Robb's Dried Fruit Cream Scones

No butter cut into flour, no eggs, no fuss. These scones use heavy whipping cream as the only fat in the dough, which makes them incredibly tender and rich with far less work than a traditional butter-based recipe. Just stir the cream into the dry ingredients with a fork until the dough barely holds together.

The sticky, shaggy dough is supposed to look rough. Don’t overwork it. Eight or nine kneads on a floured board is all it takes to bring it together. More than that develops the gluten and turns your scones tough and bready instead of crumbly and light.

Chopped dried fruit and golden raisins go right into the flour mixture before the cream, so they get evenly distributed without extra handling. Pat the dough into a 10-inch circle, spread melted butter over the top, sprinkle with sugar for a slightly crunchy, golden crust, then cut into 12 wedges.

Pro Tips

• The dough will feel very sticky. Resist the urge to add more flour; that extra moisture from the cream is what makes the scones tender
• Space the wedges an inch apart on the sheet so they bake evenly on all sides
• Check at 12 minutes. Ovens vary, and scones go from golden to burnt quickly at 425°F (220°C)
• These are best eaten warm from the oven. They dry out by the next day, though a quick 30-second microwave reheat helps

Variations

• Cranberry orange: Use dried cranberries instead of mixed fruit and add 1 teaspoon grated orange zest to the flour
• Chocolate chip: Swap the dried fruit for ½ cup mini chocolate chips for a sweeter treat
• Lemon glaze: Skip the butter-sugar glaze and drizzle with a simple powdered sugar and lemon juice icing after cooling