There are scones, and then there are these melt in your mouth, perfect with a cup of tea, best cream scones in the world!
It’s Saint Patrick’s Day Week! And I’ve had such fun these past days sharing my favorite traditional Irish favorites with you, but I’ve saved the very best for last.
If you MADE me pick my favorite recipe from my mama’s amazing repertoire of delicious treats, I wouldn’t have to think twice.
She makes an incredible array of scrumptious things, but my all-time favorite are her cream scones. Sweet, melt-in-your-mouth perfection is what they are.
And while there’s nothing better than eating one in her kitchen with a hot, milky cup of Irish breakfast tea, I’ve got the the next best thing for you…her recipe!
But before I get there, because she was so nice to share it with us, and because she always makes me these scones at the drop of a hat, I have to give a shout-out to her cooking in general.
All through my childhood and right up until today, the kitchen table at my mom’s house tends to look like this.
Well-worn cookbooks, lists of ingredients and recipe ideas, potential menus, all leading up to whatever is going to be for dinner that night.
And not only does this go on during major holidays, it also happens on run-of-the-mill Wednesdays as well.
She approaches dinner as an art form, and it was not unusual for us to come home from school and hear that frog legs were on the menu…or stuffed grape leaves made with grape leaves picked from the back yard, or homemade lo mein with scallion pancakes, or turkey vegetable barley soup that had simmered on the stove all day.
Our sandwiches were made on her homemade bread made from the sourdough starter that was always on her counter.
And on the best days of all, her cream scones would be cooling on a rack, with the aroma of currants and sugar in the air.
What is the secret to making scones?
After doing extensive research by watching her make them and peppering her with questions, I think my mama would say then you are adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, DON’T over mix them – use a light a hand as possible.
Also…cold butter. Take it out of the fridge at the last minute.
Lastly, tuck the pointed ends underneath so they don’t get overly browned and crispy. And whatever you do, don’t use anything other than cream.
So with thanks to my mama, and a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to you, here’s the best Irish recipe I know…the best cream scones in the world. Make them with love!
PrintThe Best Cream Scones In The World
There are scones, and then there are these melt in your mouth, perfect with a cup of tea, best cream scones in the world!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Irish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup cold butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup currants, raisins or other dried fruit
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until well combined.
- Mix together cream, vanilla and eggs. Take 2 tablespoons out of this mixture and set aside.
- Add liquid mixture to dry mixture, add currants or raisins and mix as lightly as possible until just combined.
- Pat dough into a 12 inch circle and cut it into 12 wedges. Arrange them on the cookie sheet, tucking the pointed ends underneath.
- Brush the tops with the reserved cream mixture and sprinkle with a little sugar (you can use regular but sometimes my mom uses the coarse decorative sugar crystals.)
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack for as long as you can stand it before you dive in.
Equipment We Used to Make This Recipe
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Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying!
Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!
Jennie Hill says
How could I make this into an orange cranberry scone?
Hi Jennie! Swap out the currents for dried sweetened cranberries (you can usually find them near the raisins in the supermarket) and add some fresh orange zest at the same time (the grated peel from one orange). You could also use a teaspoon of dried grated orange zest instead. If you try them this way, I’d love for you to come back and let us know how they turn out!
Jennie Hill says
Can you make orange cranberry scones from this recipe,?
Hi Jennie and sorry to be so long responding – we had a bit of a family emergency this week. The answer is yes! You definitely can. Swap out the currents for dried sweetened cranberries (you can usually find them near the raisins in the supermarket) and add some fresh orange zest at the same time. If you try them this way, I’d love for you to come back and let us know how they turn out!
Theresa M Murphy says
I concur! I have made your mama’s cream scones and they are fabulous! Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Kate!
Aren’t they? I can never resist sharing this recipe every year…Happy St Patrick’s Day to you too, my friend! :)