Irish Scones
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Delicious traditional Irish Scones, incredibly flaky and buttery, perfect for breakfast or brunch any time of the year. Serve them with some butter, your favorite jam and cream for an irresistible treat to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee or tea!
The Best Irish Scones
Scones are one of my favorite treats to have for breakfast with my cup of coffee because they’re so good! You can even have these with an Irish coffee! While you can pay an exorbitant amount of money for them at your local coffee shop, they’re much more affordable to make at home, plus you can enjoy them for days to come!
These Irish Scones are pretty similar to any other scone recipe you might try in the sense that they have the same simple combination of flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and cream. The difference with these scones is that usually dried currants or raisins are added and are then served with a pat of butter, some jam and finally topped with a dollop of clotted cream.
Irish Scones Highlights
- Perfect For Breakfast Or Brunch. Serve these with butter, jam and a dollop of clotted cream for the perfect bite! They go great with a good cup of coffee or tea!
- Versatile. You can add whatever you wish to them. Try raisins, chocolate chips, berries, or plain! Cut them into squares, triangles or rounds!
- Seriously Easy To Make. Which is why it beats the store bought kind because not only do they require ingredients that you already have in your pantry but are ready in just a matter of minutes!
- Make-ahead And Freezer Friendly. You can freeze them before or after baking!
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour, but whole wheat flour can be used as well for a healthier scone.
- Sugar – You only need a bit of sugar for a touch of sweetness. These scones are not overly sweet. However, if you like a sweeter scone, feel free to add a bit more sugar to your liking.
- Baking Powder – You’ll want a generous amount of baking powder in these scones for that nice height and lift.
- Salt – You don’t want to skip the salt in these scones, it’s what gives them all that great flavor!
- Butter – We need cold butter, cut into cubes, to make our scones super flaky and buttery. To make sure your butter is nice and cold, you can place it in the freezer for about half hour before using it.
- Eggs And Heavy Cream – We need lots of eggs and some heavy cream as the wet ingredients. These will provide lots of richness and the right texture. A great substitute for the heavy cream is buttermilk.
- Dried Currants – If you don’t have dried currants, you can use raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, blueberries, etc.
- Prep the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and mix until combined.
- Blend in the butter and dried currants. Add the cubed butter and using a pastry cutter blend until it resembles breadcrumbs. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use two knives. Mix in the dried currants or raisins, if adding.
- Combine the eggs with cream. Whisk together the eggs with the heavy cream in a large measuring cup.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Slowly pour the liquid into the bowl with the dry ingredients and using a spatula start mixing the dough together. Don’t over-mix, add just enough liquid until the dough starts forming. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface.
- Knead the dough. Knead the dough lightly then press it down into a smooth surface, using your hands or use a rolling pin, until it’s about 1 inch in thickness.
- Cut into scones. Using a round 3-inch scone or biscuit cutter, cut the dough into 12 to 16 scones. I was able to get 16 scones from the dough. Place scones onto a baking sheet. Re-roll any leftover dough and cut into scones. Brush the scones with beaten egg.
- Bake. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool scones on a cooling rack.
- Serve. Serve with butter, jam and clotted cream.
What Are Irish Scones?
Irish scones are pretty similar to English scones in the sense that the use the same ingredients, flour, butter, sugar, salt, baking powder and some sort of cream. The difference is that they are not as sweet and typically dried currants or raisins are added to them. They’re also usually served with butter, jam and clotted cream.
Expert Tips
- Cold Butter Is Key. Cold butter is your secret to super flaky scones. Freeze your butter before using for about 30 minutes before adding it to the flour mixture.
- No Pastry Cutter? No Problem! Use a box grater to grate the butter right into your flour mixture, then just mix everything together.
- Do Not Over-mix The Dough. I know I always say this, but this is really important because too much kneading/stirring will toughen your scones.
- Don’t Add Too Much Liquid. Add just enough cream/egg mixture until the dough sticks together, otherwise your scones could come out tough.
- If adding frozen fruits or berries, add them at the last minute, right before cutting the scones to prevent its juices from melting.
Make-Ahead Scones
These scones are great for making ahead. Here’s how to freeze them unbaked:
- Place the cut scones on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet directly in the freezer, unwrapped, for a few hours until the scones are frozen solid.
- One frozen solid, place the scones in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the air from the bag. Transfer the bag to the freezer and freeze for 3 to 4 weeks.
- To bake scones, you don’t want to thaw them out. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Place the frozen scones on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Leftover Irish Scones
Place your scones in a plastic bag to prevent them from drying out. They will last 1 to 2 days at room temperature.
More Great Recipes To Try
Lemon Blueberry Scones
Apple Cinnamon Scones
Irish Mule
Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
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Irish Scones
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ cup cold butter (unsalted, cut into cubes)
- ¾ cup dried currants (or raisins)
- 4 large eggs (beaten)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg (beat for egg wash)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prep the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and mix until combined.
- Blend in the butter and dried currants. Add the cubed butter and using a pastry cutter blend until it resembles breadcrumbs. If you don't have a pastry cutter, you can use two knives. Mix in the dried currants or raisins, if adding.
- Combine the eggs with cream. Whisk together the eggs with the heavy cream in a large measuring cup.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Slowly pour the liquid into the bowl with the dry ingredients and using a spatula start mixing the dough together. Don't over-mix, add just enough liquid until the dough starts forming. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface.
- Knead the dough. Knead the dough lightly then press it down into a smooth surface, using your hands or use a rolling pin, until it's about 1 inch in thickness.
- Cut into scones. Using a round 3-inch scone cutter, cut the dough into 12 to 16 scones. I was able to get 16 scones from the dough. Place scones onto a baking sheet. Re-roll any leftover dough and cut into scones. Brush the scones with beaten egg.
- Bake. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool scones on a cooling rack.
- Serve. Serve with butter, jam and freshly clotted cream.
Equipment
Notes
- Cold Butter Is Key. Cold butter is your secret to super flaky scones. Freeze your butter before using for about 30 minutes before adding it to the flour mixture.
- No Pastry Cutter? No Problem! Use a box grater to grate the butter right into your flour mixture, then just mix everything together.
- Do Not Over-mix The Dough. I know I always say this, but this is really important because too much kneading/stirring will toughen your scones.
- Don’t Add Too Much Liquid. Add just enough cream/egg mixture until the dough sticks together, otherwise your scones could come out tough.
- If adding frozen fruits or berries, add them at the last minute, right before cutting the scones to prevent its juices from melting.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
