Triple Berry Crème Fraîche Scones

These Triple Berry Crème Fraîche Scones are pretty much my dream scone. Berries, vanilla, and butter are all things that make me swoon and these scones have them all. This recipe is a riff on my vanilla bean scones (linked below), which are a favorite around here. I make these a little thicker, and they are just so soft, tender, and bursting with a combo of sweet, juicy strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. The dough is scented with one of my favorite flavors: fresh vanilla bean. And with a nod to my French heritage, they are made just a bit more elegant with the addition of crème fraîche. These scones are the perfect treat for Mother's Day or really for any breakfast or brunch that deserves an extra special touch.

Inspiration Everywhere

Here's a little glimpse into how my brain works and how this recipe came to be. Jason and I were on a walk/run the other day on a beautiful back road near our house. There were wild climbing rose bushes just starting to bloom with their pretty little white blossoms and buds and glorious scent. They look a lot like berry brambles, and I knew the moment I saw them that I had to create a berry recipe just so I could snip a few of those flowers and use them in my photos. I love finding inspiration in the littlest, most special places. I hope I never lose that.

Flowers, berries, baked goods

Speaking of things that make me swoon: Wildflowers are the only flowers for me, and my gorgeous, darling, sweeter-than-the-glaze-on-these-scones husband surprises me with them from time to time. I will never, ever get tired of that. Sigh... Swoon...

Ok, back to the scones

I was leaning more toward breakfast/brunch recipes since that seems to be the thing this year. Or maybe it's every year? I never realized Easter and Mother's Day were big brunch holidays, but Instagram sure schooled me on that! I guess I did know that Mother's Day was a breakfast in bed thing, something of which I have to say I'm not a big fan. Getting up, having coffee, doodling around in the kitchen in my pj's, that's more my style. Plus, the thought of trays of food and hot coffee teetering haphazardly up the stairs is the opposite of relaxing. It all just sounds way more romantic than it actually is-and I'm a super romantic person! Do people really have breakfast in bed? Or is it just in movies and commercials?

Make these berry scones the night before

No matter where you prefer to eat your breakfast, you (or your kids) can easily whip these scones up the night before, stash them in the freezer overnight, bake them the morning of (yes, straight from the freezer) and enjoy a freshly baked, still warm-from-the-oven scone. You can thank me and those cute little, recipe-inspiring blossoms as you bite into a warm, tender Triple Berry Crème Fraîche Scone.

These really don't need anything else, but who said anything about necessity? While they're still warm, split one open and slather it with salted butter and really good jam. Raspberry jam would be my choice.

Homemade Crème Fraîche

If you really want to get carried away and you're a super planner, make some homemade crème fraîche! Here's the recipe I followed: Homemade Crème Fraîche. It's as simple as mixing 2 cups heavy cream with ¼ cup buttermilk. I used Horizon Organic Heavy Cream which is ultra-pasteurized and I used Lucerne cultured low fat buttermilk. I doubled the recipe and let it sit in a covered mason jar at room temp next to our coffee pot which is basically always on. The cream thickened in about 24 hours but it was well worth the wait. It thickens more in the fridge too. This is the best, freshest tasting crème fraîche! And so much cheaper than store-bought which can also be hard to find.

Also, if you're like me and start making recipes without checking your pantry, here's a recipe for powdered sugar: Homemade Powdered Sugar

That's it! Now get baking!

I always encourage you to read the whole recipe before beginning, especially with one like this that involves multiple steps. Make sure you have the ingredients and the time. And room in your freezer for the scones to chill.

Let me know if you make these by leaving a comment and rating below! I LOVE seeing you all making my recipes! xo - Anita

Triple Berry Crème Fraîche Scones

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5 from 2 reviews

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These Triple Berry Crème Fraîche Scones are thick, soft, and packed with sweet, juicy berries. Perfect for Mother's Day or any special breakfast or brunch.

• Total Time: 55 minutes plus chilling
• Yield: 12 large scones

Ingredients

Crème Fraîche:

• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• ¼ cup cultured buttermilk

Scones:

dry mixture:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder (I use aluminum-free baking powder)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (½ pound) unsalted butter, diced into very small cubes and kept very cold

berries:

• ½ cup blueberries
• ½ cup raspberries
• ½ cup diced strawberries

wet mixture:

• 1 cup crème fraîche (you could use full fat sour cream or full fat greek yogurt as well)
• 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for brushing
• seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup crème fraîche (again, you could use full fat sour cream or full fat greek yogurt)
• 2-4 tablespoons cream, milk, or half and half (you might need a bit more to get the right consistency)

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Instructions

If you are making your own crème fraîche:

• It's as simple as mixing 2 cups heavy cream with ¼ cup buttermilk in a large mason jar. Give it a good shake and leave in a warm place for 24 hours.
• I used Horizon Organic Heavy Cream and Lucerne cultured low fat buttermilk.
• I left mine next to my coffee pot which is basically always on. It took 24 hours for the cream to thicken, but it was well worth the wait. It thickens more in the fridge.

To make the Triple Berry Crème Fraîche Scones:

• Whisk the crème fraîche, cream, vanilla seeds, vanilla extract, and egg in a large, spouted measuring cup and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. With a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Keep going until the mixture resembles crumbs.
• add berries to flour mixture and toss gently to evenly disperse
• Pour the cream mixture into the flour mixture slowly while gently stirring the dry ingredients with a fork just until it comes together. It's ok if there are a few dryer patches of dough, but if you have a lot of dry flour, add a bit more cream about a tablespoon at a time as you keep stirring until you have a mostly moist, cohesive dough.
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough square. Cut dough in half and stack one half on top of the other. Press back into a rough square. Repeat this process two more times. The stacking process creates perfect, flaky layers. I do this same trick when I make biscuits. You can even plop a few extra berries in between the layers if you want.
• A metal bench scraper is incredibly useful for the cutting and stacking, also for transferring the scones to the baking tray. If you make a lot of biscuits, bread, or scones, I urge you to get one.
• Use your hands or a rolling pin to roll into a square about 8x8 inches and about an inch thick.
• Cut square into 12 even square-ish pieces. Some will be a bit more rectangular, but that's ok.
• Place cut scones onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 1.5-2 inches apart. I was able to get all of mine onto a standard half sheet pan. They don't spread much, but they do rise.
• Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with coarse or granulated sugar. I actually prefer granulated because I don't like super crunchy scones. Totally up to you. You could even use demerera if you have it.
• Place pan in freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking. This is a trick I've learned from several scone-making experts, and it really makes a difference. It just helps the flour hydrate and the butter chill back down which results in the fluffiest, flakiest scones.
• Here's the cool thing though: You can leave that tray in the freezer all night and bake yourself some fresh scones the next day. You can freeze them, transfer to plastic bags or a freezer-safe container and have scones anytime your heart desires. Yep, pretty cool.
• When you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake scones for 25-35 minutes until tops are crackled and golden brown and dough is cooked through. If baking from overnight frozen, you'll definitely need the longer baking time. You might have to peel the top of one back to double check. The dough should look moist, but not wet. All ovens are different, so just keep an eye on them and don't be afraid to lift the lid on one to check. You can just eat that one before anyone notices.
• Allow to cool completely before glazing. (Or dig in while they're still warm like we do! You can always serve some glaze alongside.)

Vanilla Bean Crème Fraîche Glaze

• While scones are baking, make the glaze by combining all glaze ingredients in a bowl or spouted measuring cup. Whisk to combine. You should have a not too thick, not too thin, pourable consistency that won't all just slither off the scones. I describe it as the consistency of cool honey.
• Drizzle glaze over cooled scones and dig in!

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Prep Time: 20 minutes plus chilling
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Category: scones
• Method: baking

More of my scone recipes you might like:

Vanilla Bean Scones (yep, like the starbucks kind, but a million times fresher and tastier)

Cara Cara Orange Scones (you could use any citrus)

And if scones aren't your thing:

Caramelized White Chocolate & Brown Butter Blondies

Frosted Brown Butter & Vanilla Bean Cinnamon Rolls (these are actually the best cinnamon rolls I've ever tasted. Not exaggerating.)