Whatever you do, DO NOT make these scones.
I made them, tasted them, and did a double take. (Oh my God, they are the best scones. Ever.) I may have had to sit down and I’m pretty sure my eyes rolled back in my head a little.
I thought it was a fluke, so I made them again and invited a bunch of ladies over. And everyone who’s had them has told me that they’re the best scones they’ve ever had. (Totally blushing here, but hey, they said it so I had to share, lol.)
Which sounds great, right?
(I’m telling you, no matter how much you want to, don’t go make them!)
The problem is that these scones then become the standard by which all future scones are judged. Your taste buds will be tainted the same way that mine are. These scones will wreck it for all the other decent scones out there, making you think a sufficiently good scone just isn’t worth it (not the time, not the effort, not the money, and not even the flour that went into making it). You will want Christmas Morning Scones all the time, whether it’s Christmas morning or not.
Which normally wouldn’t be a problem (I’m not afraid to whip up a batch of scones on a random Thursday afternoon), but they are for Christmas morning; they’re special, if you will, and sacred in a way.
I asked everyone who tried these scones how they’d describe them, but I think my 11-year-old niece said it best: “It’s like you came up with the flavor of Christmas.” (Ha! That, my dear, is exactly what I was going for. ;) )
So, on the off chance that you don’t heed my advice and you decide to go ahead and make these, first of all, know that you will never be the same. But also take note that you can make the dough the night before and bake them off in the morning.
And on Christmas morning there is nothing that will make your house smell more like Christmas morning than these scones.
- 2½ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (75 g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened dried cranberries, chopped small
- 4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
- 6 tablespoons (80 g) unsalted butter, chilled and diced
- 1 cup (237 ml) half and half (or milk or cream), plus 2 tablespoons more for brushing on top
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup (115 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
- Unsweetened dried cranberries
- Fresh rosemary leaves
- Preheat oven to 450F; line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, dried cranberries, and rosemary in a large bowl.
- Cut in the butter with a fork or using two butter knives until it looks like coarse meal. Whisk together the half and half and vanilla bean paste, and stir it into the flour mixture. (The dough should come together, but not be too wet.)
- Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk; wrap it in plastic wrap and chill 10 minutes in the freezer.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or press the dough out to a circle about 7 to 8 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Cut the circle of dough into 8 equal wedges.
- Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with a little half and half (or milk), and bake until puffed and light golden brown on top and bottom, about 14 to 16 minutes. Cool completely.
- Once cooled, whisk together all ingredients for the glaze, adding the water a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Dip the tops of the scones into the glaze, letting it run down the sides; sprinkle a few dried cranberries and rosemary leaves on top, if desired. Place the scones onto a wire rack and let the glaze set completely before serving.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Beautiful scones! Very tempting…
Cheers,
Rosa
These sound so good! I might have to make a gluten exception and bake these for my boyfriend’s family this Christmas :)
That may be the best compliment ever “You came up with the flavor of Christmas’. The rosemary in these is genius – just beautiful, Faith. Merry Christmas!
These scones sound so good, and I bet they smell amazing! NOM NOM NOM.
Where do you find vanilla bean paste? Is it better than vanilla extract?
Mandy, I buy vanilla bean paste at Wegmans, which is just a regular local grocery store in my area (I get the Nielsen-Massey brand). I’ve also seen it available at specialty food or bakeware stores, and of course there’s always Amazon if you can’t find it anywhere else.
For me, I find vanilla bean paste to be a bit more intense-flavored than most vanilla extracts. Plus, it lends all those gorgeous black vanilla bean specks to whatever it is you’re making. If it’s easier to find, you could use the scrapings from a vanilla bean instead or even swap it out for vanilla extract. (The jar of my vanilla bean paste says 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste = 1 tablespoon vanilla extract = 1 vanilla bean.) I hope this helps!
These scones are just gorgeous Faith! They absolutely look like the best ever :).
Until now I’ve been immune to the lure of scones – no longer. These sound awesomely tempting. Your photos are lovely, as usual.
I consider myself warned but…now I’m going to have to make them.
I love the flavor combination here. A stroke of genius…I will be making these!
Made ’em. They are SOOOOOOOOO good! Thank you!
You are absolutely right about these scones, Faith. They are an explosion of Christmas in your mouth, and it has now become our Christmas morning tradition. Thanks for creating a new tradition in our family!! Merry Christmas! And happy new year to you and Mike!!
Aunt Peg, I’m so honored that my recipe has become one of your family’s Christmas traditions. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Uncle Mark, Sara, Eric, and Andy! xoxo
Hi there –
If I wanted to make the dough a few days in advance should I leave it in the freezer or fridge? Or is that just a bad idea all around?
Kate, I’ve made the dough for this recipe a day in advance and left it in the fridge overnight and it worked really well. I think making the dough up to 2 days in advance and leaving it wrapped in the fridge would be fine; please let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
These scones look wonderful!!! Do you think I’d be able to use almond flour instead of all purpose flour? Also, I’m guessing that there is no healthier substitute for the powdered sugar in the glaze?
Dee, I haven’t tried altering this recipe so I don’t know how the scones would turn out with those changes; I’m the same way though – I always like looking for ways to make a recipe healthier or paleo-fy it! :) You might be interested in taking a look at my Paleo Cranberry Scones, which use almond flour and forego the glaze. Or if you decide to experiment with this recipe, please let me know how it goes with your substitutions!
I make scones all the time and I love them. I usually make the dough ahead of time, cut them into triangles and wrap them individually and put them in the freezer. Then when I want a scone I take one out and bake it. Do you think I could do that with this recipe?
Sue, I haven’t tried it, but I think that method would work fine here! If you decide to try it, please let me know how it goes.
This is my go to recipe for all scones! Since becoming vegan, I have tried several vegan scone recipes and they were all mediocre at best. For this recipe, I simply did a 1:1 swap on the butter and milk (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks and Cashew Milk) and they have come out perfect every time. I have even swapped out the rosemary/cranberry/nutmeg for other flavors. Don’t get me wrong, the original flavor is my favorite, but that seems too special for “every day” baking!
Thanks!
This is the only scone recipe my wife will let me use anymore. Highly recommend if you want a scone with a great taste, that is moist and does not overwhelm.
This scones are seriously the best scones I’ve ever had. Perfect combination of flavours! Thank you for the recipe! :)
For the last 10 years I’ve been searching for the perfect Christmas morning breakfast. It would have to be something I can prepare the night before and just throw into the oven Christmas morning. Something that feels special and festive without being so over the top that it’s too much to have knowing there would be a big Christmas dinner feast that night. I’ve tried and dismissed so many recipes that were excellent but not quite festive enough, or too much work, or just didn’t seem Christmasy. I made these this Christmas and I have found my new Christmas morning breakfast. Thanks for posting, these were perfect!!!
These were obscenely delicious! I knew when I was struggling to keep myself from eating the raw dough that this recipe was going to be something special 😊
These were perfect for my Christmas in July craving! Took a batch to the office and everybody loved them, great recipe!!
Thank you for sharing, now this is in my Christmas recipes!!
My daughter-in-law made these scones last Christmas morning and they were, indeed, the best scones I have ever tasted! I would like to make them but have been unable to find unsweetened cranberries locally. Where do you buy them?
Debbie, I’m so happy you enjoyed these scones, it makes my day to hear that! I actually got these cranberries at a local market when I lived in Kuwait, but I’ve also seen unsweetened cranberries on Amazon. Hope you’re able to find them, they are definitely hard to track down!