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Home » English Scones with Sweet Whipped Butter

English Scones with Sweet Whipped Butter

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Published: 5/02/2018Updated: 1/17/2021
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These English scones with light and tender, cake-like crumbs are incredibly quick and easy to make. It’s practically impossible to mess up. You only need 30 minutes!

English scones with light and tender, cake-like crumbs is incredibly quick and easy to make. You only need 30 minutes of your day! It's our family's favorite! #englishscones #scones

Confession…

I’ve never liked scones. American scones, that is. They look fantastic, loaded with nuts, fruits and glazed, but they definitely don’t deliver the moist, flaky promises they make. At least, the ones I’ve tried. Granted, I’ve never tried making them myself. Afraid of disappointment, I guess.

Anyway, when we had an Afternoon tea at Savoy in London, we enjoyed the most deliciously moist and tender English scones for our first course. Oh my goodness, I was in love!  They were super tender, cake-like and light! We actually had to ask for more scones!

Since then, scones shot right up to the top of my to-bake list. After a few batches of trial and error, I’m finally ready to share with you my findings!

There's nothing better than a freshly baked English scones with tender, light crumbs! It's perfect with a smear of butter and sweet jam! #englishscone #scones

But before we dive into the recipe, let’s rule out a few things.
Contents hide
1 What’s the difference between British and American scones?
2 Sounds a lot like biscuits, doesn’t it? But there are some differences too.
3 English Scones
3.1 Ingredients
3.1.1 Sweet whipped butter:
3.2 Instructions
3.3 Tips & Notes:
3.4 Nutrition Facts:

What’s the difference between British and American scones?

Well, first, the amount of butter. English scones use way less butter than american version, but they are meant to be served with whipped butter, or clotted cream and sweet jam/jelly. And unlike american scones, British scones are smaller in size and doesn’t have hundreds of varieties. You’ll only see plain scones, or with raisins/currants.

Sounds a lot like biscuits, doesn’t it? But there are some differences too.

Biscuits are flakier and crumblier than scones. English scones, on other hand, are quite light, but most importantly, they have delicate cake-like crumbs, that sets them apart from American scones and biscuits.

Now that we have a full understanding of what we’re getting, let’s talk about how to make english scones. I learned the technique for these scones on Cook’s Illustrated and slightly adapted their recipe. I’m using buttermilk/milk mixture in my batter for the lightest and moistest scones. In a pinch, you could use all milk, but use whole milk for the best flavor and richness, as there is not much fat going on in the batter.

My family loves these tender, light English scones warm with butter and jam. It's so easy to make these scones too! #englishscones #scones

Unlike biscuits, or American scones, we don’t need to use cold butter to create flaky scones. Instead, we will thoroughly incorporate softened butter into the dry flour mixture. This method minimizes the formation of gluten, as fat in the butter coats the flour proteins. Hence, tender, crumbly and light scones are born!

The batter will be a bit sticky, but don’t fret. It’ll be work out beautifully!

English scones- step by step photo instructions

Enjoy these light English scones with a smear of butter and sweet jam. You'll love the light cake-like crumbs and how easy it is to make! #Englishscones #scones

I loved serving my scones with sweet whipped butter and jam. My favorites are raspberry jam and apricot jam. My husband prefers strawberry jam though. Either way, they are great!

Super easy English scones with sweet whipped butter and your favorite jam! Brunch made right. #brunch #scones #englishscones

So have you tried English scones? Which one do you prefer, American scones, British scones, or biscuits?

If you have a trusted recipe for tender (not dry) american scones, please share it with me in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!

English Scones

English scones with light and tender, cake-like crumbs are incredibly quick and easy to make. You only need 30 minutes! It's our family's favorite!
4.75 from 4 votes
serves: 16 scones
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total : 25 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature
  • 3 ½ cups (435g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces

Sweet whipped butter:

  • ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 1-2 tablespoons raw honey
Note: I test all my recipes with both measurements for the most precise and accurate result!

Instructions

  • To make the scones, preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line the baking sheet with parchment paper, or silicone mat.
  • In a medium jug, beat the eggs, buttercream and milk. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of mixture.
  • In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  • Add butter and mix until nice and smooth. (Tip: Thoroughly coating the flour with butter minimizes the formation of gluten creating tender and light scones.)
  • Add egg mixture and mix until just combined. The dough will be quite sticky, but don't worry. Transfer the dough onto well-floured surface.
  • With floured hands, knead the dough to smooth out the surface and flatten it into 1-inch thick disk. Using 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many scones as you can.
  • Gather the remaining dough and repeat the step #5, until all the dough is used.
  • Arrange the scones on the prepared baking sheet, brush on the reserved egg mixture on each scone and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Cool the scones on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with sweet whipped butter.
  • To make the sweet whipped butter, beat the butter, heavy cream and honey in a mixing bowl with whisk attachment until nice and fluffy.

Tips & Notes:

Freezing Instructions: These scones freeze beautifully. Simply place the baked scones in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, microwave on high for 30-45 seconds, or bring it to room temperature on counter.
Video: I've made this recipe on my Instagram stories. If you'd like to see the recipe in action, check out my Instagram and find the featured story for English Scones.
Recipe credit: Slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.

Nutrition Facts:

Serving: 1scone Calories: 167kcal (8%) Carbohydrates: 26.6g (9%) Protein: 4.2g (8%) Fat: 4.9g (8%) Cholesterol: 34.2mg (11%) Sodium: 102.5mg (4%) Sugar: 4.9g (5%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Author: Shinee
Did you make this?Show me your creation! Tag me @shineshka and hashtag it #sweetandsavorybyshinee!
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This recipe was originally published on April 22, 2015. Updated with new photos in May, 2018.

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  1. Scotslass says

    Posted on 17 January 2021 at 9:17 pm

    I’m a Scot, and we are a nation of scone bakers. I do like this simple recipe as it looks so very much like my Grandma’s recipe from many moons ago. So many recipes omit the sugar, but to me, yours is spot on.
    Some people here use self-raising flour as they believe that the bicarbonate of soda or baking powder add a bitter taste. Interested to hear your opinions.I found this recipe on Pinterest, and will be giving it a go this afternoon. Thank you!!.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 17 January 2021 at 11:32 pm

      Hey, there! So, self-rising flour is basically a mix of all-purpose flour and baking powder. Baking powder doesn’t add bitter taste. But baking soda does add that weird metallic taste if used too much. This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of baking powder. If you’d add that amount of baking soda, it’ll be inedible. 🙂 I really hope you love this recipe. Please let me know if you try this recipe. Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Wipada Kulenkampff says

    Posted on 12 July 2020 at 9:48 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is totally a keeper! I used sour cream in place of buttermilk and it turned out amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe 😊

    Reply
  3. Fai jones says

    Posted on 14 June 2020 at 4:08 am

    4 stars
    Love the recipe made for friends its was a huge hit..😍😍😍

    Reply
  4. Ruth says

    Posted on 8 May 2020 at 6:58 am

    5 stars
    Lovely soft scones, goes well with jam and cream and VE day

    Reply
  5. Leigh says

    Posted on 16 January 2020 at 9:37 am

    I made these for Christmas and they were a huge hit! I make them on a regular basis now! Delicious! 

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 16 January 2020 at 11:39 am

      Awesome! So happy you loved the recipe. Thank you for your feedback, Leigh!!

      Reply
  6. Moni says

    Posted on 13 February 2019 at 3:52 pm

    5 stars
    Very tasty, not dry not very sweet either but that got fixed with my homemade fig jam so its a perfect scone

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 16 February 2019 at 4:45 pm

      Yay, so glad you enjoyed the scones. Thank you for your feedback, Moni!

      Reply
  7. Alejandra says

    Posted on 12 February 2016 at 11:34 am

    Hi, Shinee! I’ve never tried making scones before, so I’m very excited about your recipe. Especially because the scones in your photos look scrumptious!
    However, I’m absolutely terrified at the amount of baking powder this recipe calls for. Are you sure it’s tablespoons and not teaspoons? I think that may have been the reason behind Holly’s [above comment] absolute gloopy gluey mess.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 12 February 2016 at 12:24 pm

      Hi, Alejandra! Yes, 2 tablespoons of baking powder. I know it’s a lot, but that’s what original recipe from Cook’s Illustrated calls for. They say it yields the lightest and fluffiest scones. And I have to agree with them. Hope you give these a try, and let me know how they turn out, if you do. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Holly says

    Posted on 15 January 2016 at 12:15 pm

    Are you sure your gram conversions are accurate? I really don’t know what went wrong here, I have been making English scones for a long time (being English!) and tried your recipe, followed the instructions to the letter (weighing out number of grams rather than cups) and my ‘dough’ was an absolute gloopy gluey mess that certainly couldn’t be kneaded! I ended up having to get someone to scrape it off my hands and chuck a load of self raising flour in there until the dough reached the right texture. I think this is the first time in my life I’ve managed to mess up scones – I didn’t think that was possible!

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 19 January 2016 at 2:37 pm

      Hi, Holly! I’m so sorry to hear your dough didn’t turn out. I just double checked the measurements and everything looks right. I even checked it against the original recipe on Cook’s Illustrated. I’m puzzled as what went wrong. Since you’ve weighed the flour and everything, it should have been accurate. I’m clueless.

      Reply
  9. Why? says

    Posted on 13 July 2015 at 8:16 am

    Yes  thoroughly mixed the ingredients. The scones looked exactly like the ones in the picture!

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 13 July 2015 at 12:40 pm

      My only other guess would be the flour amount. If you didn’t weigh the flour when measuring it, it’s very possible you’ve added a bit too much. Excess flour will definitely cause denser scones.

      Reply
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