A tea party wouldn't be complete without serving scones with clotted cream. Once you have mastered a basic scones recipe, you can add all sorts of combinations of fruits, chocolate, nuts, herbs, etc. to make your own unique flavors. Highlight your creations with this simple oven method for making clotted cream. Careful, once you learn how easy it is to make, you might be slathering it on everything you can find!

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH SCONES

9 ounces all purpose flour
2 ounces sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3 oz. cold, unsalted butter, diced 
7 ounces cream, plus a touch more for glazing
optional: 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Powdered sugar for rolling
4 tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 400°

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, powder, and salt. Whisk or mix with your fingers to combine. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingers, flattening each piece.

Stir in the cream and vanilla. Mix just until the cream incorporates. It may still look a touch dry, but resist adding more cream. You can add any additional ingredients like dried fruit or chocolate chips at this time.

Dust a small patch of counter space with powdered sugar and turn out the dough, kneading lightly, just until a ball forms.

Roll the dough into a 1” thick round, brush lightly with some cream, sprinkle with sugar and cut into wedges. Transfer to an ungreased sheet pan. Bake for about 20 minutes and cool on a wire rack. Serve immediately when cool.

CLOTTED CREAM

Clotted cream, also known as Devonshire cream, is a part of the traditional English cream tea. It is used on scones and tea biscuits and then topped with jam. It is simple to make but oh so decadent!

4 cups pasteurized heavy cream - not ultra-pasteurized

Pour cream into a shallow glass pan so it is no more than 2-3 inches deep. Cover with foil and place in your oven on the lowest setting for 8 hours or overnight. Do not stir!

Remove the pan from the oven. Use a slotted spoon to skim the thick layer of clotted cream from the surface leaving the thin cream behind.

Gently stir the clotted cream to smooth out the texture. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve at room temperature.