I’ve been making scones for decades, and this recipe is the best! It’s foolproof! It incorporates frozen butter and sour cream which makes for a moist and fluffy scone. Some recipes produce hard and dense scones, so if you prefer a soft and light scone, you’ll love this recipe. Plus, it’s extremely adaptable for adding different fruits or seasonings. 99% of the time, I make the Orange-Cranberry version, so this is what’s in all the pictures.

Ingredients:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Sugar (I use Coconut Sugar)
1 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
8 Tbs. Unsalted Butter, sliced in ½ Tbs. sections and frozen
½ cup Sour Cream 
1 large Egg

Optional

For Cranberry – Orange Scones:
½ cup dried Cranberries
Zest of 1 Orange

Direction:

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 400°F. In the bowl of a food processor*, add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Pulse a few times to mix, then add frozen butter slices. Pulse 8-10 times, or until the the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer into medium size mixing bowl and stir in Cranberries (if using). In a separate small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth. Add orange zest (if using) and stir until evenly mixed. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture just until large dough clumps form.  Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)  Place dough on lightly floured surface and pat into a 7 to 8 inch disk, about ¾ inch thick. Using a sharp knife, or pastry cutter, cut into 8-12 triangles, depending on how big you like your scones. I always cut mine into 12.   Place scones on parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Variations:

Lemon-Blueberry Scones: Follow the recipe, but add a generous teaspoon of Lemon Zest and a ½ cup of dried Blueberries

Cherry-Almond Scones: Follow the recipe, but add ½ tsp. Almond Extract to the sour cream mixture, and a ½ cup of dried Cherries

Traditional Simple Scones: Follow recipe, but add ½ cup of Raisins or dried Currants.

Ingredients:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Sugar (I use Coconut Sugar)
1 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
8 Tbs. Unsalted Butter, sliced in ½ Tbs. sections and frozen
½ cup Sour Cream
1 large Egg

Optional

For Cranberry – Orange Scones:
½ cup dried Cranberries
Zest of 1 Orange

Direction:

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 400°F. In the bowl of a food processor*, add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Pulse a few times to mix, then add frozen butter slices. Pulse 8-10 times, or until the the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer into medium size mixing bowl and stir in Cranberries (if using). In a separate small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth. Add orange zest (if using) and stir until evenly mixed. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture just until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.) Place dough on lightly floured surface and pat into a 7 to 8 inch disk, about ¾ inch thick. Using a sharp knife, or pastry cutter, cut into 8-12 triangles, depending on how big you like your scones. I always cut mine into 12. Place scones on parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

*Note: If you do not have a food processor, simply freeze whole stick of butter without slicing. Then add dry ingredients to a medium size mixing bowl and stir. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in the butter.