These homemade scones are soft, tender, loaded with juicy blueberries, and drizzled with the most heavenly vanilla bean icing!
How is it possible that I’ve gone almost 7 whole years without posting a scone recipe?! How shameful…
In my defense though, scones are usually at the bottom of my breakfast baking list. Probably because the ones I’ve tried have always been dry or crumbly, which is such a major turn-off. Even though scones are one of my mom’s favorites, I never thought to make a scone recipe…
That is, until now…
Unlike the scones I’ve tried in the past, these blueberry scones are nowhere near dry OR crumbly. They’re incredibly moist, fluffy, and full of plump blueberries! Not to mention, the vanilla bean icing really complements the sweetness of the slightly tart berries baked inside. It’s the perfect pastry to enjoy in front of the fireplace with a steamy mug of hot coffee.
Or in my case, a steamy mug of hot chocolate.
So what makes these scones so perfect (in my humble opinion)? Well, let’s start with the ingredients. Like most scone recipes, this one calls for your standard dry ingredients–all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then we get to the not-so-traditional ingredient–cream cheese. Instead of using all butter in this recipe, I decided to use a 1:1 ratio of butter to cream cheese. The cream cheese not only adds an extra richness, but it creates that wonderfully tender texture.
It’s also important to note that both the cream cheese and butter are very cold when they’re cut into the flour mixture. I recommend putting the butter in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before using a cheese grater to grate it on top of the flour. The colder the dough, the better the rise in the oven. When the oven heat hits the cold butter, air pockets are created, making for a supremely flaky scone!
To keep that dough nice and cold, I also add the berries frozen. You can either purchase frozen blueberries, or you can flash-freeze them as I did. Just pour the fresh blueberries on a rimmed baking sheet, and freeze them until solid. Not only does this keep the dough cold, but you don’t have to worry about smashing the berries as you’re folding them into the dough. We all know that can get pretty messy and frustrating!
As for the wet ingredients, instead of your typical heavy cream or buttermilk, I opted for a mixture of milk and greek yogurt. Sour cream or plain yogurt will also work, as long as it’s cultured. I wanted my scones to be extra moist, and Greek yogurt has never let me down in that department. Of course, egg and vanilla are both added to round out the wet ingredients.
BARELY any kneading is necessary since you want to retain that rise and fluffiness in the dough. Just turn the dough out onto a floured surface, shape it into a 7-inch disc, and cut it into 8 even wedges. At this point, you can hold off on baking them if you’re making them the night before. If that’s the case, just place the raw scones on a plate, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the next morning.
Now, let’s talk about the glorious vanilla bean icing, shall we? While these scones would be fine and dandy with a simple pat of butter and a spoonful of jam, the icing is what makes these scones shine and shimmer. With just 3 ingredients–powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla bean–it’s also way too easy NOT to make.
While vanilla beans are definitely one of those specialty ingredients in the baking world, they are definitely a must in this icing. Not only do the delicate specks of vanilla peak out from the icing so beautifully, but there’s really no comparison when it comes to the flavor they deliver. Sweet, fragrant, and SO totally worth the splurge, if you can. However, if you don’t have access to vanilla beans, you can always substitute it with 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract. You could also add a splash of lemon juice for a fresh citrusy flavor!
Blueberry Scones with Vanilla Bean Icing
Ingredients
Blueberry Scones:
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold*
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into small cubes
- 1 cup blueberries flash-frozen**
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
Vanilla Bean Icing:
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
- Seeds scraped from one vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
Instructions
Make the Scones:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Grate the butter on top of the dry ingredients. Add the cream cheese. Then cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour using a pastry blender or fork. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. Gently toss in the blueberries.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, yogurt (or sour cream), egg, and vanilla together until combined. Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and stir with a spatula until dough comes together. You might need to use your hands to mix the rest of the loose flour into the dough.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and with floured hands, work dough into a ball. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons milk. Shape into a 7-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 even wedges. Place them on the baking sheet 2 inches apart, and then freeze for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Brush scones with milk or cream. Bake for 18-23 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and allow scones to cool a little before drizzling icing on top.
Make the Icing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla bean seeds together until smooth. Drizzle icing over scones. Serve and enjoy!