These blueberry sour cream scones have that homemade, farmhouse feel—made with olive oil for an easy bake that’s tender, crumbly, and full of berry goodness.
I love scones. They are so easy to make, come together really quickly and bakes in 15 minutes. I love scones baked with fresh fruit because they are both just sweet enough.
My 16-year old daughter has now fallen in love with scones, too. Now that she is old enough to prepare and bake on her own, she whips up this recipe in no time.
As I told my girl, scones don’t require much mixing. The crumbly the dough, the better. And you can mix and bake everything in under 30 minutes. What’s not to love?!
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Recipe highlights
- Versatile: I modified my go-to yogurt scone recipe to make these wonderful sour cream scones. You can use any variety of seasonal fruit or berries like raspberries or peaches to create a delightful treat for brunch or a snack.
- Simple: The scone recipe is simple and does not fancy ingredients or equipment. It’s a one bowl recipe that only requires your hands and a fork! It’s so easy my teenage daughter makes herself scones all the time!
- Texture: By using olive oil and sour cream instead of buttermilk or butter, you still end up with a moist, tender and perfect scone texture. And you don’t have to chill the butter or cut it with a food processor!
- Flavor: The key to baking with olive oil is choosing the right olive oil. For my fruity scones, I use a mild oil. You can also use a fruit or herb infused olive oil for additional flavor. These scones are fluffy but not like a cake, and just sweet enough that it needs no icing.
- Olive Oil: I almost bake exclusively with extra virgin olive oil. I love it so much that I wrote an olive oil cookbook. My most popular recipes include my vanilla cake with olive oil, olive oil gingerbread cookies, and I even make a wonderful chocolate olive oil pie crust!
Ingredients you need
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- Blueberries: I prefer to use fresh blueberries in scones because they hold their shape in the short time they get baked. You can use frozen blueberries or swap out for any other fresh fruit.
- Lemon: You need a fresh lemon because you are grating the zest. Be sure not to grate any of the pith, the white part of the lemon.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I bake mostly with olive oil. Although butter is traditionally used in scones, I make them with extra virgin olive oil.
- Sour cream: I do not typically have buttermilk in my fridge, but I always have sour cream. It works great in baked goods. If you do not have sour cream you can use plain yogurt instead.
- Milk: Milk is mixed with the sour cream for the scone batter and is also brushed on the top of the scones for gloss and color.
- Egg: You will need one large egg.
- Pantry staples: all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt
Step-by-step directions
- Combine dry ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, milk and egg.
- Add olive oil. Using a fork, stir in olive oil until flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Form the dough. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and mix with a fork until a rough dough is formed. Do not over mix the dough.
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- Shape the dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a circle or rectangle. Press it down until about ½-inch thick.
- Add berries. Add half the blueberries onto one side of the dough and gently press them down.
- Fold the dough. Fold the empty half of the dough over the blueberries, pressing the two layers together. Press remaining berries over the top of the dough.
- Cut the dough. Cut dough into 8-10 even pieces and place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with a little sugar.
- Bake the scones. Bake at 400ºF until golden, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer scones to a cooling rack to cool to desired temperature.
Recipe tips and FAQs
Scones also bake quickly, usually only requiring 15 minutes or less. Because of this, scones make excellent vessels for any type of fruit, no matter how fragile. The fruit softens during the baking process, but still holds its shape.
When first baked, they are dry on the outside and moist on the inside. It softens even more the next day. These scones can last for several days loosely wrapped in foil on the counter at room temperature.
Want to try more scone recipes?
I bake my blackberry scones with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My whole wheat scones are studded with pomegranate. I even made savory scones that include cherry tomatoes.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store cooled scones lightly covered in foil on the counter for up to 3 days if the room is cool. If you live in a humid environment, I suggest refrigeration. Scones will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze scones. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
You can totally make scones with olive oil! Scones made with extra virgin olive are are slightly softer than their butter varieties. The dough can be chilled before baking, but it is not necessary. The trick is to mix the oil with the flour mixture first then add just enough wet ingredients without turning the dough to mush.
Sour cream is excellent for baking. It is high in fat which means a moist and rich cake. You can add sour cream to any batter including cakes, muffins and scones. It doesn’t really make your baked goods taste sour, especially when you have other ingredients which add more flavor.
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Blueberry Sour Cream Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest grated zest from 1 lemon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 oz blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt.
- Using a fork, stir in olive oil until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, ¼ cup milk and egg.
- Pour wet mixture into flour mixture and mix with a fork until a rough dough is formed. Do not over mix the dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a circle or rectangles Press it down until about ½-inch thick.
- Add half the blueberries onto one side of the dough and gently press them down.
- Fold the empty half of the dough over the blueberries, pressing the two layers together.
- Press remaining berries over the top of the dough.
- Cut dough into 8-10 even pieces.
- Brush tops with 1 tablespoon milk and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.
- Place scones onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes.
- Transfer scones to a cooling rack to cool to desired temperature.
- Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Love these. Added freshly ground coriander to my second batch, magic!
Hi Bob-
So glad you loved the scones. Never though of adding coriander to them – fabulous touch!
Laura
I have just discovered your wonderful recipes on Pinterest! These scones look lovely, would they freeze ok?
Hi Jude!
Hello and Welcome! I have not frozen these scones (as we eat them up quickly!). But you can freeze scones. Let them cool first then place in a re-sealable bag or airtight container. They should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Laura