Gemma’s Best Ever Irish Scones

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.

Hi Bold Bakers!

WHAT YOU GET: An incredible Irish Scones recipe that’s as authentic as it gets — I’m Irish, so you’ve come to the authority on the subject. Moist, dense, lightly sweet, these are the best ever.

This is a very special recipe, one that has been frequently requested and highly anticipated. In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, I finally perfected my Best Ever Irish Scones recipe! These are the most authentic Irish Scones around as they are quite literally a revamped recreation of what I grew up within Ireland similar to my Traditional Irish Soda Bread & Simple White Irish Soda Bread recipes.

To me, Irish soda bread scones are all about texture. My Best Ever Scones have all of the signs of what a scone should be: a crunchy, crackly exterior, a moist and dense interior, and a lightly sweet flavor. Overall a bite of these should feel like a big hug!

My Best Ever Irish Scones, along with my Best Ever Banana Bread and my Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies, are a tried and true recipe that will quickly become your go-to. Just like a flakey biscuit, scones are made of flour, butter, sugar, egg, and milk.

What Are Irish Scones?

Irish Scones are heaven on Earth, and straight out of my childhood in Ireland. They’re scones that have a lightly sweet crust and a wonderfully moist center served with cream, butter, or jam. Bonus points if they’re all homemade! They’re also traditionally round, not triangular like you’d find in the States.

If you need help making them, check out my step-by-step Irish Scones recipe video below.

What You’ll Need

• Large mixing bowl
• Small bowl
• Whisk
• Baking tray
• Parchment paper
• Cookie Cutter
• Wire Rack
• Measuring cups and spoons

How to Make Irish Scones

If you’re looking for a traditional, authentic, and flat-out simple Irish scone recipe, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s how you make them (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):

1. Flour power! Add self-raising flour to a large mixing bowl.
2. Frozen butter: Grate the frozen butter into the bowl. Frozen butter is my secret ingredient here, and I explain why in the next section.
3. Add your fix-ins. Stir in raisins, baking powder, and sugar.
4. Milk and eggs. Whisk the eggs and milk in a separate small bowl, add into the mixing bowl, and stir until a soft dough is formed.
5. Press and cut. On a floured surface, press the scones and then cut them out with a cookie cutter. Combine the leftover dough and repeat until you’ve used it all up.
6. Baking time! Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking tray. After bringing the oven to 425 degrees, bake before cooling on a wire rack.
7. It’s time to eat! Once the scones are cooled, add butter, jam, and fresh cream.

Why Use Frozen Butter

While these Best Ever Irish Scones taste like they are made in a real Irish Bakery, they are so easy to make. The key to them is really that they are made 100% by hand.

In one bowl, I grate frozen butter into the flour. This is the trick to making these the biggest and boldest scones. Grating the butter makes a huge difference in the texture of the scones — it creates pockets of butter throughout and adds loads of air and texture to the finished scones.

What Can I Add to My Scones?

After grating in the cold butter, and mixing in the rest of the dry ingredients starting with sweet raisins and followed by the eggs and milk, you can get creative and add in any other mix-ins you like. From adding fresh berries like in my Fresh Blueberry Scones to chocolate chips, you can make so many variations with this recipe.

Check out my other scone recipes, too: Easy Chocolate Chip Scones, Simple Raspberry Scones, Chocolate Scones, and Pizza Scones.

Shaping Irish Scones

Once the dough has come together, I roll the dough out and cut them into lovely rounds, only American scones are triangles. I can’t even tell you how nostalgic these scones make me feel.

How to Serve My Best-Ever Irish Scones

After baking, I love to top these with jam and fresh whipped cream. If you happen to have my homemade Microwave Jam or clotted cream, even better! If you’ve ever wondered How to Make Clotted Cream you have to check out this recipe!

St. Patrick’s Day or not, these are sure to become a family favorite! Also, don’t miss my other traditional Irish recipes.

Get more Irish Recipes:

• Simple White Irish Soda Bread
• Traditional Irish Bread and Butter Pudding
• Traditional Irish Soda Bread (Brown Bread)
• Classic Irish Apple Tart
• 5-Minute Authentic Irish Brown Bread
• Authentic Irish Apple Amber Pie
• Authentic Irish Potato Farls
• My Mum’s Authentic Irish Apple Crumble

Want To Go Deeper?

Level up your baking skills even further and subscribe to the Bold Baking Academy today! You’ll get access to all the in-depth baking courses both past and present, access to the Bold Baking Academy Community, and the one-of-a-kind Baking Concierge — which is a fast & direct connection to me and my team of culinary experts to answer any baking question you might have.

That’s right, inside or out of the Academy! So subscribe now!

Try These Recipes!

Best-Ever Banana Bread Recipe

Easy Funnel Cake

Deep Dish Pizza

Steakhouse-Style Pumpernickel Bread