These rustic, fresh peach scones are made with heavy cream instead of butter. The cream makes for wonderful flavour and texture. I also love that these scones are just lightly sweet, to let the fruit shine!

peach scones on cooling rack

These cream scones are a little different than the usual. Instead of using butter, these rely on the butterfat in heavy cream for richness, but produce a lighter and moister crumb. They are deliciously different.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Peaches – I have only tested these scones with fresh peaches. I suspect frozen peaches may work, but I’m unsure it they would work from frozen, as they are only in the oven a short time. If you want to try it, I think I would at least partially thaw before using.

Heavy (Whipping) Cream – this is the 35% b.f. cream and the high butterfat cream is necessary for these scones, that are made without butter. I haven’t tested these scones with a lower fat cream. It may work, though you might end up with more of a biscuit, than a scone.

Step-by-Step Photos

photo collage of steps to make Peaches and Cream Scones 1

photo collage of steps to make Peaches and Cream Scones 2

Recipe Video

Baker’s Tips

  • These are not scones to fuss over. They are wonderful in their rustic shape and the ease with which they come together, so embrace that and don’t worry if they aren’t perfect.
  • You can make smaller scones by cutting the round of dough into more/smaller wedges.
  • Be sure to cook the scones thoroughly. Judge “done-ness” by the colour on top of the scone. They should be nice and golden all over the top and a touch darker around the edges.
  • These scones are quite moist when warm, but will dry and set as they sit. I don’t store these in a completely air-tight container, as I like to let some of the excess moisture escape, rather than make the scones soggy from the fruit.

peaches and cream scones on cooling rack

Top Tip!

Don’t skip the trip to the freezer. Chilling the scones before baking will give you the best results, as it will solidify the butterfat in the cream and help to give your scones some lift, similar to butter.

peach scones on cooling rack

Get the Recipe: Peaches and Cream Scones

These rustic, fresh peach scones are made with heavy cream instead of butter. The cream makes for wonderful flavour and texture. I also love that these scones are just lightly sweet, to let the fruit shine!
5 stars from 3 ratings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time:: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 8 scones

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine table salt
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar, or adjust to taste
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla, or vanilla bean paste
  • 1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream (35% b.f.), cold, plus more as needed to moisten
  • 1 1/4 cups fresh peaches, diced

For topping:

  • Additional heavy cream, for brushing
  • White granulated or turbinado sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
  • Peel the peaches, then cut off the sides and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Set aside for now.
  • Measure out the heavy cream, then stir in the vanilla. Pour half of the cream over the dry ingredients, then stirring gently while adding just enough of the rest of the heavy cream to make a just moist dough. There shouldn't be any pockets of dry flour in the bottom of the bowl, but the dough shouldn't be super sticky, either. Don't hesitate to add an additional tablespoon or so of heavy cream if needed to achieve this. Gently and quickly stir in the diced peaches.
  • Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Gently gather the dough into a rough ball, then using the palms of your hands, gently press into a 7-inch round, even-height circle. (Press in along the sides, as well, to ensure the sides are not crumbly).
  • Transfer the dough round to the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut the round into 8 even wedges. Separate the wedges and arrange on baking sheet with at least 1 inch in between. Place the baking sheet with the dough wedges into the freezer for 15 minutes. **If you don't have room in your freezer for the whole baking sheet, you can just transfer the whole dough round (before cutting into wedges) to a plate or a piece of parchment paper to the freezer, then cut into wedges when you remove from the freezer instead. Leave the larger round in the freezer a few extra minutes - about 20 minutes.
  • Remove from freezer and brush the tops of scones with additional heavy cream. Sprinkle tops generously with white granulated or turbinado sugar. Work quickly so the scones don't warm up too much.
  • Bake the chilled scones in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the are nicely golden on top.
  • Remove the scones from the oven and immediately remove to a cooling rack. Allow the scones to cool almost completely before serving. Store at room temperature for several days or these scones can also be frozen for longer storage.

Notes

Be sure to read the Ingredient and Baker's Notes above the Recipe Card for more tips on making this recipe. You will also find Step-by-Step photos there, which you may find helpful.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Snack
Serving: 1scone, Calories: 344kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 308mg, Potassium: 278mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 662IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 2mg
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