Scones are one of my favorite breakfasts. As a tea drinker, there’s nothing better to pair with a hot cup of tea than a warm, freshly baked scone. Scones are quick enough to whip up the morning that we’re going to eat them, but are also delicious prepared in advance and heated up just a little bit for that freshly baked feeling. With berries in season, I knew that a berry scone was in order. I’ve always loved adding cornmeal to baked goods for the flavor and texture, and cornmeal is a natural pairing with blueberries in these blueberry cornmeal scones. Before I get into the recipe details, can we look at the adorable hand model I have in the photo above? My oldest can’t get enough blueberries and was waiting patiently for me to finish these photos before he grabbed one for himself!
To make light and fluffy scones, you need to follow a few tips. First, do not overmix the batter once you add the cream. Similar to biscuits, an overmixed batter will yield scones with a tougher crumb. Avoiding overmixing is actually a good tip to follow with all baked goods! Cakes, muffins, and quick breads (no-yeast breads), also shouldn’t be overmixed. The next tip is to use cold butter. I cube up my butter and then keep it in the freezer until I’m ready for it. You can use a bowl and a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter, but a few pulses of a food processor works really well too.
For my final scone tip: be gentle when you are flattening out your dough! I like to make a shaggy rectangle, then fold the edges over each other, then gently roll with a rolling pin before cutting into a scone shape. I almost always cut mine into triangles, but if you are going to use a biscuit cutter for round scones, make sure you press the cutter straight down. Don’t wiggle it back and forth! Pushing it straight down will give you a taller, fluffier scone.
These blueberry cornmeal scones are perfect for summer and I hope you enjoy them!
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter, cubed and cold*
- 1 cup + 3 tbsp. heavy cream
- ¾ cup fresh blueberries
- Turbinado sugar for topping, optional
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar. You can also use a food processor for this recipe and pulse a few times to combine dry ingredients.
- Add butter. If using a food processor, pulse a few times until the butter is the size of small peas. If using a bowl, use a pastry cutter until the butter is the same size. If using a food processor, transfer mixture to a bowl after this step.
- Add 1 cup of heavy cream and mix until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Flour your countertops and transfer batter to it. Using your hands or a rolling pin, form the dough into a shaggy rectangle. Carefully fold the edges over into the middle like an envelope, then gently roll again until the dough is about an inch to an inch and a half thick.
- Cut the dough into your desired shape. I like triangles but squares or rectangles also work!
- Transfer the cut scones to the prepared sheet and freeze for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- After removing from the freezer, brush the scones with the remaining cream and top with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve warm! Leftovers are best enjoyed within 48 hours.
- Enjoy!
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I’ve tried these twice now and I LOVE the flavor but cannot get them to hold their shape — what am I doing wrong?!