Best Mountain Berry Scones Recipes

THE BEST GLAZED MIXED BERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment; set aside.
• In a large bowl, add 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
• Add the butter, and with a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter in. You can use a food processor, but I find not having to wash it is a big time-saver. I smoosh the butter with forks and when it's the size of large marbles, I use my hands and knead it in. It will feel like semi-wet, cool sand. Some larger pea-sized butter clumps are okay; set bowl aside.
• In a small bowl, add the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk to combine until smooth.
• Pour wet mixture over dry, and fold until just combined with a soft-tipped spatula; don't overmix or scones will be tough. Dough will be wet and shaggy.
• Fold in the berries and optional zest.
• Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons flour over a Silpat or clean work surface and lightly coat hands.
• Turn dough out onto surface and knead it into a 8-inch round, approximately. Dough is very moist, wet, sticky, and tacky, but if it's being too stubborn or too wet to come together, sprinkle with flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you get it to come together and into a round.
• With a large knife, slice round into 8 equal-sized wedges.
• Using a flat spatula or pie turner, transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet spaced at least 2-inches apart. Do not crowd because scones puff and spread while baking. Tip - try to make sure there are no exposed berries touching the baking sheet because they'll be prone to burning.
• Optionally, sprinkle each wedge with a generous pinch of turbinado sugar, about 1 teaspoon each.
• Bake for about 18 minutes, or until scones are very lightly golden and cooked through. 18 minutes in my oven with frozen fruit is perfect, but if using fresh fruit, baking time will likely be reduced. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Because they're baking in quite a hot oven, watch them closely starting after about 15 minutes to ensure the bottoms aren't getting too browned.
• Allow scones to cool on baking tray for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. While the scones cool, make the glaze.
• In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and cream (or citrus juice).
• Whisk together until smooth. Depending on desired consistency, you may need to play with the cream and sugar ratios slightly.
• Evenly drizzle the glaze over the scones before serving.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT SCONES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. See video above for a closer look at the texture. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
• Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, the egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the add-ins, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
• Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it's too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges. For smaller scones, press dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 wedges. To make 10-12 drop scones: Keep mixing dough in the bowl until it comes together. Drop scones, about 1/4 cup of dough each, 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. To make mini (petite) scones, see recipe note.
• Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
• Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your fridge has space!) and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat(s). If making mini or drop scones, use 2 baking sheets. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
• Bake for 18-26 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Larger scones take closer to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Feel free to top with any of the toppings listed in the recipe Note below.
• Leftover scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.

MIXED BERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to cut them together until they resemble coarse crumbs.In a pitcher, mix together the cream, milk, egg, vanilla, strawberry preserves, and red food coloring.Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix them together until they're halfway combined. Add 3/4 of the berries and stir until mixed. Add the remaining berries and stir until everything is combined. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and press it into a rectangle that's about 16 inches tall by about 6 inches wide. Using a floured pizza cutter or knife, cut it in half from top to bottom, then make 3 to 4 cuts across. Cut each square into two triangles. Transfer the scones to a baking sheet lined with a baking mat. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Remove to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.To make the glaze, whisk together the melted butter, powdered sugar, and milk until smooth and somewhat thick. Place the racks of scones over baking sheets to catch the excess, then use a spoon to drizzle the glaze all over the scones. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

MOUNTAIN BERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers. (The largest pieces should be the size of small peas.) Stir in berries and lemon zest.
• Whisk together cream and eggs. Make a well in the center of flour mixture, and pour in cream mixture. Gently stir with a fork until dough just comes together. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to combine (dough will be slightly sticky).
• Pat dough into a 6-inch square (about 1 1/4-inches thick). Cut into six 2-by-3-inch rectangles using a floured knife. (Alternatively, to make 12 scones, cut each rectangle in half on the diagonal to form triangles.) Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops of scones with cream, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
• Bake on middle oven rack until golden brown and cooked through, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer scones to a wire rack. Let cool.

JOANNE CHANG'S MAPLE-BLUEBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, briefly mix both flours, the baking powder, baking soda and salt on low speed. Add half the butter and paddle until fully mixed into the flour, 2 to 3 minutes. (This will coat the flour with butter so the scones are tender.)
• Add the remaining butter to the bowl of the stand mixer. Pulse the mixer three or four times to mix the pieces into the dough while keeping them whole. (This step will give you small pieces of butter in the dough, which will help the scones be a bit flaky.)
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, maple syrup, buttermilk and yolk until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the blueberries. With the mixer on low, pour the blueberry mixture into the flour mixture, and paddle on low for about 10 seconds to get some of the liquid mixed into the flour. Stop the mixer, and mix the rest of the loose flour into the dough by hand: Gather and lift the dough with your hands and turn it over in the bowl several times until all the loose flour is mixed in. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 1 day. (This gives the flour time to fully absorb the liquid.)
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and position a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a 1/2-cup measuring cup or ice cream scoop, scoop out 8 mounds of chilled dough, and place them on the baking sheet a few inches apart. Bake scones for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway through the baking time, until the scones are evenly golden brown and firm when you press them.
• While the scones are baking, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and enough maple syrup to make a thick, spreadable glaze. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Rewhisk before using.
• As soon as you remove the scones from the oven, use a pastry brush to brush them with the glaze while they're warm. Let cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve.

SIMPLE SCONES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.
• In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
• Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
• Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.