Tasty Currant Scones

Beloved but misunderstood, scones are actually easy to make.  Today’s currant scones are lightly sweet and classically delicious! Perfect for teas, brunches, snacking and more.

Is there any pasty quite as versatile as the scone?  Perhaps it’s their ability to do both casual and elegant equally well. Yes I’d serve scones on occasions from simple breakfasts to baby showers to bread baskets at fancy dinners!  Yum!

Now to confess, I was late to the scone game, suffering from fear of hokey puck scones.  I finally learned to make then from my oldest daughter, who spent a year studying in Edinburgh.  As I wrote when I finally gave it a go, “My oldest, who thinks cooking is hard if she has to boil water, has perfected a recipe for currant scones to serve to her college friends. If she can do it, so can I!”

Of course, little did we know then how many different flavors of scone I’d eventually turn this into (see “Variations” below for some of these)!  But her original currant scones always hold a special place in my heart! 

Eating scones and more at Betty’s Tea Room in York, England   

What are Currant Scones?

Wikipedia tells us that “A scone is a traditional British baked good, popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is usually made of either wheat flour or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often slightly sweetened and occasionally glazed with egg wash.”

And of course a Currant Scone is a scone that has currants mixed in!

What is a Currant? 

Now, dried currants, also called Zante currants, may not actually be what you think.  You see, counterintuitively, they don’t come from the (red or black) currant plant.  Instead (per Wikipedia) they are “raisins of the small, sweet, seedless grape cultivar Black Corinth.”

And besides being smaller than regular raisins, they are also a bit drier and harder.  This means that, unlike raisins, they don’t have any “squish” when you bite in.  And they have what I’d describe as a similar, but “cleaner” flavor.

But if I don’t have currants (they used to by unbelievably difficult to find organic), I’ll sometimes chop up raisins into smaller bits and use these. 

Why You’ll Love This!

Tasty.  Delicate and lightly sweet, with little bursts of fruity goodness, scones are a taste delight!

Easy.  Whether mixed in a food processor or by hand, these come together easily and bake quickly!

Special.  Sure muffins are nice, but when it comes to special, scones have it way over them.  

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Unbleached all-purpose flour.  This forms the bulk of the scone.  And while I’m usually the first to say give whole wheat flour a try (see my Pumpkin Scones), for these more delicate currant scones, I’d stick with all-purpose.
• Butter.  This helps to give scones their delicate, flaky lightness.
• Baking powder.  This helps the scones rise.
• Eggs.  This adds richness and lightness.  A small amount of the egg is also removed to use as an “egg wash” to give the scones a shiny golden color.
• Sugar.  There is a little bit of sugar for a delicate sweetness.  It also adds some volume and helps browning.
• Cream.  This adds moisture and richness.  I wouldn’t go with skim milk here, but I think half & half should also work.
• Salt.  Salt enhances flavor.
• Dried currants.  These add little bits of fruity goodness and flavor intensity.  In a pinch, you can chop up raisins smaller, but try to get the real thing if you can.

Special Tools

• No special tools required!

Step by Step Overview

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (except currants).

Divide the butter into pieces, then cut into the flour mixture with a pastry tool or in a food processor.  Process until butter pieces are tiny and flour coated.  Mixture will resemble sandy crumbs. 

In a separate bowl, beat two eggs.  Remove a couple teaspoons of beaten egg and reserve for making an egg wash later.

Stir the cream into the larger quantity of egg.  Without overmixing, add the egg-cream mixture into the dry ingredients (I pulsed 5-6 times).  Add additional liquid or flour if needed (but scones are pretty tolerant of being slightly damp).

Blend in the currants by hand, again not overmixing. Turn the dough out onto a floured board or silicon mat and knead once or twice. 

Pat dough into a rectangle about 5 x 8 inches and about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut 6 squares from the rectangle in a 2 x 3 pattern.  Then cut each square on the diagonal to form triangles.

Spray a cookie sheet with a non-stick baking spray and place scones on the sheet. Add a couple teaspoons water to the reserved 2 teaspoons of egg to form the egg wash and brush the tops of the scones.

Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden, then cool on a wire rack.

How to Serve

Scones are a seriously versatile pastry! I’d serve them anywhere I’d serve muffins–and a few more places besides.  Include butter and optionally jam, or even clotted cream if it’s teatime.

And besides the classic teatime, scones are delicious for any morning meal.  Serve them up for a casual breakfast (with or without a side of eggs) or make up a tray to serve at an elegant brunch. 

But don’t stop there.  Scones can be added to a soup and salad lunch for a light and delicious meal. Or serve with a meaty entree as a fun side.  Even better, send a batch off to school for your child’s late rehearsal or sports team event–kids love unique homemade treats!

Finally, they’re great for entertaining.  Include them in your bread basket for your next formal (or informal) dinner.  Or add them to the menu of a baby or bridal shower.  Finally my college daughter brought them to almost every student event she attended (okay, maybe it was all she knew how to make back then)!

Variations and Special Diets

Now that you know scones are easy, want to try some of the fun flavors in the picture below?  From left to right in the top row, we have Lemon Poppy Seed Scones, Smoked Salmon Dill Scones , and Tasty Apple Scones.

In the second row, it’s Maple Pecan Cherry Scones and Pecan Pumpkin Scones.

And finally, the bottom row has Honey Lavender Scones, Whole Wheat Gingerbread Scones, and Sunshine Orange Scones.

Special Diets          

These currant scones arevegetarian.  And they’ve been tested both with sugar for a standard recipe and with allulose for a no-added-sugar version.

To make the no-added sugar version (though they’ll never be low carb!) you can use ½ cup of allulose instead of the 6 Tablespoons of sugar (you need extra allulose because it’s less sweet.)  Then you’ll want to start the baking temperature at 375F (allulose tends to brown darker), but check and raise the temperature to 400F at the end if it isn’t browning. 

Now I should warn you here that different sweeteners can perform VERY differently in recipes.  It isn’t like switching between white sugar and brown sugar.  So if you decide to experiment with different sweeteners, you are likely to experience a lot of failures (yes, ask me how I know this).

Leftovers

These will last a few days sealed at room temperature.  Quality is best the first day and goes down gradually after that.

Scones, like most other bread products, freeze well. Just remember to freeze them early (ideally day 1) for best quality. 

Tips & FAQs

Grapes, and by extension raisins and dried currants, are regularly included in the EWG dirty dozen list of most contaminated fruits and vegetables.  So, buy organic if you can.    

Can I glaze these scones?  If you (or your kids) are die hard glaze lovers, yes, you can glaze these.  See my Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake for a delicious vanilla icing that can be used as a glaze or drizzle. 

Just be aware that this will increase the calories and sugar content significantly (as a pre-diabetic, I always pay attention to added sugar).  As an alternative, I sometimes sprinkle my scones with coarse sugar before baking, which is also nice—plus lower in calories than glaze.

So while I go with plain, if you’re trying to impress your in-laws–or maybe feed the swim team, do whatever works for you!

And if you’re looking for more tasty brunch recipes, take a look below!

Best Brunch Recipes

• Apple Pachadi from Magical Ingredients
• Broccoli Quiche from The Spiffy Cookie
• Chilaquiles with Fried Eggs from Jen Around the World
• Chile Relleno Casserole from That Recipe
• Mushroom Cheddar Baked Eggs from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box

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Currant Scones

Beloved but misunderstood, scones are actually easy to make.  Today’s currant scones are lightly sweet and classically delicious! Perfect for teas, brunches, snacking and more.

Author: Inger

5 from 2 votes

Print

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Course Bread & Muffins, Breakfast

Cuisine British

Servings 12

Calories 194 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 4 Tablespoons butter ½ stick
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 2 eggs divided
• 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ cup cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup dried currants

Instructions

 

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
• Divide the butter into pieces, then cut into the flour mixture with a pastry tool or in a food processor.  Process until butter pieces are tiny and flour coated.  Mixture will resemble sandy crumbs. 
• In a separate bowl, beat two eggs. Remove a couple teaspoons of beaten egg and reserve for making an egg wash later.
• Stir the cream into the larger quantity of egg. Mix the egg-cream mixture into the dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix (I pulsed 5-6 times). Add additional liquid or flour if needed (but scones are pretty tolerant of being slightly damp).
• Blend in the currants by hand, again not overmixing.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured board or silicon mat and knead once or twice.
• Pat dough into a rectangle about 5 x 8 inches and about 3/4 inch thick. Cut 6 squares from the rectangle in a 2 x 3 pattern. Then cut each square on the diagonal to form triangles.
• Spray a cookie sheet with a non-stick baking spray and place scones on the sheet.
• Beat a couple teaspoons water into the reserved 2 teaspoons of egg to form the egg wash and brush the tops of the scones.
• Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden, then cool on a wire rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 4gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 249mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 307IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 1mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from the original dated Apr 27, 2011, when they were made in honor of William & Kate’s upcoming nuptials.

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