Buttermilk Scones – Almond & Cranberries

Nothing beats a long-awaited catchup between two long-time buddies over a lovely late afternoon tea with some soft, flaky, and buttery buttermilk scones that are moist with fragrant butter on the inside yet crisp and delicious on the outside. Any afternoon tea or party would not be complete without this simple recipe that yields the best sweet and savory scones to balance out your tea or coffee palate.

This basic buttermilk scones recipe will yield ten delicious scones just by using 30 minutes of your day!

Mandy popped over to my place the other day, with warm scones in hand to chat about life and bake together over a cup(s) of English tea. My mother’s buttermilk scones were once my all-time favorite until I tasted the fresh buttery scones that Mandy baked just for our gathering. (this stays between us!) Of course as an aspiring baker myself I just had to ask her for this buttermilk scone recipe, the golden-brown tops of the scones made these the best scones I have ever set my taste buds on.

Thankfully, Mandy was my first friend in primary school (and oldest bestie); if not, she may not have willingly shared her perfect almond and cranberry scones recipe that she named “My Ultimate Scones” that she talentedly adapted from the recipe book – Delia Smith: How to Cook.

Hence, in this buttermilk scones recipe, I share with you a sweet treat that is flaky and not as chewy but abundant with the decadent savory taste and smell of butter. These delicious scones get their sweetness from some fresh cranberries in the buttermilk mixture.

Main Ingredients for this Buttermilk Scone Recipe

This easy cranberry scone recipe requires only eight ingredients, most of which you can already find in your kitchen or pantry, and you can easily get the rest from your local supermarket.

• BUTTERMILK: To avoid dry, bland, and flat scones, use heavy cream or buttermilk. In this recipe, other than light and flaky scones that rise well, I use buttermilk, which has some acidity that gives the scone dough a tangy flavor and makes it more tender.
• SELF-RISING FLOUR: all-purpose flour also works but you will have to add baking powder, for a straightforward hassle-free recipe, self-rising flour is the way to go for this flour mixture.
• BUTTER: refrain from using cold butter as room temperature butter is softer and easier to handle as it will break easily when you cut it up with a pastry blender; hence, it mixes faster with the dry ingredients. The melted butter in these buttermilk scones will make them a buttery heaven in a bite!
• CASTOR SUGAR: Sugar can be adjusted according to preference, but bear in mind that major adjustments will change the texture of your cranberry buttermilk scones.
• DRIED CRANBERRIES: These dried fresh fruits elevate your buttermilk scones by giving them a natural shot of sweetness and balancing out the savory relish from the butter. Remember to add these when adding sugar to your dry ingredients.
• TOASTED ALMONDS: This additional ingredient finesses your buttermilk scones, giving it coarse crumbs and an absolutely delectable fragrance.
• LARGE EGG
• SALT

Baking Tips for Cranberry Buttermilk Scones

• When using the pastry blender to cut up the butter in your flour, make sure they look like small pieces of breadcrumbs in the end. The small chunks of butter will meet when baked at a high temperature, hence giving your buttermilk scones a nice, flaky texture.

• Mix the dough and the wet ingredients with a spreading knife or spatula in a cutting movement until it begins to come together, then finish mixing it with your hands – it should be soft but not sticky. If the dough seems too dry, add a little more buttermilk, a teaspoon at a time.

• When rolling the dough into a ball, do it on a floured surface so they do not stick to your work surface. However, only use as much flour as needed to prevent them from sticking, as adding too much extra flour can dry out the scones. We still want our dough to remain slightly wet as it will yield softer scones once baked.

• Roll or pat dough into a circle at least 1 inch (2.5cm) thick. Make sure not to roll it any thinner than this, as you want your scones to have a nice volume and rise.

• When cutting your buttermilk scones shapes from your dough do not twist it, just lift it up and push the dough out. If you twist your cookie cutter, the edges of your dough will be shaped according to the twisting direction, and lopsided scones will be produced that do not rise up tall and straight.

• Place your buttermilk scones cut out from a pastry cutter or round cookie cutter onto parchment paper or, even better, an insulated baking sheet to avoid the bottom of the scones becoming too brown or even burnt.

How to Serve Homemade Buttermilk Scones

These English scones or American scones (depending on your recipe) are best served with a cup of coffee or afternoon tea. Other than adding dried cranberries and toasted almonds to create a cranberry buttermilk scone with toasted almonds, you could also spice up your buttermilk scones through these methods:

• Spreading a single layer (or more) of Butter
• Clotted Cream
• Cream Cheese
• Honey Butter
• Fresh blueberries for blueberry scones
• Pumpkin Scones
• Chocolate chip scones
• Savory herbs scones

By using this easy recipe as a launch pad, you are able to experiment with different toppings or add different ingredients to your scones, such as white chocolate chips, ham, herbs and scallions, or cinnamon, just to name a few!

What are some of your favorite ways to eat your scones?

Let me know in the comment section below!

Storing and Reheating Scones

This buttermilk scone recipe yields buttermilk scones that can be kept in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature for 4-5 days. If you plan to keep them longer, then wrap them individually to prevent loss of moisture and keep them in your refrigerator.

Scones are always best when they are slightly warm, so when taking them out of the refrigerator, be sure to microwave them for about 20 seconds before serving.

If you have tried this buttermilk scone recipe and loved it, I have more recipes in my recipe section for you to master, and if you would love to give more sweet desserts a go, I have a cake recipe section that will definitely catch your fancy.

Some cake recipes worth highlighting are my noteworthy cheesecake recipes. You can always try my Japanese Cheesecake, Blueberry Cheesecake, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake, and Matcha Cheesecake, and for those who want to indulge without guilt — Low Carb Cheesecake and Burnt Cheesecake both are flourless keto desserts perfect for those who are in a keto or low-carb diet.