Treat yourself to a fabulous breakfast scone! These Vanilla Cardamom Scones are so light and tender. They are bursting with vanilla flavor while hints of cardamom linger in the background. Serve these scones for breakfast with a warm cup of coffee or for brunch with a hot cup of tea.
½cup(113g)unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1cup(240ml)buttermilk, cold
1large egg, cold
1tablespoonvanilla extract
1tablespoonheavy cream
2tablespoonscoarse sugar
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom together.
Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingertips. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
Whisk the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla together and gradually add it to the flour mixture. Stir just until the dough comes together. You may not need all the buttermilk. Add a little at a time until the mixture is moist but not too wet. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough four or five times. Pat the dough into a 7 inch round circle.
Cut the circle in half, then cut each half into four triangle-shaped wedges. You should have 8 triangles.
Arrange the scones 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the scones in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Position the oven rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F.
Brush the tops of the scones with milk or cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve immediately.
Notes
Keeping dough as cold as possible prevents the scones from over-spreading. When scones spread too much during baking, they lose the moist and flaky texture. The easiest way to avoid this is to use cold buttermilk, egg, and butter.
Another tip to ensure the dough is as cold as possible is to place the shaped dough in the freezer for 30 minutes before baking.
Make ahead tip
Unbaked scones can be refrigerated overnight. Or seal in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Add about 2 minutes to the baking time when baking from frozen.
Baked scones will keep for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Scones can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat as desired.