Cardamom Brown Sugar Scones

These Cardamom Brown Sugar Scones are the second scone recipe on my blog and I absolutely love them. Now that I've learned to make buttery, tender and flaky scones I am having fun experimenting with the different flavor possibilities. Cardamom has recently become one of my favorite flavors and I discovered by chance that cardamom and lemon make a great combination, so don't leave off the lemon glaze on this buttery scone.

What are Scones?

In developing this recipe for Cardamom Scones I did a lot of research and a lot of reading. What can I say, I'm a baking geek. I like to understand why certain recipes work or don't work. The best way to describe a scone is to compare it to a biscuit. Biscuits are flaky with lots of layers, and scones, while they are flaky, are more cake-like and crumbly. In addition, scones also contain sugar. A scone contains sugar and has a crumbly cake-like texture.

I also discovered that there are differences between British and American scones. British Scones usually contain about 2-3 tablespoons of sugar and about the same amount of butter. British scones are meant to be spread with butter and sugar. These Cardamon Brown Sugar Scones are definitely American. They contain 4 tablespoons of sugar and 8 tablespoons of butter. Plus there is additional fat from the heavy cream. They really don't need extra butter when served but hey I am not one to judge.

Cardamon Brown Sugar Scone Ingredients

Scones are made with just seven basic ingredients:

• Flour: 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour is the usual amount for my scone recipes.
• Brown Sugar: I usually use 1/4 of sugar because I like the scones to be slightly sweet. These recipes use dark brown sugar, but you can also use regular granulated sugar.
• Baking Powder: The baking powder provides the rise and lift.
• Cold Butter: My typical recipes use 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter. The butter adds flavor and makes the scones flaky, tender and helps them rise.
• Heavy Cream: Cream adds flavor and a cakey texture. I use 1 1/2 cups of cream, but you can use more or less depending on the feel of the dough.
• Salt: Enhances the other flavors
• Cardamom: Adds flavor. Use your favorite spice.

How to Make Scones from Scratch

These cardamon scones are a quick and easy treat. Great for breakfast or an afternoon treat. But you will need to make them 2 or 3 times to get a feel for how the dough should look and feel. The day before I make the scones I put the butter in the freezer.

For this recipe I use a large bowl to mix the ingredients so I have plenty of room to use my hands without knocking ingredients out of the bowl. Mix the dry ingredient together: the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cardamom. Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture and then use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour.

Pour the heavy cream into the flour-butter mixture and use a spatula to stir the liquid into the dough. The dough will start to come together, but there will still be some flour at the bottom of the bowl. Dump the dough onto a lightly flour surface and lightly knead the dough by folding the dough in half about 3 to 4 times.

Once the dough has come together form an 8-inch circle. Sometimes I use an 8-inch cake pan to form the circle. Then use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 wedges. You should see bits of butter throughout the dough. Place the 8 scones on a small tray and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Place the scones on a parchment-lined half-baking sheet and brush them with an egg wash to promote browning. Bake the scones in a 400°F oven until they are golden brown, about 22-25 minutes. After the scones have cooled drizzle the scones with the lemon glaze. The scones taste great warm from the oven, so the glaze is totally optionally, but the lemon and cardamom is a great taste combination.

If you are making these ahead of time the scones can be frozen after they are baked and cooled, but before the glaze is added. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and place them in a 1 gallon freezer bag. Warm the frozen scones in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.

I hope you try these delicious Cardamom Scones as your next breakfast treat. Tag me on Instagram @bakesbybrownsugar if you make this recipe or leave a Comment on the blog to let me know what you think.

More Breakfast Treats

• Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
• Apple Spice Streusel Muffins
• Homemade Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
• Strawberry Lemon Doughnuts
• Toasted Coconut Doughnuts

Recommended Baking Equipment

• Nordic Ware Aluminum Half Baking Sheet
• OXO Multi-Scraper (aka Bench Scraper)

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Cardamom Brown Sugar Scones

4.77 from 17 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

These cardamon brown sugar scones are buttery, rich and flaky with a sharp lemon glaze that is perfect with the ground cardamom.

Servings: 8 servings

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: English

Author: Cheryl Norris

Ingredients

Scones

• ▢ 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 cup (46 grams) dark brown sugar packed
• ▢ 8 tablespoons (114 grams) unsalted butter frozen
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups (378 grams) heavy cream cold

Egg Wash

• ▢ 1 (50 grams) large egg
• ▢ 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream

Lemon Glaze

• ▢ 1 cup (115 grams) powdered sugar
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

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Instructions

• Add the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cardamom, and brown sugar to a large bowl and whisk the ingredients together for about 30 seconds. Use your fingers to break up any large clumps of brown sugar.
• Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to toss the butter and flour together and combine. Add the cream to the flour-butter mixture and use a silicone spatula to mix the cream into the dry ingredients. The dough will start to come together, but there will still be some flour at the bottom of the bowl.
• Dump the dough onto a work surface and the knead the remaining bits of flour into the dough by folding the dough over and pressing it together. Do this about 3 to 4 times. Form the dough into an 8-inch circle. I sometimes use an 8-inch cake pan to get an even circle. Cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place the scones on a plate and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the scones on a half-sheet baking tray lined with parchment paper. Whisk together the egg and milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Bake for 23-27 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the scones have increased in height.
• Allow the scones to cool to room temperature if adding the lemon glaze. Combine the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a bowl and stir together. Add the remaining lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
• Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones.

Nutrition

Calories: 424kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1006IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg

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