Fresh strawberry cream scones bake up light with the perfect crumbly texture. They're craggy in the most wonderful way, and dotted with fresh strawberries that get jammy as they bake for concentrated flavor. The dough is easy to make in one bowl, it's practically effortless! They go from mixing to baking to eating in about 40 minutes!
When a scone is done right, it's heaven. The combination of heavy cream and butter in these strawberry scones yields a tender texture, not too flaky, not too crumbly. Just right.
And boy, do I love a berry in a scone. But unlike my lemon blueberry scones, this recipe must be made with fresh strawberries to ensure the right amount of moisture.
Truly, a scone of any flavor is a friend of mine, check out my flaky pumpkin scones!
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Fresh strawberry cream scones ingredients
Scone dough:
- Fresh strawberries: Look for strawberries that are deep red in color and are on the ripe side. The more ripe they are, the jammier they will get as they bake into the scone. If you love a jammy strawberry situation as much as I do, check out my Strawberry Galette!)
- All-purpose flour: Your plain-old everyday workhorse flour. Be sure to use the spoon and sweep method to measure your flour. Never use the measuring cup to scoop flour out of the bag. It packs down the flour and you'll end up with a lot more than you need.
- Unsalted butter: We want COLD unsalted butter so we can control the salt level ourselves.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Both of these rising agents are needed to make our scones rise and get the right texture and crumb.
- Kosher salt: Just a bit to keep a good sweet and savory balance.
- Granulated sugar: Not too much. We don't want to cover the fresh strawberry flavor, and we want a slight savory quality to the scone dough.
- Egg: To bind the scone dough together.
- Heavy whipping cream: Heavy cream gives us added fat and richness and the moisture that turns into steam so the scones rise properly.
- Turbinado sugar: Optional for sprinkling on top. If you don't have it, use regular sugar.
Scone glaze (optional):
- Powdered sugar, water or lemon juice: If you prefer glazed strawberry scones, you can make a plain or a lemon glaze for them. For even more strawberry flavor, smash some freeze-dried strawberries into a powder and add to the glaze.
* Ingredients with measurements are in the recipe card below.
The key to light, fluffy scones
- Use plenty of good rising agents. Here, we use a combination of baking soda and baking powder.
- Keep the cream, eggs, and butter VERY COLD to create steam and make the dough rise.
- Don't overwork the dough, you're only handling it enough so that it just comes together. No kneading or excessive shaping.
How to make fresh strawberry scones
Recipe adapted from Bon Appètit.
Step 1: Cut up the fresh strawberries
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the hull from each strawberry and cut them into pieces about the size of a marble. Set aside.
Step 2: Combine dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, gently whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Step 3: Work the butter into the dough
Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Toss to ensure it's evenly coated with flour.
Tip: Briefly freeze your butter!
If you have time, put the cubed butter in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. This will help keep your dough really cold and give you taller, fluffy scones when they bake!
Use a pastry blender or your fingers to work the butter into the flour. Continue until the butter pieces in the dough are about the size of peas.
Step 4: Add the strawberries
Add the diced strawberries to the bowl and toss around so they are each individually coated with the flour mixture.
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Step 5: Add cream and egg to finish the scone dough
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Beat the egg lightly and add it to the bowl along with 1 ยผ cup of heavy cream. Starting from the center of the mixture, use a fork to gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry until a shaggy dough forms.
Use your hands to bring the dough together, being careful not to overwork it. Some spots may still seem a bit dry and that's okay. Make sure there's no flour left in the bottom of the bowl.
Step 6: Shape the strawberry scones
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and use a bench scraper or your hands to turn the dough a few times until it comes together.
Form the dough into a circle or square about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 equal pieces. (See tip below about making 16 smaller scones.)
Use a pastry brush to brush the top of each scone with heavy cream, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar or granulated sugar.
Step 7: Bake!
Place the scones 1 to 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the scones are lightly golden and the strawberry pieces are getting jammy.
Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before serving. If not serving immediately, slide the parchment paper onto a cooling rack until ready to serve.
Step 7: Make the glaze (if using)
Mix the powdered sugar, water or lemon juice in a small bowl. You can adjust the consistency by adding more sugar or more liquid. Allow the strawberry scones to cool for 10-15 minutes, then drizzle the glaze over the top.
Expert tips
- It's very important to handle the dough as little as possible. Warm hands are the enemy of fluffy, perfectly crumbly strawberry scones.
- Keep all of your ingredients cold. You need the steam created by cold butter and cream to help the scones rise.
- The dough will look a bit dry in spots and this is good! Scone dough should not be too wet, to ensure that crumbly texture. Don't worry if you have some dry spots, the fat will melt and the strawberries will release moisture as the scones bake, resulting in perfection!
- I prefer to shape my strawberry scone dough into a square instead of a circle. I cut the square into four smaller squares, then cut the small squares corner to corner to make two triangles. I feel like this results in more evenly shaped scones than forming a circle and cutting into wedges, but you do you!
- To make 16 mini scones: Cut the 8 triangles in half again. Bake for 18-25 minutes until lightly golden.
Serving scones
Scones are generally meant to be slathered with something. Try clotted cream, butter, jam, or double-down on the strawberry flavor with some homemade strawberry compote. Serve them with a cup of tea or coffee, at breakfast or brunch, or enjoy them for a little treat in the afternoon.
Debra's Details: Fresh strawberry cream scones are simple, quick, and lightly sweet!
- You just need a handful of basic pantry ingredients.
- Goes from the mixing bowl to the baking sheet in just a few minutes.
- These scones have the perfect balance of strawberries and cream flavor, without being too sweet.
- They bake in about 30 minutes.
- Strawberry scones are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea!
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Recipe
Fresh Strawberry Cream Scones
Ingredients
Strawberry Scone Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup diced strawberries
- 1 egg
- 1¼ cup heavy cream plus more for the tops of the scones
- turbinado sugar or granulated sugar for the tops of the scones
Scone Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons water or fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Strawberry Scones
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and place a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the hull from the strawberries and cut them into pieces about the size of a marble. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, gently whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Toss to ensure it's evenly coated with flour. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to work the butter into the flour. Continue until the butter pieces in the dough are about the size of peas.
- Add the diced strawberries to the flour-butter mixture and toss around so they are each individually coated with the flour mixture.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Beat the egg lightly and add it to the bowl along with 1 ¼ cup of heavy cream. Starting from the center of the mixture, use a fork to gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough together, being careful not to overwork it. Some spots may still seem a bit dry and that's okay.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and use a bench scraper or your hands to turn the dough a couple of times until it comes together. It will still be craggy in places, not smooth. Form the dough into a circle or square about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 equal pieces. See note below.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the top of each scone with heavy cream, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar or granulated sugar.
- Place the scones 1 to 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the scones are lightly golden and the strawberry pieces are getting jammy. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before serving. If not serving immediately, slide the parchment paper onto a cooling rack until ready to serve.
Scone Glaze
- Mix the powdered sugar, water or lemon juice in a small bowl. You can adjust the consistency by adding more sugar or more liquid. Allow the strawberry scones to cool for 10-15 minutes, then drizzle the glaze over the top.
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Notes
- You MUST use fresh strawberries: The texture of strawberries changes dramatically when they are frozen and they will collapse and release too much moisture when thawed.
- Make a square for evenly shaped scones: I prefer to shape my strawberry scone dough into a square instead of a circle. I cut the square into four smaller squares, then cut the small squares corner to corner to make two triangles. I feel like this results in more evenly shaped scones than forming a circle and cutting into wedges, but you do you!
- It's very important to handle the dough as little as possible: Warm hands are the enemy of fluffy, perfectly crumbly strawberry scones.
- Keep all of your ingredients cold: You need the steam created by cold butter and cream to help the scones rise. If the butter gets warm while working it into the flour, but the bowl back in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes until it's cold again.
- To make 16 mini scones: cut the 8 triangles in half again. Bake for 18-25 minutes until lightly golden.
- Recipe adapted lightly from Bon Appétit.
- To store: Scones are best eaten the day they are made. Because the strawberries add moisture to the dough, the scones tend to soften quite a bit overnight. Store them lightly covered with foil at room temperature for up to 36 hours.
- To freeze: Strawberry scones freeze well! To freeze baked scones, allow them to cool to room temperature, then wrap individually in aluminum foil and store in a freezer-safe bag. To freeze unbaked scones, cut them into wedges then freeze on a baking sheet. Once frozen, wrap individually and store in a zip top bag. To bake from frozen, follow the recipe as directed beginning with brushing them with cream on top. You may need to bake them a few minutes longer.
- To reheat: Unwrap the scones, then place on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 300°F oven for 4-8 minutes until heated through. (If frozen, allow to thaw at room temperature for one hour before reheating.)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated as an estimate. Calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dani says
I love these. So delicious.
Debra says
Hi Dani!
From a seasoned baker like you, that is such high praise!
I'm so flattered you tried my recipe, it really warms my heart.
Thanks for reading,
Debra