Best-Ever Scones

Thank you susansmorris, for the suggestion to use the Cuisinart to blend the dry mixture and butter. It worked out perfectly! I was able to whip up the recipe and it was ready for baking just as the oven finished preheating to 450. I opted to add a combination of 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of walnuts. I used my pizza stone for even heating/browning and made 16 small scones. I watched them carefully so I could pull them out before they got too brown, but it wasn't a problem using the pizza stone. Mine baked for a 12 full minutes and were perfectly golden. Delicious, tender -- this recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you Betty Joyce Mills. And many thanks to other reviewers who shared your changes. You've given me a lot of great ideas! I think I'm going to try making and freezing for an even quicker treat.

Was a total disaster for me. Bottoms were burned to a crisp and the scones were past golden brown. In my opinion temperature was way too high and,FYI, my oven IS calibrated correctly because I am a bread baker, all types, and on a regular basis.

The center was more like a muffin, nothing like ones I have made in the past. If a pizza stone is necessary for success it should be noted in the recipe. I have made scones before and I don't own a pizza stone.

But the birds loved them!

For Harry and Meghan's wedding, I wanted to make scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream.  I loved the simplicity of this recipe, but it didn't turn out that well.  I am a recipe follower and made it exactly as written.  The wedges spread too much and there was too much color and they didn't cook that well inside.  

I am determined to make these again, but would prefer rounds.  

However, even though they didn't turn out picture perfect they were DELICIOUS. Worth another attempt.

Simple recipe, easy to put together, and achieved fantastic results for a first attempt. I did not have any trouble with them getting overdone on the bottom like some other reviewers, but I use a cooking stone and the convection setting on my oven, which both help with even browning.

I was so excited to try a new scone recipe for the Wimbledon finals this morning. I made many a scone but these were burning with the 450F temp halfway through cooking. I followed the recipe and didn't change anything. Now that they are out of the oven and cooled they taste very nice but will try oven temp on 400 next time because they are two brown and burned on small edges. Giving them 3 stars for how light and tender they are on the inside but the outside is 1 star.

Not having any cream, I substituted one cup of sour cream mixed with half-and-half and 2 tablespoons of organic vanilla yogurt with the cream layer.  The raw dough tasted good.  I served the scones with macerated strawberries atop butter and strawberry jam as an afternoon tea break.  The scones are delicate and delicious! 

I do not normally review recipes but this is one of the best scone recipes EVER!!!

They were a big hit with my company.  Amazingly basic yet deliciously flakey. 
Added Blueberries to one and pecans to others.

Putting the heavy cream on the top before baking makes them extra crunchy on top.  They are not too sweet or heavy.  Follow the recipe exactly especially putting crumbly dough in the freezer for 5 minutes before baking.  You will not be disappointed!!!

I agree!  I had scones in London that are nothing like the ones I've had here.  But I might try this one!

I have made several batches of the sweet variations. With a good food processor you can have these on the table in 30 minutes. They are wonderful.  I did try one batch with bread flour and found that the dough was not so crumbly and very light .

Love this recipe, I load mine up with pecans, dried cranberries, blueberries, and some chocolate chips or cinnamon chips, or both.  I don't do any icing on the top.   I also make 12 smaller rounds and bake...  they last a little longer that way..

This is the best scone recipe I have ever made!  They came out so light and buttery.  I used the base recipe (one modification - I did not have a full cup of whipping cream so supplemented with coconut milk) and made a simple brown sugar glaze.  I can't wait to mix it up and try a savory version! 

Good scones. Bear in mind, though, that British cooks can make better scones than this WITHOUT any leavening and with no sugar. Scones are not the blobs of cheap bread dough shaped in a triangle and liberally dosed with sugar that Americans think they are (present recipe excluded, of course). And for those who complained about the crumbly dough, ummmmmm, crumbly dough makes crumbly scones. Crumbly scones are good...and authentic. Yikes.

I've made all the sweet variations of this recipe except for the apricot and they're all awesome! They're so rich and buttery. I always drizzle them with vanilla or spiced glaze while they're still warm.

I added close to a full cup of whipped cream and the dough was still incredibly crumbly. The end result was very good so I may try them again to see if I did something wrong.

This is by far the best scone recipe I have ever made. They melt in your mouth and have a wonderful texture. I have made these for many showers and they are always a big hit and everyone wants the recipe.

These are the best I've ever tasted.

These are the first and the best scones I ever made. They are light and wonderful no matter whether you use blueberries, dried cranberries, chocolate chips or any of the other ingredients listed. If you try this recipe it will be the "go to scone" recipe in your recipe colletction.

These are perfect. They are easy to make and they melt in your mouth. When I made them the first time I added dried blueberries and pecans but since then I've added chocolate chips. Either way they are delicious! They are also wonderful left over.

Indeed the best scone ever! Made it for the first time for Father's Day because my husband loves scones and he (and the kids) were so impressed! Added 1/2 cup mix of cinnamon & chocolate chips to the mix and it was oh-so-good! Definitely making it again... and again....

Perfect recipe! One of those recipes you never want to lose. The person that posted suggesting you use a cheese grater for the butter worked great. Much easier than chopping butter. Other than that I followed the recipe and it turns out perfect every time.Never any left over.

Title says it all! These scones are fantastic! :)

Great recipe!!! I used bread flour (it really makes them very tender) and added a 1/4 cup of dried cranberries, orange zest (2tbs) & about a 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice to make cranberry-orange scones. My husband and family can't get enough of them.

These were tasty, but much more of a hassle than they're worth, in my opinion. The dough was just far too crumbly and difficult to work with. While I like the variation ideas, I think I'll stick with my usual scone recipes in the future, and won't bother trying this one again.

looks wonderful. Some other flavors to have. I love Cinnamon, lemon, cranberry orange, raspberry white chocolate. I read a recipe for a cheddar cheese scone which I think would go well with chili, veggie soup. I don't think I have had a scone I didn't like. I haven't tried this version, but I really want too.

We have made the brown sugar-pecan version several times, and it is a family favorite! In fact, we love them so much that we are reluctant to try the other versions. And my 16-year-old son can make these himself! This is a definite keeper.

Made these a few days ago for breakfast and they were absolutely perfect. Buttery, rich, dense, not too sweet. I stuck to the original recipe for the first try (no add-ins), and I cut them into six wedges instead of eight by mistake, but I liked them a little bigger. Mine did start to over-brown on the bottom as another poster mentioned. I threw a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack underneath the one the scones were on, shiny side down, to reflect away some of the direct heat (my oven heats from the bottom to bake). This worked well. They quit browning on bottom and finished baking nicely. (I wouldn't put a sheet in before this happens though as they may not rise properly.)

I burned the bottoms :( I think my oven is a little hotter than it should be so I turned down the heat to try to compensate but it didn't help. Perhaps I should have put the oven rack up higher?? Or next time I'll take them out a couple of minutes earlier. Minus the bottoms they were rich and delicous.

This was my first attempt at making scones. I added dried blueberries and a lemon glaze. Outstanding and sooo easy. I followed the directions and the end results were even better than I expected. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.

They are delicious. People should not review recipes after they have completely changed the original recipe!

Easy to make for a novice

I do not think it is a review if you tell us of the many changes in ingredients/preparations. In fact you end up giving us a different recipe. That is actually disrespectful. Not everyone is fortunate enough to own a Cuisinart food processor. Also, scones do not have eggs in them. The recipe as given is delicious as it is--if you do not agree, then make your own recipe and put it up for review.

delicious! i love these and make them often as they are so quick and easy to whip up. today's version...dried blueberries, walnuts, and lemon zest....to.die.for!

My first time ever making scones and these are PERFECT. I love that they are a little more flaky and moist than other scones. Perfect with a little butter or lemond curd to top it off. I added a little coarse sugar on top for texture. I cannot wait to try the other variations. Thanks so much for the recipe.

I love this recipe. It is easy and quick. This morning I made them with chocolate chips and sliced almonds, and I sprinkle a small amount of granulated sugar on top before baking.

These scones are very good. However, to mix flour and butter, instead of using a pastry blender, I would use a Cuisinart food processor. I added one cup+ of dried cranberries, grated zest from one orange and a handfull of blueberries. I also added Turbinado sugar to the top before baking to give scones a crunch. Delicious. Also, start watching the scones at 13 minutes.

These scones are absolutely the best recipe I have ever tried in any cookbook or recipe site, bar none. Let me advise fellow bakers - they "poof" and expand in a semi-cake-like manner. That is, they do not bake like biscuits, so do not put them too close together on your cookie sheet as they will run together while baking. They are rich, flavorful, creamy, and delicate. I absolutely adore this recipe. I made 3 varieties - one plain, per the base recipe. The next with plump, golden raisins, and the last with Toffee baking bits. My, my, my these are scrumptious. A real keeper.

Easy and delicious! Ingredients are pantry staples, so you can make it anytime. Texture wasn't crumbly before baking, it was wetter, but they still turned out light and moist. I used brown sugar instead of white, and unbleached AP flour instead of white, to make it a bit healthier.

These were heaven. I have made my share of scones and this is one of my favorites. Normally I like a scone that keeps its shape. This one spreads just a little but is so flaky and moist and melt in your mouth that I didn't mind. I was going to skimp on the cream but I'm glad I didn't!!

I am not a baker, but I can bake these! I made them with cranberries and walnuts. They where easy and very tasty. A few days after I made them, my husband asked me if I would make them again.

My friend and I were doing some Christmas baking. She had this recipe from Southern Living. Neither of us had ever made scones before, but will do so regularly from now on. Once you get the hang of it, these are so easy and delicious! I love the versatility. I've made them with cranberries and chocolate chips. She used dried mango instead of apricot. You can't go wrong with this recipe. I do use a dash more cream than it calls for just to help keep the dough together.

I had been looking for a good recipe for scones and this did not disappoint. They were reasonably easy to put together and the end result was very tasty! As the recipe says, the mixture will be very crumbly when you move it to the wax paper. Next time, I may add a little bit more of the cream before patting the dough out since I didn't need a full 2 TBS to brush on at the end. Definitely recommend and I will make again!

the scones were very delicios, i just added two eggs and freezed the first 4 ingridients a little longer and added some cranberries.