Best Scones Recipe

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Grate the cold or frozen butter with a box grater, then add it to the flour mixture. You can stir it together with a fork and use the fork or a pastry cutter to ensure there are no large chunks of butter that are large than a pea. You can put the mixture in the freezer or the fridge to keep it nice and cold during the next step.

Combine the cream, egg and vanilla extract in a measuring cup or small bowl and beat well.

Pour the cream mixture into the flour mixture and gently stir together with a fork or spatula. The dough will begin to combine together, but also be a little bit shaggy. Don’t over work it to get it to come together.

Pour the mixture out onto the counter and bring it all together, pressing it into a ball. If there are some dry bits, gently work them into the ball. Do not knead them or work the dough, other than to press everything together.

Press the ball out into a disk shape, about 8 inches in diameter. Use a bench scraper or large knife to cut it into 8 scone wedges, then place onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Try to make them all pretty close in size so that they bake the same amount of time.

Refrigerate the scones for about 15-20 minutes or freeze them for about 5-10 minutes.

While the scones chill, preheat the oven to 425°F.

After chilling and preheating oven, brush the scones with a little additional heavy cream. Sprinkle with sugar if using, then bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned on the top and sides. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

If using the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of cream. Add additional cream as needed to get a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the icing over the scones.

Serve the scones. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. You could refrigerate them for a couple extra days, if needed.