White Chocolate Raspberry Scones
Now, I love a good scone. And I've made my fair share of them over the years. Therefore the fact that I said that these might be my favorite scones ever after I took a bite.... Well, that's a pretty big deal. These White Chocolate Raspberry Scones are a scrumptious combination of buttery, flaky pastry, tart raspberries, and sweet white chocolate, topped with vanilla glaze.
And they make your kitchen smell spectacular.
Here's why you'll love this recipe
These scones are perfect for a quick breakfast, a special dessert or even an impromptu afternoon tea party. The dough freezes beautifully, making it easy to pop one into the oven when the craving strikes. And the vibrant, juicy raspberries, golden-brown pastry and drizzle of vanilla glaze make for a pretty presentation.
Plus, they are a fun and engaging baking project to do with kids (note my special guest baker in the video, located at the end of this post!)
Ingredients and ingredient notes
(As always, please check the recipe card, below, for quantities and notes.)
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt: sea salt or table salt may be substituted
- Unsalted butter: make sure that the butter that you are using is very cold. You are not looking for "room temperature" or "softened" butter in this recipe (see FAQ section for more on this.) Use a high quality butter, if possible, as the buttery flavor really comes through in the baked scone. I'm a huge fan of both Plugra and Challenge butter brands.
- Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, mix one cup of milk with one tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar, then let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes before adding to the dough.
- Fresh raspberries: Substitute any other berry or mixture of berries (for example: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries...huckleberries!) in the same quantity as the raspberries. I do not recommend using frozen berries for this recipe, since they add extra moisture to the dough and can result in soggy scones.
- White chocolate chips: I found some mini white chocolate chips for this recipe, but you can use standard sized white chocolate chips, chopped white chocolate, milk, semisweet or dark chocolate chips instead
- Large Egg
- Cream, half-and-half, or milk: Each of these can be used interchangeably for the egg wash
- Confectioners' sugar (optional): If you are making the optional Vanilla Glaze
- Vanilla extract (optional): Pure extracts always deliver the best flavor, so try to avoid using imitation extracts
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400F degrees and then line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cold butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the processor 8-10 times, until the flour and butter mixture resembles a coarse meal or the butter is the size of small peas.
Step 2
After that, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add buttermilk and mix until just combined and the dough starts to stick together (it will still be crumbly.) Add raspberries and white chocolate and mix to blend, but try to avoid breaking up the raspberries too much.
Step 3
Divide the dough between the two baking sheets lined with parchment. Pat or shape the dough into two approximately 6-inch rounds, 1½ inches thick.
Step 4
Cut each round into six equal wedges and space them apart on the baking sheets so they have room to grow. Make egg wash: Whisk egg with milk or half-and-half and then brush tops of scones with the egg wash.
Step 5
Bake scones 25-35 minutes, until tops are a rich golden brown and the scones are firm when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before glazing (optional) or serve.
Prepare glaze, if using: Whisk confectioners' sugar with 3 tablespoons half-and-half or milk and vanilla extract. Add more half-and-half or milk if necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, to get a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle glaze over warm scones using the whisk or a small spoon. Let glaze set 5 minutes, and serve warm.
Video tutorial: White Chocolate Raspberry Scones in action!
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Form the dough into the disk(s) and double-wrap them tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze scone dough for up to one week and refrigerate for one day. Thaw the frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before cutting into wedges and baking. Freeze unglazed baked scones for up to two weeks, sealed in plastic wrap or zip-top bags. Reheat on a sheet tray at 350F, covered with foil, for 10-15 minutes. Glaze after reheating.
Cold butter that has been cut into small pieces (or even grated) is easier to distribute evenly throughout dough for scones or other pastries.
During the baking process, the butter creates small pockets of fat that melt, creating steam that puffs up the dough, resulting in a flaky, layered texture.
Alternatively, soft or melted butter creates a dough that is more dense and heavy. Make sure you butter is very cold when making scones, pie crust or pastries.
Yes! Substitute equal amounts of your favorite gluten-free flour mix for the all purpose flour in the recipe and add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum to the dry ingredients.
Yes. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chilled butter pieces to the bowl and use a pastry blender or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
You can make a substitute with lemon juice or vinegar and milk. Mix one tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice with one cup of milk, then let it sit for a few minutes until it thickens.
White Chocolate Raspberry Scones
Equipment
- 1 food processor (optional, see Notes)
- 1 pastry brush
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ pound unsalted butter (cold, cubed)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups raspberries (fresh)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon half-and-half (can sub. milk or cream)
Vanilla Glaze (optional)
- 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 3-5 tablespoon half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cold butter in the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse the processor 8-10 times, until the flour and butter mixture resembles a coarse meal or the butter is the size of small peas.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add buttermilk and mix until just combined and the dough starts to stick together (it will still be crumbly.) Add raspberries and white chocolate and mix to blend. Try to avoid breaking up the raspberries too much--some is ok.
- Divide the dough between the two baking sheets lined with parchment.
- Pat or shape the dough into two approximately 6-inch rounds, 1½ inches thick. Cut each round into six equal wedges and space them apart on the baking sheets.
- Make egg wash: Whisk egg with milk or half-and-half. Brush tops of scones with egg wash.
- Bake scones 25-35 minutes, until tops are a rich golden brown and the scones are firm when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before glazing (optional) or serve.
- Prepare glaze, if using: Whisk confectioners' sugar with 3 tablespoons half-and-half or milk and vanilla extract. Add more half-and-half or milk if necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, to get a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle glaze over warm scones using the whisk or a small spoon. Let glaze set 5 minutes, and serve warm.
Oh, so delicious and easy to prepare. I will definitely make them again.
Thank you so much, Nancy! They are some of my all time favorite scones! Happy Holidays 🙂
They look gorgeous. I can almost taste them now. I can see that your "assistant" was a big help!
What really caught my attention is the glaze! It sounds delicious. I have never tried something like that.
Love your granola (note to self - order MORE!), love the photos and I wish you MUCH success is NYC!
Thanks so much, Sara!! It was a really fun experience playing model for the day 🙂