Scones · Classic Cream
Classic Cream Scones
Lightly sweet, tender scones with flaky layers and a crisp sugared top. They are made with cold butter and cream and cut into wedges, so they are ready in about an hour. Serve with jam and whipped cream.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 19 min
- Total
- 1 hr 5 min
- Serves
- 8 scones
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (250 g), plus more for the counter
Swaps for all-purpose flour
Instead of all-purpose flour
- Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
- Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
- Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.
All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
Swaps for granulated sugar
Instead of sugar
- Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
- Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
- Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.
- 1 tbsp baking powder
Swaps for baking powder
Instead of baking powder
- Baking soda + cream of tartar: ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar for each 1 tsp baking powder. Rises the same if you don't let the batter sit.
- Baking soda + buttermilk or yogurt: ¼ tsp baking soda for each 1 tsp baking powder, and swap ½ cup of the recipe's milk for buttermilk or thinned yogurt. Good rise with a light tang.
- Self-rising flour: Use it for the flour and leave out the baking powder and salt. Each cup has about 1½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt built in, so it only fits recipes close to that ratio.
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Swaps for kosher salt
Instead of salt
- Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
- Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.
- ⅜ cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (85 g)
Swaps for unsalted butter
Instead of butter
- Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
- Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
- Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- ¾ cup heavy cream, cold (180 ml), plus 2 tbsp for brushing
Swaps for heavy cream
Instead of heavy cream
- Half-and-half: The same amount. Thinner and less rich.
- Milk + melted butter: ¾ cup whole milk + ¼ cup melted butter for each cup. Close in richness for cooking and baking, but it won't whip.
- Full-fat coconut milk: The same amount. Rich and silky with a coconut taste.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- 1 large egg, cold
Swaps for egg
Instead of eggs
- Flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Binds well but gives less lift, so bakes are a little denser and flatter, with a mild nutty taste and brown flecks.
- Chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Works like a flax egg: good binding, little lift, slightly denser crumb.
- Unsweetened applesauce: ¼ cup for each egg. Moister and denser, with a soft, slightly gummy crumb if you swap more than one egg.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Swaps for vanilla extract
Instead of vanilla extract
- Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
- Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
- Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar, for the tops
Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.
Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.
Steps
Kid helper. A child can do steps 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10: no knife, no heat. Steps marked “Grown-up” use a knife or heat. Cooking with kids
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).400°FGrown-up: heata sheet pan with parchment.
Line (how to line a pan)
Line a pan Cover the bottom (and sometimes sides) of a pan with parchment or foil so food doesn't stick and lifts out easily. 1. For a sheet pan, tear parchment the size of the pan and lay it flat.2. For a round cake pan, trace the bottom on parchment, cut the circle out and press it in.3. For brownies and bars, leave two long sides hanging over to make handles (a "sling").4. A little grease under the paper holds it in place. Done when: The paper lies flat with no folds where the batter could run under it. How to line a baking pan with parchment: mistakes to avoid - In a large bowl,Kid stepthe flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
whisk (how to whisk)
Whisk Beat ingredients with a whisk to mix them smoothly or to add air. 1. Use a bowl big enough to whisk without splashing; set it on a damp towel to stop it spinning.2. Hold the whisk loosely and move it in quick circles or side to side, touching the bottom.3. For lumpy mixtures, add liquid a little at a time and whisk after each.4. For sauces on the stove, keep the whisk moving across the whole bottom of the pan. Done when: The mixture is even with no lumps or streaks of egg. How to whisk: mistakes to avoid - Scatter the cold butter cubes over the flour.Grown-up: knifewith a pastry blender (or pinch with your fingertips) until the pieces range from peas to small beans.
Cut them in (how to cut in butter)
Cut in butter Break cold butter into the flour in small pieces, for flaky biscuits, scones and pie crust. 1. Cut very cold butter into ½ inch cubes and toss them in the flour.2. Press down through the butter with a pastry blender, two knives or a fork.3. Keep cutting and tossing so the bits stay coated.4. Stop while you still see butter. Done when: The mix looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces of butter left; those make the flakes. How to cut butter into flour: mistakes to avoid - In a measuring cup, whisk 3/4 cup cream with the egg and vanilla.Kid step
- Pour the cream mixture over the flour and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms with some dry bits.Kid step
- Turn the dough onto a floured counter. Press it together, then fold it in half and press again. Repeat twice more to build flaky layers.Kid step
- Pat the dough into a 7-inch round about 3/4 inch thick.Kid step
- Cut the round into 8 wedges with a bench scraper, pressing straight down.Grown-up: knife
- Set the wedges 2 inches apart on the pan and freeze them to firm up the butter.⏱ Chill: 15 minKid step
- Brush the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.Kid step
- Bake until golden brown on top and bottom and firm when pressed.400°F⏱ Bake: 19 minGrown-up: heat
- Cool on the pan a few minutes. Serve warm.⏱ Cool: 10 minGrown-up: heat
Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.
Tips
- Keep everything cold. Cold butter pieces turn to steam in the oven and make flaky layers.
- Press the bench scraper straight down without twisting so the scones rise tall.
- Add 1/2 cup dried currants or chocolate chips with the cream if you like.
Storage
Best the day they are baked. Keep airtight 2 days and rewarm at 300°F for 5 minutes.
Make ahead
Freeze unbaked wedges on a tray, then bag them up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, adding 3 to 5 minutes.
Cook once, eat twice: Double it (16 servings instead of 8): cook one batch and freeze the other before cooking, the way its make-ahead note says. It keeps 2 months frozen, by the make-ahead note above. Print a freezer label · More freezer meals
How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage.
Quick answers
- Can I freeze it?
Freeze unbaked wedges on a tray, then bag them up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, adding 3 to 5 minutes.
- What can I swap?
- Instead of all-purpose flour: Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour.
- Instead of sugar: Brown sugar, the same amount, packed.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 1,260 kJ
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 31 g
- Fiber
- <1 g
- Sugars
- 7 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Saturated fat
- 11 g
- Sodium
- 310 mg
Whole recipe, 8 servings: about 2,410 calories.
Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 9 of 9 ingredients.
How we estimate
We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 8 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.
Estimated cost
About $0.35 a serving
About $2.70 for the recipe as written (8 servings).
Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 6 of 9 ingredients, 97% by weight.
How we estimate
Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.
- heavy cream $1.40 ERS
- unsalted butter $0.75 BLS
- all-purpose flour $0.30 BLS
- egg $0.20 BLS
- granulated sugar $0.10 BLS
- coarse sugar $0.05 BLS
Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): baking powder, kosher salt, vanilla extract.
More dishes for less: cheap eats.
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Gear for this recipe
- See price on Amazon: Nesting mixing bowls (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Balloon whisk (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Measuring cups and spoons (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Liquid measuring cup (opens Amazon)
-
See price on Amazon: Pastry blender (opens Amazon)
Pastry blender nice to have
Cuts in cold butter quickly without warming it with your hands.
Suggested: OXO
- See price on Amazon: Bench scraper (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Half sheet pan (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Parchment paper sheets (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Pastry brush (opens Amazon)
-
See price on Amazon: Wire cooling rack (opens Amazon)
Wire cooling rack nice to have
Air underneath keeps bottoms crisp instead of soggy.
Suggested: Checkered Chef
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Brands are suggestions; any similar item works.
Cleanup score 4/5 (easy cleanup): 2 things to wash, sheet pan, mixing bowl.
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