These Starbucks Blueberry Scones (copycat recipe) are rich, flaky, have golden edges and bursting with blueberry flavor. These scones will just melt-in-your-mouth and definitely are better than the ones you buy at Starbucks (and that too at a fraction of a price!). These scones are really good! Do you have a thing for blueberries like me? Try my Old-Fashioned Blueberry Muffins, Blueberry Muffins, Blueberry Tray Bake with Lemon Glaze and Baked Blueberry Donuts.
It took me a few rounds of testing and tweaking to finalize this Starbucks Blueberry Scones recipe. And now I can claim with confidence that my version is better than the original one.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works?
- These scones are easy to put together and anyone can bake them.
- You require a few ingredients for this recipe.
- The texture is crumbly, light and flaky.
- These scones are better than the Starbucks blueberry scones.
- You can enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee. Have them at breakfast, lunch of dinner.
- This recipe is cost effective and you will spend way less than what you would pay at the store.
History of Scones
It is believed the scones have been around for centuries even before baking powder was invented. Scones changed different shapes in the past few centuries.
Scones are made of a few simple ingredients including flour, butter, baking powder and liquid. It is believed that around 19th century the leavening agent baking powder was invented and became available for consumption by the masses. It was after the availability of baking powder that scones were baked with baking powder, which helped with the rising of the bake.
In the United States, the scones are heavy, large, triangular, dry and quite crumbly baked mostly with an addition of a fruit like berries etc. The Americans also like to use glaze over the scones and like to consume scones in breakfasts (mostly). This is a staple item at the American Coffee Houses.
In Britain, they were round, large and flat. With time, the shape changed and now they are served in triangular shape in Britain as well. The British like their scones lightly sweet and have a taste for savory scones.
Using Cold Butter Is The Key
The secret to these Starbucks blueberry scones is to use cold, actually very cold butter and other cold ingredients such as egg and heavy cream.
Cold butter reacts with heat in the oven releasing steam and creating pockets of air that result in scones which are soft and flaky in the center and have crisp golden edges.
The Method: Use fingertips to incorporate butter cubes into the flour. Mix the butter chunks until you get pea-sized butter balls in the flour. If during the preparation of the dough you feel the butter is warm and melting in your hands. Transfer the bowl into freezer and wait for half an hour until the butter has re-solidified and then carry on the work on the dough.
Ingredients
Pro Tip # 1 - Room Temperature Ingredients
Always use room temperature ingredients (unless otherwise specified) for baking. Ingredients such as butter, eggs and other dairy ingredients like milk, sour cream, yogurt form an emulsion by trapping air inside the batter. The trapped air expands in the oven resulting in perfect baked treats.
- All-Purpose Flour: gives structure to these scones.
- Salt: enhances the overall flavor of the scones.
- Cinnamon Powder: for flavor and aroma.
- Sugar: for sweetness.
- Butter: use high-quality cold butter as it is one of the key ingredients in this recipe.
- Egg: binding agent in the recipe. Use a large sized cold egg.
- Vanilla Extract: for aroma.
- Heavy Cream: use fresh heavy cream for this recipe.
- Blueberries: star ingredient of this recipe.
- Baking Powder: leavening agent to give height to the scones.
- Lemon Zest: adds a zesty and tangy flavor to the scones.
- Lemon Glaze: adds freshness to the scones.
- Icing Sugar
- Milk
- Lemon Juice
Pro Tip # 2 - Digital Scale
Use a digital scale to measure all-purpose flour and other dry ingredients. To measure with cup, fluff up the all-purpose flour container using a spoon, then scoop out the flour with spoon into the measuring cup. Never scoop out of the container. It may result in more flour than required resulting in dense bakes.
Instructions
These are basic process shots for this recipe. For detailed instructions refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. In a bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
2. Using a pastry cutter or fingertips incorporate butter into the flour.
3. Rub it until you get pea-sized butter chunks in loose flour.
4. Take another bowl and combine egg, cream and vanilla.
5. Add the wet ingredients and blueberries to the four.
6. Knead until just barely combined.
7. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Shape until the dough comes together into an 8-inch round shape. Do not over-mix at this point.
8. Cut into 8 pie or triangle pieces and arrange them on silicone mat in the baking tray.
9. Prepare the egg-wash.
10. Apply the egg-wash on the scones and bake at 400 F for 20 - 25 minutes.
Variations
- Berries: Use any fruit of your choice in the ratio of 1:1 for blueberries in the recipe. You can use strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.
- Lemon Glaze: Use lemon glaze on the finished scones to add a tangy flavor.
Substitution
- Buttermilk: You may also use buttermilk instead of heavy cream in the recipe but remember there will be a difference in texture and taste. I prefer heavy cream because it will give you the tender crumb.
Expert Tips
Butter: Use very cold butter for this recipe so that we can create steam during the baking process at 400 F in the oven.
Freeze Scones Before Baking: Once you have prepare the dough and arranged the scones on the baking tray. Stash the tray in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This is to ensure to re-solidify butter to get perfect results during baking.
Do Not Overwork the Dough: To bake the perfect scones, just combine the ingredients until they take the form of the dough. Do not over-mix or you will get hard and tough scones.
Blueberries: Starbucks uses dried blueberries in their scones but I recommend fresh blueberries to get the perfect flavor.
Baking Powder: This simple ingredient has an important role in this recipe as it gives height and lift to the scones. Make sure that you have fresh baking powder on hand. To test the freshness of baking powder by mixing ½ teaspoon baking powder with ¼ cup of boiling water. The water should bubble up right away and form a thick foam, if it does not, toss it away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make them a day in advance. Prepare the dough, cut and shape the scones, cover them and place them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a day or up to 3 months in the freezer. When you want to bake just arrange them on the baking tray and bake. Do not thaw.
Yes you can use fresh or frozen blueberries for this recipe. I have used frozen in this recipe and they work just fine. They might need a little longer in the oven, check in regular intervals while baking.
Good questions – well, it’s all about the baking science. When you overwork the dough and infuse butter thoroughly the dough, the scones will be flat and will spread a lot. So, leave the pea-sized butter balls in the flour and just barely combine the dough to get the crumbly and heightened scones.
How to Store
- These scones are best consumed on the day they are baked.
- Place the scones in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 - 3 days. Place a paper towel at the bottom of the airtight container and place the scones over it. Add another layer of paper towel and scones. Repeat until you have placed all the scones. Cover and place in the fridge.
Note: Let the scones cool completely at room temperature before placing them in the fridge or the warm scones will make soggy and mushy in the fridge. - Wrap each scone in plastic wrap and then add a layer of foil to it. Stash them in a freezer bag and place in the freezer for upto 3 months.
Note: Do not apply glaze if you want to freeze the scones.
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Related
Recipe
Starbucks Blueberry Scones (Copycat Recipe)
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
- 1 large bowl
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Silicone Mat
- 1 Baking Sheet
- Digital Scale
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (240 g)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder (10 g)
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon powder (0.31 g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup castor sugar (75 g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113 g)
- 1 egg (large) cold
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)
- ½ cup heavy cream (115 ml) cold
- 1 cup blueberries (150 g)
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest (4 g)
Egg Wash
- 1 egg (large)
- 2 teaspoon milk (10 ml)
Lemon Glaze
- ½ cup icing sugar (50 g)
- 2 tablespoon milk (30 ml)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (5 ml)
Instructions
Blueberry Scones
- Preheat at 400. Line a baking tray with silicone mat.
- Take a large sized bowl and whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder and lemon zest.
- Using a pastry cutter of finger tips incorporate butter into the flour. Rub it until you get pea-sized butter chunks in the loose flour.
- Take another bowl and combine egg, cream and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour until just barely combined.
- Add the blueberries to the mixture and shape until it forms the shape of a dough. Do not overmix at this point.
- Place the dough on the silicone mat. Shape into an 8-inch round shape. Cut into 8 pie pieces or triangle pieces and arrange 1-2 inches apart. Brush with egg wash or heavy cream.
- Bake at 400 F for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Lemon Glaze
- Prepare the glaze and pour over the scones.
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