A little over a week ago, I had one of the most disappointing scones I’ve ever eaten. It was in a cute, small room for afternoon tea with the tables set with the daintiest cups and plates. A few minutes after sitting down, a three-tiered stand came out packed with elegant bites of mini sandwiches and pastries. On the middle plate stood these dreamy, golden scones that seemed to sparkle in the light. Eagerly, I picked up one of them, tearing a small chunk off, and spread some clotted cream on top before popping it into my mouth.
The inside… it was DOUGHY. The flavor? Nonexistent. I was crestfallen. Now, I must admit that baking has without a doubt turned me into a bit of a food snob, but I knew that those scones could have been so, so much better. And so I was determined, determined to satisfy my craving for delicious, light scones that had the most tender and melt-in-your-mouth interiors.
I am SO excited to share this recipe with you because I think it’s one of my best yet. These scones have the most perfectly crisp, golden edges, buttery, soft middles, and crunchy tops sprinkled with turbinado sugar. They are packed with juicy bits of mango and creamy, sweet chunks of white chocolate. They are easily able to be broken apart to spread on some clotted cream or lemon curd, but honestly, they are perfect on their own.
I could keep on raving about these scones and tell you about how the white chocolates caramelizes on the outside in the oven or how the dried mango adds these addictively chewy bits that also burst with flavor, but eh. I think it’s better for me to just stop writing and let you get on with making some of the best scones I’ve ever had in my entire life.
tips for success
- Do NOT over-handle the dough! – this is KEY to creating that soft, tender crumb. Over-handling the dough will result in sad, tough scones, so only knead the dough until just combined.
- Freeze the scones before baking – ensuring the butter is cold before the scones go into the oven results in those buttery layers that make scones truly irresistible.
mango white chocolate scones
makes 4 scones
ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup (80 grams) dried mango, chopped into small chunks
- 1/3 cup (58 grams) white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
- turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
instructions:
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together until well-combined.
- Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in the butter until crumbly with small butter lumps. Add in the dried mango and white chocolate chips, tossing it together. Add the heavy cream, and mix until combined into a shaggy dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead the dough only once or twice until it just comes together. Using the palms of your hands, flatten the dough into a roughly 6-inch long rectangle. Cut the dough in four slices, and stack them on top of each other. Flatten it again but this time into a 1-inch thick circle. Cut the dough into four slices using a bench cutter, and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze overnight (or if you’d like to make it now, freeze for only 10 minutes and reduce the baking time by 5 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Uncover the frozen scones, and brush the tops with heavy cream. Sprinkle on the turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes, and enjoy your fresh, warm scones.