the berries evenly distributed. The mixture will be sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead once or twice, adding a little more flour if necessary to get a soft dough that isn't overly sticky. Pat or roll out to about an inch thick and cut out 6-8 scones with a 3 inch biscuit cutter. Note: reform the dough as needed but try not to over work it or the scones can become tough.
- I like to refrigerate my scones for about 15 minutes before baking, but this is optional. I think it helps them rise higher. After chilling, arrange the scones onto a parchment lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 18 minutes, until the scones are golden. Cool on a rack before glazing.
- To make the glaze, mix the sugar with enough milk to make it drip off the end of a spoon. Add the extract if desired. Drizzle the cooled scones liberally.
Notes
- an alternate method for mixing in the berries: after step 3, transfer the crumbly mixture to a large bowl and add the strawberries. Toss well. Then add the liquid and mix until everything is combined. Proceed with step 7.
Nutrition
Any changes for high altitude?
Sue, haven’t gotten a chance to make these yet but they are on my short list. Was wondering what you think of using a portion scoop for them instead of rolling/patting and cutting since some say the dough is quite wet. This way wouldn’t have to add extra flour. What do you think? Or do you think stick with patting and cutting either with biscuit cutter or as wedges?
Thanks so much!
Interesting idea, I’ve never used a scoop for scones. I can’t really say how they’d turn out, but I’d love to know if you try it.
I always use #16 scoop for my blueberry scone recipe and it works well. May try here. If i do, will let you know.
Please do, I like the idea.
Sue, these look great and I can’t wait to make them. Question: I’ll be using whole milk, do you still use the baking soda when using whole milk? I can see using it with the baking powder if using buttermilk, but just want to confirm I should go ahead and use it as written even with whole milk. Thanks!
Yes, I’d stay with it, even with milk.
Sue, I tried these today with the #16 portion scoop and it works well, i heaped the scoop and got 12 scones. They look more craggily and not as smooth as if rolled/patted and cut like yours do, but works for me! Brushed with egg wash and topped with sugar instead of glazing. Thanks!
Will this recipe work if almond milk is used to replace the milk or cream?
Yes, you can make them with almond milk.
Hello, these sound delicious. Fresh strawberries are just coming in, but their taste is not a good as the crop that comes later. Until then can I use freeze-dried strawberries?
I haven’t tried that Mary, I’m wondering if they would be too dry?
Is it possible to substitute dried cranberries?
Should I reconstitute them first?
You can use them dried, that’s fine.
I imagine that it would take some experimenting to get it right. Maybe, just better to wait till strawberry season!
Just made this! So easy and so delicious!!
what is the best cream or half and half????
Sort of depends on how rich you like your scones, but both are great.
Can you make these without a food processor .?
Yes, just cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or even your fingers.
I got so many compliments on these. Everyone that tasted them fell in love. I will be making these repeatedly.