Best Berry Scone Recipe
Posted on February 8th, 2012 by Becky || 41 comments
I love nostalgic recipes. This recipe for Berry Almond Scones takes be back to a restaurant that used to be here in Salt Lake, the Cocoa Cafe. It was owned by a friendly Norweigan guy, just looking to live the simple life, enjoying family, cooking the foods he loved and making a living to support it all. Unfortunately, the Cocoa Cafe isn’t around any more but I still dream about their fluffy berry scones and rich hot chocolate.

I’ve tried replicating the Cocoa Cafe’s scones a few times. A friend of mine snagged the recipe (hand written on a torn napkin) from an old employee of theirs. It was fun to feel a bit clandestine, tracking down this long lost recipe and testing it out together. But we discovered there were a few problems with the secret recipe, it was for an enormous batch and used European measurements, so when we quartered the recipe it just didn’t turn out the same as at the old cafe. Since then I’ve been trying to find a recipe that would stand a chance against those fluffy scones in my memory. Sometimes food memories just can’t be replicated! But finally, I found just the one… and let me just tell you, these may even go beyond the scones at the Cocoa Cafe.
These scones are sweet and buttery, busting at the seams with a variety of juicy berries, and perfectly tender. Many scone recipes call for heavy cream, which I thought might be irreplaceable for a good scone but the mixture of the thick almond milk and creamy Greek yogurt made for perfect healthy replacements. You won’t miss the heavy cream one bit. Also, the mixture of whole wheat pastry flour and regular flour makes for a good balance. If you just have regular flour just use two cups. I wouldn’t advise using regular wheat flour or using all whole wheat pastry flour though. I always try to make healthy substitutions that don’t take away from the flavor of the recipe. And with this recipe I think the healthy ingredients only make them better. The scones are almost magical when you enjoy them hot right out of the oven!
I have had fun recently coming up with a series of ‘best recipes,’ taking time to find my favorite for some kitchen staples. Here are a few of my favorites so far: Best Granola Recipe, Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Best Blueberry Muffin Recipe, Best Vegan Cookies, and Best Bran Muffin Recipe. Of course, all of these are subject to my preferences which you may disagree with but none-the-less, they are tried and true! What best recipes do you keep up your sleeve?
Ingredients Instructions Notes If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed. And just to clarify, I used all of the ingredients listed, the ones in parenthesis are ideas for substitutes. If you use a substitute please let me know how then turn out!










I so wish I could have one of these right now for breakfast. These look perfect!
The scones look fantastic!
These look delightful. I can't resist a good scone recipe.
These scones looks so drool-worthy
Oh my gosh, these look heavenly! I know what I'll be baking up this weekend!
I am always looking for a good blueberry recipe and I love the mixture of berries here (along with the Greek yogurt and almond milk additions). And, I really can safely say that I have never had a fluffy scone, so I am really intrigued!
BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS! I just love all of those colors!
Thanks for sharing eRecipeCards.com
Dave
Oh, I LOVED the Cocoa Cafe! I never tried their scones, but the hot chocolate was to die for. Your scones look wonderful, and the healthy substitutions are always appreciated.
Oooh, these sound amazing, and I have to check out your other "best" recipes!
Love the looks of these-thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Ooooh, those berries look perfectly "melted." Yum!
omg. these look so delicious and moist. my mouth is watering.
thanks for the recipe! i made these for day-after-valentine's breakfast, and they are killer!
These scones look perfect and absolutely irresistible! And I´m on a quest for a best-scone-recipe, so I´ll be trying this out very soon!
Please do let me know what you think after you try them!
I adore scones. These look so yummy!!
I’m a big scone fan as well and these are my very favorites!!
I´ve made them and can´t wait to make them again! They were great!!!
So glad you enjoyed them!! And thanks for coming back to the blog to let me know.
We had fun this weekend picking blueberries with our families and were looking for blueberry recipes. Thanks for sharing, we linked it up to our post Little Hands that Cook with Book and Blueberries. Can’t wait to make these with my daughter! . http://theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2012/05/30-ways-to-eat-blueberries.html
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made these this weekend using fresh strawberries and they were the absolute HIT of my party! They are so soft and fluffy and tasty. And I love that the ingredients are so healthy as well. I plan on making many versions of this throughout the year with whatever is in season. Have you tried making a savory version?
You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. They’re my hidden gems of the scone world
I haven’t tried making a savory version yet but that is a brilliant idea!
[...] verdict? Two thumbs up for the White Chocolate Raspberry scones taken from The Vintage Mixer via Pinterest (what a great site by the way) and 1.5 thumbs up for the chocolate scones via The [...]
I used 2% milk and vanilla yogurt. It adds to the flavor of the dough. I have been mixing fresh berries with frozen when putting them in the pocket. I split it in half and did half of them with chocolate chips too. This next round I will add ginger bits. I enjoy them in the morning with coffee. Thanks for such a great scone recipe.
All of your variations sound delicious! I’m going to try the ginger next time. Thanks for the idea!
I made these this morning for breakfast and they were _____. I didn’t have yogurt or almond milk (a rarity in my home, but for some reason we didn’t) so I substituted them for 3/4 cup of milk, and I also substituted the whole wheat pastry flour for more all-purpose flour. I used cranberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. My family loved them! So will my neighbors… >,<
p.s. I also greased the baking pan with canola oil instead of using parchment paper because my family is trying to reduce waste.
You should totally try it.
I hope that ___ is a good thing?! Thanks for trying the recipe, it is one of my favorites
[...] Unfortunately, I forgot to copy down the recipe I used then, but this recipe (adapted from this one) seems pretty [...]
Do you use the berries while they are still frozen ? Also, if you used fresh berries would you make any adjustments? These look fabulous!
Susan, Yes you can use the berries when they are still frozen it will actually help them not to bleed into the dough making it turn blue. If you use fresh berries there are no adjustments. Enjoy
I made these today with the help of my 18 month old just an hour ago, and they are fabulous. Since I didn’t have the right flour on hand and since my husband has a milk protein allergy, we changed it up a little:
*coconut milk (in a carton from Trader Joe’s)
*plain coconut milk Greek style yogurt (from So Delicious)
* organic bread flour (didn’t have all purpose… weird, I know!)
* organic whole wheat flour (I did not have pastry flour)
So, I went with what I had and they turned out deliciously light and fluffy. I was able to use butter (husband is only allergic to the protein, and butter is all fat!), but before we put them in the oven I decided to use coconut oil to brush them, since it is so hot here that the oil was already melted. My toddler loved brushing the dough for me
Result – Delicious scones that my husband can eat! SOOoooo good! In fact, Husband ate two already.
Britta, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I’ll have to try then with coconut. I bet it gives them a new depth of flavor. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Oh for the love…just finished baking these and ate one – I don’t know how I will sleep knowing 7 more are waiting for me in the morning. I feel guilty, but not really. I tried these with sprouted wheat flour (1:1), macadamia nuts, and huckleberries – turned out great.
sounds delicious with macadamia nuts and huckleberries!!
I made these last night (with all the vegan substitutes) and they were wonderful! The coconut vegan yogurt went really well in them too. And you know you’ve done well when your husband comes home to them and doesn’t eat just one, but two! Thanks for the recipe! xox
So glad you enjoyed them! And your husband as well. My husband’s the ultimate taste tester in our house too!
I made them and they are excellent! They looked just like yours and the recipe was perfect! Thank you for these!
These are the moistest scones I have ever made! Thanks so much for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed them!!
[...] on Pinterest and checking in a few of my favorite go to cookbooks, I settled on this recipe: http://www.thevintagemixer.com/2012/02/best-berry-scone-recipe/ The ingredients matched what I had in my kitchen and after reading through the step by step [...]