Scones really don’t get enough attention in the world of baked goods. They’re leagues easier to make than most pastries and can be customized to any taste. Made from nothing but pantry staples, they’re the perfect treat to whip on a whim. The recipe we have for you today sticks to a base recipe for simple vanilla scones. Dense and buttery, a delicious treat with your favorite jam or alongside a cup of coffee.
For this recipe, you’ll start out with the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Sift them all together and then cut in the chilled butter. While it may be tempting to use softer butter for ease of mixing, trust us, you want chilled butter. When the butter is cold it will keep its shape and your scones will come out flaky. When the butter is warm it will seep into the dough more and those layers you’re after won’t be achieved. Cut the dough together until crumbly in texture and then add in the wet ingredients.
Whether you make these for a cozy Sunday morning or in preparation for a week of breakfast, you’ll surely be glad you did. It’s an easy recipe to master, but never fails to impress guests. No need to tell everyone how easy they are to make! Throw in dried fruit or mini chocolate chips to jazz things up, or top them off with cream cheese and a sweet preserve. They’re addictive however you prepare them!
Quick & Easy Scones
Yield(s): Serves 12
20m prep time
15m cook time
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup butter, chilled and cubed
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400 degrese F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
- Add the cubed butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter.
- In another small bowl, mix together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Divide dough in two and roll out on a floured surface. Fold dough in half and then in quarters. Roll out again and repeat the folding process to laminate.
- Shape dough into two 6 inch discs and cut each disc into 6 pieces and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush with the egg white and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown.
Recipe adapted from Handletheheat.com