Delicious & Easy Blackberry Cream Cheese Scones: A Copycat Recipe Better Than Great Harvest!

Prepare to be enchanted by these incredible Blackberry Cream Cheese Scones, a recipe meticulously crafted and inspired by the beloved Blueberry Cream Cheese Scones from Great Harvest Bread Company. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting Great Harvest’s signature scones, you’ll know they are celebrated for their wonderfully soft texture, delicate sweetness, and delightful pockets of melted cream cheese scattered throughout. Our version takes that inspiration and elevates it, promising a homemade treat that’s not only just as good, but arguably even better!

Our cream cheese scones stand out with their irresistibly soft and moist interior, complemented by a perfectly flaky crust. In our family, these have quickly become a new favorite, often preferred over their bakery-bought counterparts. The best part? This recipe yields a small batch, making it a perfect, low-commitment endeavor for anyone curious to try and form their own delicious conclusion. Whether you prefer the vibrant burst of blueberries or the tart sweetness of blackberries, this recipe is incredibly versatile. You can also choose to shape them into classic triangles or use a round cutter for a more traditional look, as I did with the cream cheese scones pictured here.

The Allure of Cream Cheese in Scones

What sets these scones apart and makes them truly exceptional is the strategic incorporation of cold cream cheese. Unlike traditional scones that rely solely on butter, the cream cheese adds an extra layer of moisture, richness, and a subtle tang that balances the sweetness of the berries. As it bakes, the cream cheese melts into creamy pockets, contributing to the incredibly tender crumb and preventing the scones from drying out. This innovative addition is the secret to their superior texture and flavor, making them wonderfully soft and moist from the inside out, with that desirable flaky exterior that everyone craves.

Mastering the Perfect Cream Cheese Scones Dough

Creating the perfect scone dough is simpler than you might think, and the key lies in a few crucial steps that ensure a light, airy, and flaky result. The most important rule in scone making is to incorporate the liquid ingredients, especially the milk, gradually. This allows you to control the consistency, ensuring your dough is neither too sticky nor too dry. A perfectly hydrated dough is essential for tender scones.

Another game-changer for these cream cheese scones is how we introduce the cream cheese bits and fresh berries. Instead of mixing them directly into the initial dough, we press them into the rolled-out dough. Then, you gently fold the dough over, encapsulating the delicious add-ins without overworking the dough. This method ensures an even distribution of berries and cream cheese pockets, leading to those delightful flecks throughout each scone.

You’ll be happy to know that this dough is incredibly easy to work with and doesn’t require any fancy equipment like a food processor. However, a grater is a highly recommended tool for incorporating butter. In my extensive experience with baking scones and pies, grating cold or even frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients is hands down the best way to achieve that highly coveted flaky texture. It creates tiny, evenly distributed butter pieces that melt slowly during baking, creating steam and those wonderful layers. Plus, it’s quite a fun technique!

Pro Tip: The Frozen Grated Butter Method for Ultimate Flakiness

For those who regularly indulge in the joy of baking scones or pie dough, here’s a time-saving and texture-enhancing tip that you absolutely must try: the frozen grated butter method. This technique ensures your butter stays as cold as possible, which is paramount for achieving those light, airy, and incredibly flaky layers in your baked goods.

On a day when you have a bit of extra time, perhaps while prepping other meals, take 2 to 4 sticks of very cold or even frozen unsalted butter. Grate them directly onto a couple of large plates lined with plastic wrap or wax paper. If you have the luxury of a chest freezer with enough space, you can grate all of it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for easier handling. Once grated, place the plates or baking sheet into the freezer until the butter bits are completely solid. This usually takes about 15-30 minutes.

Once solid, transfer all your frozen grated butter into a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Label and store it in your freezer until you’re ready to bake. When scone or pie-making day arrives, simply weigh out the amount of frozen grated butter your recipe calls for and scatter the icy bits directly into your dry flour mixture. This method ensures maximum flakiness by preventing the butter from melting into the dough too quickly, creating pockets of steam during baking that lift and separate the layers. It’s a simple trick that makes a world of difference!

Choosing Your Berries: Blackberry vs. Blueberry Scones

While the original inspiration came from blueberry scones, this recipe is beautifully adaptable to either blackberries or blueberries, each offering its unique charm. Blueberries provide a classic, sweet burst of flavor and a beautiful purple hue throughout the scone. Blackberries, on the other hand, lend a slightly more tart and robust flavor, creating a delightful contrast with the sweet scone and creamy cheese.

Both fresh and frozen berries work wonderfully in this recipe. If using frozen berries, there’s no need to thaw them beforehand; simply toss them into the dough as directed. This helps prevent the dough from becoming too wet and ensures the berries hold their shape. For those feeling adventurous, feel free to experiment with other fruits like raspberries, chopped strawberries, or even a mix of berries! The key is to keep the fruit quantity roughly the same to maintain the dough’s balance.

As a testament to the recipe’s reliability, my daughter put it through its paces, triple-testing it at an AirBB house with different oven conditions. We’re happy to report that it worked perfectly every single time! So, rest assured, you can confidently bake these whether you opt for the beloved blueberry variety or the luscious blackberry.

Shaping Your Scones for the Perfect Bake

After preparing your dough, the way you shape your scones can influence both their appearance and how they bake. While the recipe suggests using a 2 ½ inch round cutter for uniform, classic scones, you can also opt for a more rustic approach by simply patting the dough into a round disk and cutting it into 6-8 wedges or triangles. Triangle scones often have a more irregular, craggy edge which can become wonderfully crispy.

Regardless of the shape you choose, the key is to handle the dough gently. Overworking the dough can develop the gluten, leading to tough scones rather than the desired tender crumb. When cutting your shapes, try to get as many as you can from the first pass. Gently gather the scraps, press them together into a flat slab, and cut any remaining circles or triangles. Avoid kneading the scraps excessively. A light touch is your best friend when it comes to scone dough.

Baking Your Scones to Golden Perfection

The baking process for these cream cheese scones involves a clever two-temperature method that contributes significantly to their superior texture. You’ll start by preheating your oven to a high 425 degrees Fahrenheit. The initial high heat provides a powerful burst, causing the butter and cream cheese within the dough to rapidly release steam, creating that coveted “oven spring” and promoting a wonderfully flaky crust.

After about 10 minutes at this high temperature, you’ll reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. This lower temperature allows the scones to continue baking through to the center without over-browning the exterior. Continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the scones are beautifully golden brown and cooked all the way through. If you’re using fresh, unfrozen berries or a softer fruit, they might be done slightly sooner, so keep an eye on them. For an extra touch of sweetness and a lovely golden finish, don’t forget to brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with a bit of coarse sugar before baking.

Once baked, resist the urge to immediately devour them! Allowing the scones to cool, ideally on a wire rack, is crucial. The texture actually improves significantly as they cool, allowing the interior to set and the flavors to meld beautifully. Serve them warm or at room temperature.

Why a Small Batch Scone Recipe is Perfect

This recipe is designed for a “small batch,” yielding approximately five delicious scones. There are several advantages to a small batch recipe, especially when it comes to baked goods like scones, which are often best enjoyed fresh. Firstly, it minimizes waste, ensuring you don’t end up with an overwhelming amount of leftovers that might go stale. Secondly, it means you can enjoy freshly baked scones more frequently without committing to a huge baking project. And finally, if you do need more, this recipe doubles beautifully, making it easy to scale up for a larger crowd or for meal prepping a week’s worth of delightful breakfasts.

Serving Suggestions & Variations

These cream cheese scones are utterly delightful on their own, but they also welcome a variety of accompaniments. A dollop of clotted cream and a spoonful of your favorite berry jam can elevate them to an indulgent afternoon tea experience. They pair perfectly with a hot cup of coffee or a comforting mug of tea. For an extra touch, you could whip up a simple lemon glaze to drizzle over the cooled scones, adding another layer of bright flavor. Don’t hesitate to customize them further by adding a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the dry ingredients for a warm spice note, or even some chopped white chocolate chips for an added layer of sweetness.

• Similar to Great Harvest Scones
• Pumpkin Harvest Bread
• Cinnamon Oat Scones
• Whipping Cream Scones
• White Chocolate Cranberry Ginger Cream Scones

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