Blueberry Scones Recipe (With Video and Step-by-Step)

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

40 mins

Servings:

8

These blueberry scones from decorvow are light, fluffy, and studded with plenty of sweet, juicy berries. The dough comes together easily without any special equipment and goes from bowl to oven in minutes. Heavy cream and butter keep the scones moist and tender while a small amount of sugar—just three tablespoons—adds a kiss of sweetness without taking them into cookie territory. Spread them with softened butter for breakfast, serve them with coffee or tea, or stash them in your freezer for unexpected guests. Simple and straightforward, these blueberry scones are a winner.

A plate of sliced scones with cups of coffee and a dish of butter on a table — Grant Webster

Dos and Don'ts for Light, Tender Scones

Do use cold butter: Be sure that your butter is very cold before you start to make these scones—in fact, we recommend cutting it into small pieces and popping it into the fridge or freezer while you gather your other ingredients to keep it from becoming too soft. That way, when the cold butter is worked into the dry ingredients, small bits of it (pea size and smaller) will remain, turning to steam in the oven and creating a flaky, tender finished result.

Do spoon—not scoop—your flour: When measuring out the flour for these scones (and any other baking recipe), it's best to spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then level off the top, rather than scoop the cup into the flour container. Scooping can cause the flour to pack too tightly which can throw off the amount that ends up in your recipe—too much flour equals dry, tough scones.

Don't overwork the dough: After incorporating the wet ingredients into the flour-butter mixture, it's time to knead the dough just enough to bring it together. Be careful not to overwork it, as this can cause too much gluten to develop, leaving you with tough, overly firm scones.

How to Make Blueberry Scones Ahead

Unbaked scones can be frozen for up to three weeks. Freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour, then wrap tightly in plastic and store in a freezer bag. Bake from frozen according to the recipe instructions, adding 5 to 10 minutes to baking time.

Directions

Ingredients for baking including blueberries flour eggs lemon and butter arranged on a white surface — Grant Webster

Heat oven; combine dry ingredients, then work in butter:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in butter until largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir in blueberries and lemon zest.

Grant Webster
Whisk cream and eggs, add to flour mixture:

In a small bowl, whisk together cream and eggs. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add cream mixture; stir lightly with a fork just until dough comes together.

Grant Webster
Knead dough; form into a square, then cut into triangles:

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to bring together. Pat into a 6-inch square, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a sharp knife dipped in flour, cut dough into four squares. Cut each square in half diagonally to form eight triangles.

Grant Webster

Grant Webster
Brush scones with cream:

Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with more sugar.

Grant Webster
Bake, then cool:

Bake until tops are golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool on sheet 5 minutes, then transfer scones to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Grant Webster

How to Store and Reheat Blueberry Scones

Once cooled completely, these scones can be wrapped individually in plastic or foil and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Reheating

To warm the scones, unwrap them and bake them in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 5 to 10 minutes. You can also microwave them for 10 to 20 seconds for a quicker refresh.

Variations

Change up the berries: These lemon-scented scones would be equally delicious with raspberries or finely chopped strawberries. To keep the fruit from breaking up too much, wait to add it until step 3, gently working it into the dough as you knead.

Add a glaze: For an extra dose of citrus flavor, drizzle the warm scones with this quick lemon glaze. For a vanilla glaze instead, replace the lemon juice with milk and add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.