These buttery scones are light, flaky, and perfect for a delicious breakfast. Enjoy them with jam and clotted cream for a traditional treat.
Buttery Scones are a classic baked treat known for their tender texture, rich flavor, and lightly crisp exterior. These delightful pastries are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea. With their simple ingredients and comforting taste, buttery scones remain a favorite in many kitchens around the world.
The key to great scones lies in the balance of ingredients and technique. Flour forms the base of the dough, while cold butter is cut into the flour to create small pockets that melt during baking. This process gives scones their signature flaky and tender texture. The butter also adds a rich flavor that makes each bite soft, delicate, and satisfying.
Milk or cream is usually added to bring the dough together. Cream produces especially tender scones with a slightly richer taste, while milk creates a lighter texture. A small amount of sugar adds a gentle sweetness, making the scones enjoyable on their own or with spreads like jam, honey, or clotted cream.
One of the reasons buttery scones are so popular is their versatility. While the classic version is simple and lightly sweet, the dough can easily be adapted with additional ingredients. Dried fruits like raisins or cranberries, citrus zest, or even chocolate chips can be folded into the dough for extra flavor. Savory variations may include cheese, herbs, or green onions.
When shaping the dough, it is usually gently pressed into a round and cut into triangles or shaped into small rounds. Handling the dough lightly is important, as overworking it can make the scones dense rather than tender. Once baked, the tops become lightly golden while the inside stays soft and fluffy.
Buttery Scones are best served warm, fresh from the oven. They pair beautifully with tea or coffee and can be enjoyed with butter, homemade strawberry jam, fruit preserves, honey, or cream. Whether served at a cozy breakfast or as part of an elegant afternoon tea, these scones are always a comforting and delicious choice.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold, diced
- 1/2 cup buttermilk plus more for brushing
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the cold, diced butter into the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk and beaten egg together.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix until a dough forms. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead it a couple of times. Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick round.
- Cut out scones using a cookie cutter and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with extra buttermilk.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving warm with jam and clotted cream if desired.
Nutrition
Not bad but blah, I prefer store bought. They taste better and are less work.
These scones are too buttery for my taste. I prefer a fluffier texture. Maybe use less butter next time.
Scones? I thought this was a biscuit recipe! Either way mine didn’t rise. 😟
Sometimes it happens! Make sure your baking powder is fresh next time, that might help them rise better. 😊
I’m not really a baking expert but these turned out perfect! Long live scones!
These scones are absolutely delicious! I made them for breakfast and they were a hit with the whole family.
Super easy recipe! My kids helped knead the dough and we had a blast. Will make again for sure!
That sounds awesome! I love that your kids helped out. Cooking together is the best! 🥰
I dunno, scones seem kinda hard to get right. Are they really as easy as you say? 🤔
I tried making these scones but they turned out super dry. Not sure what I did wrong. 😕
Okay but like, can I use milk instead of buttermilk? I don’t have any and I really wanna try these!
Best scones ever! The butter makes a huge difference. I also added some chocolate chips for fun. Yum!
Delicious! I made these for tea time, and they disappeared fast! Will be making again.
yummy!
These scones are amazing! So buttery and fluffy, just how I like them!
Love that they’re simple and don’t require fancy equipment besides a pastry cutter. Mine came out tender and buttery, like bakery style.
I followed the recipe exactly, but mine came out super dry. What did I do wrong?!
Dry? I think it might’ve been the butter. Cold butter is key! Or maybe you need more buttermilk next time.
Sometimes if you overwork the dough it can get dry. Did you mix it too much?
Easy to make! I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used regular milk and added vinegar. Still turned out great!
Not bad, but I think I might add some blueberries next time. Needs a lil’ something.
Can someone please explain to me what clotted cream is? Do I really need that?
Scones? More like scone-tastrophe! Mine turned out flat, like pancakes!
I accidentally overworked the dough (oops) and the scones were tough-ish… still edible, but not the crumbly texture I wanted.
Good recipe, but I had to bake mine closer to 18 minutes to get fully golden. Also, I used salted butter and just reduced the added salt next time. Still tasty.
Half cup butter is a lot, I’m not sure why people complain about richness. These are supposed to be buttery, right? Mine were excellent.
I think the key is the cold butter like the recipe says. I chilled my bowl for a few minutes and it helped. The texture was actually tender, not tough.
Yes! Cold butter is everything with scones—keeps them from turning dense. Chilling the bowl sounds like a great extra step. Mine always get tender when I don’t overwork the dough.
I tried this once and they were kinda tough anyway… maybe my oven runs hot? Also I forgot to chill the bowl—so maybe that’s the missing magic you found. Still, 12-15 min felt too short for me.
Not gonna lie, I’m skeptical about “gently mix” because I always mix too much—my dough ended up weird and the scones spread. Flavor was fine though.
I get you—“gently mix” is the most dangerous instruction ever 😅 I usually stop as soon as it comes together and I barely touch it after that.
These turned out so buttery and flaky—like bakery quality. I didn’t overmix, and they rose perfectly. Served with jam and it was a hit!
400°F is the sweet spot. I baked mine 13 minutes and they were golden without drying out. Great with jam.
Yes!! 400°F is exactly what I’ve found too—golden tops and still tender inside. I did 14 minutes and they came out perfect with strawberry jam.
Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but mine at 400°F took way longer—closer to 20 min—so they don’t dry out. Still tasted good though. Jam helps everything 😅
Sooo easy. Five stars!!!
Ok but whoa 1 egg and 1/2 cup buttermilk seems low?? I still made them and they were tasty, just more like dense biscuits.
Not gonna lie, I don’t have clotted cream and it still slapped with strawberry jam. Easy weekend snack.
I tried, but my dough was way too dry. Maybe I measured flour wrong. Still, the flavor is good so I’ll retry with less flour next time.
Mine were a bit dry inside even though the outside browned. Maybe my oven runs hot or I cut them too thin. Next time I’ll watch the dough more closely.
That makes sense—dry inside usually means they needed a little more time or were cut too thin. I’d try 5-10 minutes longer next batch, and aim for closer to 1-inch thickness so the center has time to set.
These turned out super buttery and flaky! I was worried about overmixing, but “gently” really helped. The tops browned nicely too.
Pretty solid recipe. Mine were a little pale at 12 minutes, so I went closer to 16 and they were perfect. Next time I’ll chill the dough a bit.
I followed it exactly and they still didn’t rise much for me—maybe my baking powder is old? Tasted good though.
Ugh that’s frustrating. If you followed it exactly, yeah—old baking powder is a top suspect. Also make sure it’s still “active” (not clumpy) and your oven is truly at 400°F.