Ina Garten’s Scone Recipe Is the Only One I Ever Use (It's My Favorite)

It’s hard to imagine a cozier morning than waking up to a blanket of fresh snow and the smell of homemade scones baking in the oven. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to experience just that, so I feel compelled to tell you all about one of my favorite scone recipes.

It should come as no surprise that the recipe is by the queen of classic yet elevated comfort food, Ina Garten. Ina’s Chocolate Pecan Scones are my go-to when I’m craving a warm, buttery, craggy scone.

I happened to be baking these for my kids before an epic sledding session, so I omitted the pecans since they don’t love the texture of nuts. In the summer, I use the base of the recipe to make fresh berry scones, and I’ve even taken it in a savory direction with grated cheddar and crispy bacon. Needless to say, this recipe is endlessly adaptable.

What I love most about it is that the dough is very moist, which makes it easy to work with and, in my opinion, more pleasant to eat that other scones I've tried. Purists may prefer a denser, drier scone, but the addition of plenty of cream, butter, and eggs keeps this dough cakey and full of flavor—never dry or dull.

How To Make Ina Garten’s Chocolate Pecan Scones

Start by combining all-purpose flour with sugar, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix in cold, diced butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Heavy cream, eggs, bittersweet chocolate, and pecans are then added to form a sticky dough.

At this point, Ina instructs you to turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead it. I take a slightly different approach. Instead of kneading, I treat the dough more like a biscuit dough. I lightly pat it into a uniform rectangle, cut it in half with a bench scraper, then stack the two halves on top of each other.

I repeat this process two or three times until the dough is smooth and cohesive. This method limits gluten development, which can lead to tough, dense scones, and helps create flaky layers thanks to the stacking.

Once the dough is ready, I divide it in half and form two circles about eight inches in diameter. Using my hands, I pat the dough into evenly thick rounds, then use a bench scraper to cut each circle into eight triangular scones. I find this works much better than rolling the dough out and using a biscuit cutter, since excessive rolling and cutting can again lead to tough scones and prevent them from baking up tall and lofty.

I usually pop the formed scones into the freezer for about 15 minutes while the oven preheats. This chills the butter and cream thoroughly, so when the dough hits the hot oven, the resulting steam gives the scones better lift. Plus, cold dough spreads less, which helps maintain that classic scone shape.

Since this recipe makes a large batch (about 16 scones), I freeze half of them on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe zip-top bag for longer storage. That way, I can bake one or two whenever the craving for a freshly baked treat strikes.

For the scones you plan to enjoy right away, brush the tops with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a 400°F oven until lightly browned and fully cooked through.

If you’ve never made homemade scones before, this is an excellent recipe to start with. Once you master the method, you’ll be dreaming up endless flavor combinations to try next.