Easy Strawberry Scones without Heavy Cream

Strawberry scones are my favorite way to serve house guests as they are quick to make and while you do everything else, they bake and you can serve them fresh out of oven. A simple chocolate ganache drizzle will just take them to next level and very cafe style.

Some personal musings

After that crazy weekend, something had to be done to unwind and what’s better than relaxing with friends. We planned to meetup and I made these super quick crazy crumbly delicious fresh strawberry scones. I did not glaze them just to cut down some calories (well, at least I tried)  and part laziness but my chocoholic friends made me get up, melt chocolate and drizzle over it. I drizzled a few only and the rest of the scones were dunk in the melted chocolate and devoured. They even protested on the flat spatula I put in melted chocolate and wanted a laddle instead. Oh dear, talk about bad influence! But mental peace achieved! Total bliss! Somehow calories consumed with friends should not be counted. Sigh!

Ingredients at a glance

Dairy – Butter, Egg, Buttermilk

Dry Ingredients – Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, salt

Flavors – vanilla, strawberries

Chocolate Ganache – good quality chocolate, i prefer dark, whipping/heavy cream

Step by step process

Step 1 – Rub lemon zest in sugar with fingers releasing all the oil.

Step 2 – Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, sugar lemon mixture.

Step 3 – Grate in butter, beaten egg and buttermilk.

Step 4 – Mix until just combined.

Step 5 – Form a rough disc of about 8 inches diameter, do not knead.

Step 6 – Cut wedges and place on the baking tray.

Step 7 – Brush with additional buttermilk.

Step 8 – Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for 20 minutes until golden brown.

FAQs

Substitutions and Variations

This is a basic recipe and one of my favorites. I make the same recipe with strawberries. You can also make dates and walnuts scones with the same recipe.

You could use whipping cream if you have that on hands instead of buttermilk, or you can make your own buttermilk, see the recipe section.

Nuts can also be added for that flavor dimension. I like adding almond silvers on top.

Serving Suggestions

 Scone is a breakfast, brunch or tea item. So a good hot beverage like tea or coffee is the best combination. You can serve it as a side dish to other breakfast items. Usually I pair the sweet scones like Blueberry Lemon Scones or Orange scones with something savory like Frittata or Omelette or Quiche. If you are serving cheese scones, you can serve pancakes and waffles.

Storage and Make Ahead

Scones are best eaten fresh, however if you want to make ahead, i will prepare and even brush them and then freeze. Once solid, i will store them in a zip lock and freeze up to a week.

When serving, place on a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 F without thawing.

The ganache can be made ahead of time and reheated slightly if needed and drizzled at them time of serving.