I have very little experience with traditional British pastries, which may shock those who have witnessed how engrossed I become in Bake Off. But I daydream about the flavors—ahem, flavours—dreamt up in the tent, including, of course, one of the most iconic British baked goods: the scone.
I’ve had scones before, but they’ve always been from school dining halls and cafeterias. They’ve been so dry, bland, and blah that I had to assume that there was something more to the pastry that would explain why so many people liked them. As someone both skeptical and hopeful for the scone, I was really excited to conduct a taste test of scone mixes.
Here’s what I looked for in the best scone mix: I wanted it to be fairly easy to make, fairly mess-free, and pretty tasty. I followed package instructions to prepare the scones, fighting every urge to channel the Bake-Off contestants and get fancy with it. I tasted the final products at room temp, without toppings, before deciding on my favorites to toast and smother in jam.
The verdict? I like scones! Here are the scone mixes you should be buying (including gluten free scone mix).
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- Sticky Fingers Cranberry Orange Scones Premium Mix
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Let’s say you’re stranded on a desert island. Sorry, I mean dessert island. But on this island you’re roughing it with only scone mix, an oven, all the bowls and pans you’ll need to bake the scones, a cup of tea, and your jammies. In this horrifying circumstance, you’re forced to eat your scone without butter, cream, jam, or any sort of spread. This is the scone mix you’d want to have. It is absolutely packed with flavor, to the point where the orange flavor is almost aggressive. It’s sweet, soft, and might leave the old schoolers who prefer subtlety a little taken-aback, but it’s unapologetically cranberry orange. I respect that.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Sticky Fingers Lemon Poppyseed Scones Premium Mix
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None of the scone mixes were exceedingly difficult to put together, but this one was blissfully easy. I was really expecting sub-par quality considering that all I had to add was water. There was no cubing butter, no cracking eggs, no measuring oil. So the fact that the scones turned out as tasty as they did restored my faith in humanity. That said, the scones do have an aftertaste, maybe from the leavening. And the scones smell much more like lemon than they taste like lemon. But this is still the best scone mix to buy if you refuse to do any work whatsoever.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Free and Easy Afternoon Tea Scone Mix
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I probably wouldn’t have liked the scones I made with this scone mix when I was a kid, but now, in my advanced age, with my sophisticated palate, I’m into them. The scones are dry, but don’t suck the moisture out of my mouth like the scones of my past did. They actually kind of remind me of the crumb topping of a crumb cake, which nobody on Earth has ever had a problem with. These scones are not super sweet, but certainly not bitter, and have a delightfully nutty, deep flavor. This is the best scone mix to buy if you’re looking for something a little sophisticated—and if you love buckwheat. Bonus points for also being gluten free and dairy free!
Credit: Merc / British Essentials
- Stonewall Kitchen Traditional Scone Mix
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My biggest issue with this scone mix is that the brand missed the opportunity to call it “Sconewall Kitchen.” Absolute crime against marketing aside, this scone mix makes great scones. They taste a little like buttermilk biscuits, but instead of the flakiness of a biscuit you get the crumble of a scone. Perhaps the best part is that the inside stays tender while the outside becomes a crispy crust that is crunchy and flavorful. I was absolutely stoked to split this in half and toast it for some more of that sweet, maillard action.
Credit: Merc / Stonewall Kitchen
- King Arthur Gluten Free Scone Mix
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Ah, King Arthur. The regal baker consistently impresses me, and this gluten free scone mix is no exception. It’s a very different experience from the Free and Easy mix, the other gluten-free scone mix on this list. It created scones with a much more moist texture that melted in my mouth instead of crumbling. The scones are perfumed with vanilla, but the sweetness is subtle. It reminds me a lot of Nilla Wafers. I desperately want to smother these gluten-free scones in peanut butter and bananas. Is that the traditional way to have a scone? Probably not, but get with the times and bring on the ‘nanners. Not only is this the best gluten-free scone mix, it’s also the best scone mix, overall.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
Best Very Flavorful
Best Easy to Make
Best Buckwheat Scones
Best Crust
Best of the Best
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!