This strawberry scones recipe is the only one you will ever need! They have the perfect light, crumbly texture. Made in one bowl, and goes from mixing to baking to eating in about an hour!
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How about some fresh strawberry scones that 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.
Add to that, they're made in one bowl, and practically effortless. They're just lightly sweetened, to let the natural sweetness of the strawberries shine.
The combination of heavy cream and butter in this strawberry scones recipe yields a great texture, not too flaky, not too crumbly. Just right. The other key is not to handle the dough too much when mixing and shaping.
Serve these alongside baked eggs and breakfast potatoes for Mother's Day or Easter, or any time, really. This is a basic scone recipe adapted from Bon Appètit that can be easily customized.
When fall rolls around, try my pumpkin scones!
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Strawberry scone ingredients
- 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.
- All-purpose flour: Your plain-old everyday workhorse flour.
- Unsalted butter: We want unsalted so we can control the salt level ourselves.
- Baking powder and baking soda: We need both of these rising agents to make our scones rise and get the right texture and crumb.
- Kosher salt: Just a bit to keep a good sweet/savory balance.
- Granulated sugar: Not too much. We don't want to cover the strawberry flavor.
- Egg: To bind the scone dough together.
- Heavy whipping cream: Heavy cream gives us added fat and richness.
- Turbinado sugar: Optional for sprinkling on top. If you don't have it, use regular sugar.
How to make strawberry scones
It's easy to make homemade scones! You'll have picture-perfect results if you follow these step-by-step instructions!
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.
Use a pastry blender 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.
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 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.
Step 6: Shape the strawberry scones and top with sugar
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.
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.
Tips for perfect strawberry scones
- If you don't have a pastry blender, you can work the butter into the flour with your fingers. You may want to chill it in the refrigerator for a bit before adding the liquid ingredients if the butter has become soft during this process.
- 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.
- 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.
Storage, freezing, and reheating instructions
Strawberry scones are best eaten the day they are made, but they will keep for another day or so. Because the strawberries add moisture to the dough, they tend to soften quite a bit overnight. Store them lightly covered with foil at room temperature for up to 36 hours (think pie not cookies.)
Strawberry scones freeze well! To freeze, wrap the baked scones individually in aluminum foil, then store in a freezer-safe bag. To reheat, allow to thaw at room temperature, then place on a baking sheet in a 325 degree oven for 4-8 minutes until heated through.
Recommended tools and equipment
- Paring knife and cutting board: To dice the strawberries.
- Large mixing bowl, pastry blender, silicone spatula: To mix up the scone dough.
- Bench scraper and pastry brush: The bench scraper is optional, but it is a great tool to help you turn out the dough, shape it, and to cut it cleanly into even pieces. Mine also has handy measurements on the side so you can tell how thick the dough is. If you don't have one, use a large knife to cut the scones. You'll need the pastry brush to coat the top of the strawberry scones with heavy cream before baking.
FAQ
Unfortunately, you cannot. The texture of strawberries changes dramatically when they are frozen and they will collapse and release too much moisture when thawed. Stick to fresh strawberries for this recipe.
The key to fluffy fruit scones is three-fold. One, using enough good rising agents. Here, we use baking soda and baking powder. Two, keep the cream, eggs, and butter VERY COLD to create steam and make the dough rise. Three, don't overwork the dough, you're only handling it enough so that it just comes together. No kneading or excessive shaping.
More strawberry recipes
- Who wouldn't love a big stack of Cornmeal Pancakes with Strawberry Compote?
- A Strawberry Galette is the ultimate lazy dessert!
- This Strawberry Arugula Salad with Basil and Mint is a mind-blower! The juices from the strawberries create the salad dressing. Yum!
This strawberry scones recipe is easy to make in one bowl and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor!
- You just need a handful of basic pantry ingredients.
- Goes from the mixing bowl to the baking sheet in just a few minutes.
- They bake in about 30 minutes.
- Strawberry scones are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea!
If you enjoy this recipe, please leave me a 5-star rating! It really helps others find my content and helps my business grow! Thank you!
Recipe
Strawberry Scones
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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 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 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.
Notes
- 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!
- If you don't have a pastry blender, you can work the butter into the flour with your fingers. You may want to chill it in the refrigerator for a bit before adding the liquid ingredients if the butter has become soft during this process.
- 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.
- To make 16 mini scones, cut the 8 triangles in half again. Bake for 18-25 minutes until lightly golden.
- Be sure to read the post above for storage instructions and answers to FAQs!
- Recipe adapted lightly from Bon Appétit.
Dani
I love these. So delicious.
Debra
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