Ingredients (8 scones)
- 4 cups (480g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup (226g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup (240g) cold whole milk
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups fresh cranberries
- Coarse sanding sugar (like Demerara), for topping
Make the Scone Dough
Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
Those little pieces of butter are what create the flaky layers in the scones, so don’t overmix them.
Drizzle the cold milk and vanilla over the mixture. Use a spatula to stir everything together until it’s just starting to come together into a shaggy dough.
Add the fresh cranberries and use your hands to gently knead the dough in the bowl a few times, just until it forms a cohesive ball.
Work quickly so the butter stays cold, and be careful not to overwork the dough, or the scones will be tough.
Shape and Bake the Scones
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round disk, about 1 1/2 inches thick.
Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the disk into 8 equal wedges, like a pizza.
Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches of space between them.
Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.
Bake for ~20-30 minutes, until the scones are puffed and golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before serving them warm.
Bakery-Style Cranberry Scones
Ingredients
Ingredients (8 scones)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour 480g
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
- 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter 226g, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup cold whole milk 240g
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups fresh cranberries
- Coarse sanding sugar like Demerara, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
- Cut cold butter into flour mixture until coarse crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces.
- Add milk and vanilla, stir until just combined into shaggy dough.
- Fold in cranberries and gently knead until dough forms cohesive ball.
- Shape dough on floured surface into 1.5-inch thick disk.
- Cut disk into 8 equal wedges.
- Place wedges on baking sheet with 2 inches between each.
- Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake 20-30 minutes until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before serving.
