Strawberry Scones Recipe with Cream Cheese Glazing

The best scone recipe gives buttery and flaky scones that are slightly crispy around the edges and on top, but is soft and moist on the inside. These fresh strawberry scones are just that! They are quick to whip together and can easily be made in advance as well. This recipe can be used for all sorts of berries and flavors too, like lemon and blueberries, rhubarb or something completely different.

 

 

Serve with hot coffee or, my favorite, a large cup of tea. Drizzle with a generous amount of cream cheese glazing for an extra special afternoon tea experience. If you want to try some more afternoon tea or bunch ideas, I can recommend healthy honey banana bread, double chocolate banana muffins and lemon cream cheese blackberry crêpes.

 

And for dessert, don't forget a warm slice of blueberry pie or strawberry peach pie with vanilla ice cream - or strawberry sorbet on the scorching hot days!

 

 

Difference between American and British Scones

 

First things first, these two are not the same thing.

 

American scones: They are sweeter, often filled with fruits, nuts or chocolate, and usually don't require any more spreads. Although a cream cheese glazing has never hurt anybody. This strawberry scones recipe is an American kind of scone.

 

A British scone is more similar to the American biscuit. It is less sweet than an American scone, but can be studded with currants or raisins. You are supposed to serve these with clotted cream and jam. These are the proper afternoon tea pastries! This article also states that the British and Scottish scones have less butter in them. They also talk about gooseberry jam, which is the absolutely 100% best jam everrrrrr.

 

 

Why should the butter be cold?

 

Butter melts. It's that easy.

 

When butter melts too quickly, it will result in overspreading the scones when baking them. Make sure all your ingredients are cold, but especially the butter. The cold butter creates the sought after flaky layers, but also helps to rise the scones and give crispy edges. Don't we just love a good excuse to use butter?

 

Using frozen grated butter is actually a great way to ensure the butter stays cold all the way to the oven. It will be quicker to mix with the flour and for scones we need to move fast.

 

Freeze the butter and then grate it using a box grater. After grating, I like to place it back into the freezer for 10 more minutes. Pro tip: Grate half of the butter and the cut the other half in small cubes. This way you will get pea-sized pieces of butter into your flour.

 

Even though your butter will be cold, you should expect some spreading. And if they spread a little too much, don't worry about it because they will be amazing either way! All this is quite the same as when making pie crusts (you should also check out this strawberry peach pie for dessert!)

 

 

Tips for the perfect strawberry scones

 

Scones doesn't have to be hard to make, but there are some things worth knowing in order to make the perfect scones:

 

• Using cold ingredients, especially the butter. Cold ingredients help the butter stay cold and won't melt too fast. Read above paragraph.
• Do not over-mix the dough. I hate this part, as it's very difficult to know what over-mixing really means. Over-mixing the dough will make the butter into too small pieces and melts too fast, and you won't get that light and flaky scone. Mix the flour and butter until the butter is pea-sized, and once adding the wet ingredients just mix (with a spatula or wooden spoon) until everything appears moist. I like to add in the strawberries a little before all the flour is wet, just to make sure I'm not over-working the dough. Read more about this in the recipe card below.
• Work quickly. This way the ingredients stay cold until they get to the oven.
• Refrigerate shaped dough for 15 minutes prior to baking. Also to let the butter stay colder for longer once in the oven.
• Egg wash and coarse sugar for extra crispy top! Instead of egg wash you can also use heavy cream.

 

 

Frozen vs fresh strawberries

 

I prefer to use fresh strawberries in this recipe, but you can use frozen ones too. The most important thing is to not thaw the strawberries as it will release way too much water from the berries and the dough will become too wet. Be careful when you mix them into the dough, so as not to break the delicate berries (especially when they are fresh).

 

You can also use any other berries, fresh or frozen (but still, do not thaw them).

 

If you want more ideas to what to make with all your summer berries, check these 24 summer berry recipes out!

 

Can you make scones the night before?

 

Totally!

 

Refrigerate shaped dough: The best way to ensure fresh out-of-the-oven strawberry scones (or any scones really), is to bake them the same day. However, you can make the scones through step 9 below today and continue with the rest the following morning Just keep the shaped unbaked scones refrigerated until ready to bake.

 

Pre-heat oven to 400F (200C) and proceed with the recipe from there. If you had the dough in the freezer, at a few extra minutes to the bake time.

 

Re-heat baked scones: I tend to be very selfish when it comes to scones, and usually often eat them by myself (maybe I'll share a few...) and so I re-heat baked scones the following day as well. Scones can be kept in room temperature for 2 days. To re-heat; pre-heat oven to 300F (150C) and use the fan option if you want crispy edges. Re-heat for about 5-8 minutes to warm through.

 

You can eat them at room temperature as well, but who in their right mind would not want slightly warm and crispy scones?

 

 

How to make strawberry scones

 

In short, these are the steps to make the perfect strawberry scones!

 

1. Grate half of the frozen butter, cut the other half in small cubes.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and add in the frozen butter. Using two forks or a pastry cutter, mix in the butter until pea sized pieces.
3. Mix the wet ingredients together and pour into the flour mixture. Combine until everything appears moist.
4. Chop strawberries into eights. Frozen can work too, but do not thaw.
5. Carefully fold in strawberries.
6. Dump it all onto a floured work surface, it will be sticky.
7. With floured hands, shape and press into a 10 inch disc (25cm). Cut into 8, using a pizza cutter or anything sharp.
8. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Freeze or refrigerate for 20 minutes, meanwhile pre-heat oven to 400F (200C).
9. Brush with egg wash or heavy cream, sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, make glazing.
10. Serve warm with cream cheese glazing or top with for example mango lime curd.

 

Strawberry scones are the perfect way of using fresh strawberries. It is very difficult to beat a warm, flaky and slightly crisp but also moist scone. A strawberry scone can beat a basic one of course. Don't forget the cream cheese glazing and the big cup of tea!

 

Did you like this strawberry scones recipe? Here's more ways of using fruit and berries:

 

• Homemade Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
• Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars
• Fresh Strawberry Cake with Lemon Curd
• Strawberry Arugula Summer Salad
• Chocolate Pear Cake
• Fresh Fruit Homemade Jello
• Easy Rhubarb Crisp
• Apricot Rosemary Gin Fizz

 

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