Strawberry Cream Cheese Scones
Made with fresh strawberries, rich cream cheese, and a delicate homemade strawberry glaze, they are a must-try for brunch, afternoon treat, or anytime you crave a decadent pastry.
Ingredients
Scones
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup sugar + 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup butter, cold
- 1 ½ cups chopped strawberries
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup full fat sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ½ cup cream cheese
Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon crushed freeze dried strawberries
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Preheat and Prep
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
- Cube butter and cream cheese(separately) and refrigerate. Cold fats are key for flaky scones!
- Chop strawberries into small pieces (about ¼ - ½ inch). Cover strawberries in 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, stir to combine and set aside. This helps draw out some of the juices and intensifies the strawberry flavor.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
- To a food processor add, 2 cups flour, ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and salt and pulse a few times just to combine all of the dry ingredients.
- Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. (If you don’t have a food processor you can use a pastry cutter for this step).
- Place this mixture into a large bowl and set aside.
Combine the Wet Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, add 2 eggs. ½ cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste and whisk together.
Assemble the Dough
- Gently add the sugared strawberries to the flour mixture in the large bowl and toss with your hands to distribute them evenly.
- Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour and strawberries. Gently stir until the mixture is almost fully incorporated. Be careful not to overmix!
- Retrieve the cold cubed cream cheese from the refrigerator and scatter the cubes across the top of the scone batter. Gently fold the cream cheese into the batter until all the dry ingredients are just moistened and the cream cheese is somewhat distributed throughout. It's okay if there are still some visible chunks of cream cheese – this will create delicious pockets of creaminess in your scones.
Portion and Chill
- Using a slightly heaping 1/4cup ice cream scoop, drop 8 mounds of dough onto each prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart (similar to making drop biscuits).
- Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator to chill for at least 20 minutes before baking. This step is crucial for preventing the scones from spreading too much and helps them bake beautifully
Bake to Golden Perfection
- Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 18 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown.
Preparing and Applying the Strawberry Glaze
- While the scones are baking, prepare the glaze. Start by turning your freeze-dried strawberries into a powder. Simply place your freeze-dried strawberries into a plastic bag and roll over them with a rolling pin until they are pulverized into a powder.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder, water, vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste), and a pinch of salt..
- The glaze should be a thin pourable consistency but thick enough to stick to the scones. You may add a bit more water or powdered sugar to adjust the consistency.
- The glaze should be thin enough to pour but thick enough to stick to the scones. Adjust the consistency by adding a little more water or powdered sugar as needed.
- Once the scones are baked, let them cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool slightly further. While the scones are still warm, drizzle them generously with the prepared strawberry glaze. For a sweeter treat, you can also brush the glaze over the entire surface of the scones. If desired, sprinkle with sanding sugar for an extra touch of sparkle.
Enjoy
- These Strawberry Cream Cheese Scones are best enjoyed on the day they are baked for optimal freshness and texture. However, you can prepare the dough the day before, portion it onto baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator and bake them the next morning!
Notes
Tips for Perfect Strawberry Cream Cheese Scones:
- Keep Ingredients Cold: Using cold butter and cream cheese is essential for achieving a flaky and tender scone. Don't skip the chilling step!
- Don't Overmix: Overmixing the dough will result in tough scones. Mix just until the wet and dry ingredients are combined.
- Handle Gently: Be gentle when incorporating the strawberries and cream cheese to avoid crushing the berries and overworking the dough.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberry Powder: Using freeze-dried strawberry powder in the glaze intensifies the strawberry flavor and adds a beautiful natural color. If you can't find it, you can simply use a little extra water or strawberry juice for the glaze, but the color and flavor might be less intense.
- Customize Your Scones: Feel free to add other mix-ins like white chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or a hint of lemon zest for an extra layer of flavor.