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There is nothing quite as delicious with a spot of tea as easy British cream scones. With the help of a food processor it makes quick work of these treats!

This is a republished recipe, originally created in 2020.

One of the lasting jokes about food blogging, is that we ramble on and on about how we create and tie a recipe to a singular, ridiculous experience we had that one time we trekked through the woods, in the dark, uphill both ways, only to meet a complete stranger who changed our life with a hearty scone and a spot of tea. And truth be told this is kind of one of those recipes, but it didn’t involve me getting lost in the dark, or anything like that.

It stems from my trip to Scotland three years ago with Ben, when we took a road trip around the whole country, and stopped in at a road side tea house near a loch on a rainy day for a stretch and a warm drink. And yes, we grabbed a couple of scones, filled with double cream and jam. It was heaven.

Finally, three years later, I have finally tackled the cream scones recipe that are exact replicas of those dense, delicious ones we enjoyed on our travels.

I have been very bad about doing a write up of that entire trip, that included four days in London, a week driving around Scotland, exploring the small villages, lochs, and historic cities, driving a manual transmission on the wrong side of the car and road, all capped off with an adventure in Iceland… that I thought I should pepper in a few photos of our trip. Scotland is a place we talk about going back to again and again. No really, it is a constant topic of conversation for us. The moodiness of the weather, the history, the captivating vistas all spoke to us so completely. If I could pop into another life lived abroad – Scotland would be my place.

Because I was nervous to “recreate” such an important experience in these scones, I didn’t just willy nilly start creating scones myself. Grabbing my trusted America’s’ Test Kitchen cookbooks, I found their version of these easy British cream scones that was right on the money.

To really make these easy British cream scones shine, you can find double Devon cream at some grocery stores fancy cheese section. Or if you have a World Market nearby they usually carry it too! A dollop of cream, and a swipe of berry jam make these a treat and a half, especially with some tea or coffee.

While we were in Scotland, Ben and I drove around the entire country, from Glasgow, to Oban, Loch Ness and Inverness, to St. Andrews and Edinburgh. There was so much to see, and so much more we missed. If you ask Ben his favorite spot, it would be Oban – where their scotch is to die for and our favorite of the trip, and mine was St. Andrews. I’m a sucker for any royal connections, so trasping around the university town where Will and Kate fell in love was heaven for me. The beach and quiet waves, walking on the St. Andrews golf course, practicing our putting on the famous ladies Himalayas putting green, or milling the cobbled streets for a bite to eat.

There wasn’t anything about Scotland and the UK that we didn’t adore.

So if you need a taste of the UK, or just a new baking recipe to try, I hope you will give these easy British cream scones a go, and fall in love with this delicious tradition.

Ingredients for British Cream Scones

The beauty of a good scone is in its simplicity. I can almost guarantee you that you have everything you need for the base scone.  I did not use buttermilk for these, just heavy whipping cream to align with the more traditional English style scone. You can add in vanilla if you want as well. 

  • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 3 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 5 Tbsp Cold Butter, chilled and cut into 1/4″ cubes
  • 1 cup + 1 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream, divided
  • 1/2 cup Currants, optional
  • 1–2 Tbsp Sparkling Sugar or Coarse Sugar, optional

What other things can I put in mine cream scones recipe?

The options are endless. This base recipe is for plain scones, but you can add in some of these other ingredients to create your own! 

  • Currants
  • Minced Dried Cranberries
  • Minced Dried Apricots
  • Minced Dried Fruit
  • Mini Chocolate Chips
  • Crystalized Ginger, chopped

Triangle or Round Scone? 

I’m team triangle scone at home, just because it doesn’t require an extra tool, just a knife. But the round disk shaped ones were everywhere in the UK. However you choose to shape your dough, I’m all for it, because it means you’re baking! A round biscuit cutter will do you just fine. 

They are perfect for an afternoon tea, or sipping with your morning cup of coffee. I highly recommend good strawberry or raspberry preserves, double Devon cream, or homemade lemon curd.

How to Make Scones

  1. Place oven rack in middle position, and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a food processor. Pulse the ingredients for about 6 pulses to combine.
  3. Scatter the small cubes of butter into the flour mixture, and pulse the mixture about 12 more times, so the mix appears like coarse cornmeal with a few larger lumps. A few lumps is okay!
  4. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, and if you are using currants, add them into the mixture here.
  5. Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into the bowl, and using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream and flour together until it starts to hold together and form.
  6. Pour the whole mixture out onto a silicone mat, or clean surface, and gently knead until the forms a slightly sticky ball, 5-10 folds should do. There will be some dry bits that fall off, and that is okay. If they are sticking too much, you can do this on a lightly floured surface. A bench scraper works well here also.
  7. Pat the ball down to about 1 1/2″-2″ tall circle, and using a knife, cut into 8 wedges. Place the wedges onto a non-stick baking sheet with at least 2 inches between them.
  8. Brush the tops of the scones with remaining tablespoon of heavy cream. And if using sparkling sugar for the top, sprinkle it on here.
  9. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the scones are a nice light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before serving.
  10. Serve warm or cool, slice in half gently and top with double Devon cream, and jam, or a fruit butter!

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Easy British Cream Scones

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Megan Keno
  • Prep Time: 20 MInutes
  • Cook Time: 15 Minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: British
Print Recipe

Description

There is nothing quite as delicious with a spot of tea as easy British cream scones. With the help of a food processor it makes quick work of these treats!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 3 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 5 Tbsp Butter, chilled and cut into 1/4″ cubes
  • 1 cup + 1 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream, divided
  • 1/2 cup Currants, optional
  • 1–2 Tbsp Sparkling Sugar, optional

Instructions

  1. Place oven rack in middle position, and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a food processor. Pulse the ingredients for about 6 pulses to combine.
  3. Scatter the small cubes of butter into the flour mixture, and pulse the mixture about 12 more times, so the mix appears like coarse cornmeal with a few larger lumps. A few lumps is okay!
  4. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, and if you are using currants, add them into the mixture here.
  5. Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into the bowl, and using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream and flour together until it starts to hold together and form.
  6. Pour the whole mixture out onto a silicone mat, or clean surface, and gently knead until the forms a slightly sticky ball, 5-10 folds should do. There will be some dry bits that fall off, and that is okay.
  7. Pat the ball down to about 1 1/2″-2″ tall circle, and using a knife, cut into 8 wedges. Place the wedges onto a non-stick baking sheet with at least 2 inches between them.
  8. Brush the tops of the scones with remaining tablespoon of heavy cream. And if using sparkling sugar for the top, sprinkle it on here.
  9. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the scones are a nice light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before serving.
  10. Serve warm or cool, slice in half gently and top with double Devon cream, and jam, or a fruit butter!