Enjoy a delicious “smackerel” with this easy scones recipe, inspired by A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Slathered with homemade honey butter, Pooh and his friends would surely enjoy these classic British-style cream scones at teatime.
I grew up living next door to my childhood best friend, whose mother is British. She is a great lover of literature and a writer herself, and she was adamant about exposing us to all of the classic British children's books as we were growing up. If I close my eyes, I can still hear her reading aloud to us from all of the Beatrix Potter books, The Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden, and more, all in her distinctive English accent. (And yes, those books are also in the queue for recipes!)
But what could be more beloved to Brits and readers the world over than A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories? These gentle, heartwarming tales of animal friendships and woodland adventures are the pure essence of childhood. And lucky for me, Pooh Bear has a particular weakness for snacks.
About The Winnie-the-Pooh Series
"Nearly eleven o'clock," said Pooh happily. "You're just in time for a little smackerel of something."
A. A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner
English author A. A. Milne published Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926, and The House at Pooh Corner in 1928, both charmingly illustrated by E. H. Shepard. The short stories in these collections feature the fictional adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh (a stout, somewhat bumbling bear) and his friends Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, and Tigger. All are friends to young Christopher Robin (named for Milne's son), who comes to visit them in the Hundred Acre Wood. Milne based these characters on his son's toys, which you can see on display at the New York Public Library!
The beauty of the Pooh stories is their simplicity. Each portrays a very small adventure, usually brought on by a misunderstanding by a confused Pooh, that ends in a sweet moment of friendship. The problems Pooh and his friends face are perfectly right-sized for young children, and strikingly metaphoric for adults. The idyllic setting of the Hundred Acre Wood and Milne's playful, poetic writing style have been a welcome escape from real life for readers for almost a hundred years. Doubtless, these endearing stories will continue to delight readers of all ages for many years to come.
The Walt Disney Corporation adapted the world of Pooh into a different beloved franchise starting in the 1960s, but to me, the books will always reign supreme.
Recipe Inspiration
Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o'clock in the morning, and he was very glad to see Rabbit getting out plates and mugs; and when Rabbit said "Honey or condensed milk with your bread?" he was so excited that he said "Both," and then, so as not to seem greedy, he added, "but don't bother about the bread, please."
A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Whether you're most familiar with Pooh in his book or Disney form, you are bound to know that what he loves most in this world is honey. He spends many a story counting his honey pots, searching for a honey tree, and enjoying honey at elevenses or teatime with his friends.
To honor the British tradition of teatime snacks, I decided a proper British scone would be welcome in the Hundred Acre Wood. British scones, unlike their American counterparts, are usually quite plain and not very sweet, but are the perfect light, flaky vehicle to be slathered with accompaniments like butter, jam, clotted cream, and, of course, honey.
I settled on an easy scones recipe that uses the power of cold butter and cream to create steam in the oven that translates to deliciously puffy, flaky layers. After cutting cold butter into the flour with a pastry blender (or smooshing it in with your fingers), the dough is simply stirred together in a bowl, patted out on the counter, and then cut into individual scones with a sharp round cutter (which helps the layers open up on the sides). My British neighbor approved that they have the "perfect fault line" to be split open and duly slathered (a relief to me that they met her standard, to be sure!).
But this recipe needed to incorporate honey for Pooh! For an extra-special topping, I decided to make homemade honey butter to go along with the scones. Mixing together very soft butter with honey and a pinch of salt created a shiny, smooth mixture that was perfectly spreadable. Sweet and honey-forward, I hope that Pooh would love it (maybe even skipping the scone and eating it by the paw-ful).
Ingredients You'll Need
You may already have everything you need for this easy scones recipe and homemade honey butter right in your pantry and fridge!
To make it, you'll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Table salt
- Unsalted butter (very cold for the scones, and very soft for the honey butter)
- Heavy cream
- Honey
How to Make This Easy Scones Recipe
The full recipe with detailed timing and instructions is below, but here are some key moments to look out for along the way:
- Cut in the butter: Use a pastry blender to cut very cold butter into pieces and blend them into the dry ingredients. (This will create flaky layers in your scones when they bake!)
- Cut out the scones: After mixing in the cream and forming a dough, use a sharp round cutter to cut out the scones. (Or you can pat the dough into a rectangle and cut them into squares with a sharp chef's knife.)
- Paint the scones with cream: Use a pastry brush to paint the tops of the scones with extra cream before baking. This will give them nice, shiny tops in the oven!
- Make the honey butter: Stir together very soft butter, honey, and a little bit of salt in a bowl until the mixture is smooth and shiny.
Why This Recipe Is Great for Kids
I've spent years writing cookbooks and creating recipes that are safe, fun, and engaging for kids and home cooks of all ages. Here are some key features of this recipe that make it perfect for kids and families to make together at home:
- This easy scones recipe is pantry-friendly, quick to make, and requires no mixer!
- The dough is fun to stir together, squish, and pat into a circle for kids who like to work with their hands.
- The homemade honey butter makes extra that can be used to top other things. Adding a dollop to roasted or steamed vegetables like carrots, corn, sweet potatoes, or peas may make veggies more enticing to picky eaters!
- If kids don't like honey, they can skip making the honey butter and top their scones with whatever they like best. Salted butter, jam (might we suggest some homemade Wild Maine Blueberry Jam?), or marmalade are all delicious!
Let's Cook!
Gather your equipment, measure your ingredients, and get cooking with this kid-friendly recipe! If you loved making it together, please leave five stars and share your stories in the comments.
Cream Scones with Honey Butter
Good To Know
- A pastry blender does a good job of cutting the butter into the flour, but if you don’t have one, you can mix the butter in with your fingers. Smoosh the butter pieces flat first, then break them up and rub them into the flour until they form small bits that are evenly distributed. Just try to do this quickly, so the chilled butter doesn’t warm up too much.
- A 2-inch round cookie cutter makes 10 to 12 nicely-sized scones for snacking, but if you don’t have one, you can pat the dough into a ¾-inch-thick rectangle and cut out square scones with a bench scraper or chef’s knife instead. If your scones are bigger than 2 inches, you may get fewer than 12, and they may need to bake a bit longer in the oven.
- Make sure your butter is very soft before you mix your honey butter together. You can set it out to soften on the counter at the beginning of the recipe, and if it’s not quite soft enough when you get to that step, pop the bowl of honey butter in the microwave and heat it at 50% power for 10 seconds at a time until it’s very soft (but not fully melted). That will make mixing in the honey much easier!
- Extra honey butter can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week; soften the butter on the counter before serving, if chilled. Scones can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days; warm them up in a toaster oven or regular oven at 350 degrees to refresh before serving.
Equipment You'll Need
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- 2 Bowls (1 large, 1 medium)
- Whisk
- Pastry blender (see note)
- Rubber spatula
- Ruler (nice to have but you can also eyeball it!)
- 2-inch round cookie cutter (see note)
- Pastry brush
- Oven mitts
- Cooling rack
Measure Your Ingredients
Scones
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces and chilled
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Honey Butter
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and well softened (see note)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
Let's Cook!
Make the Scones
- Set your oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon table saltIn a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces and chilledSprinkle the chilled butter pieces over the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to blend the butter into the flour until it looks like fine crumbs, with pieces of butter no bigger than a pea.
- 1 cup heavy creamAdd the 1 cup cream and use a rubber spatula to stir until just combined and no dry flour is visible (the dough will look crumbly).
- Sprinkle some extra flour onto a clean countertop. Transfer the dough to the floured counter. Use your hands to gather up the dough pieces into a ball, then gently knead and press the dough until it sticks together in a smooth-ish mass. Press and pat the dough into about a 7-inch circle, about ¾-inch thick.
- Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out 6 to 8 rounds of dough. (You can dip the cutter in some extra flour if it sticks to the dough.) Transfer the dough rounds to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Gather up the dough scraps into a ball, gently knead them together, then press out the dough into another ¾-inch-thick circle. Use the cookie cutter to cut out more rounds of dough. Repeat as needed until you have 10 to 12 dough rounds total.
- 1 tablespoon heavy creamUse a pastry brush to paint the top of each scone with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake until the scones are puffy and golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on the stovetop or a cooling rack. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes.
Make the Honey Butter and Serve
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and well softened, 2 tablespoons honey, ⅛ teaspoon table saltWhile the scones are cooling, in a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, honey, and salt. Use a clean rubber spatula or spoon to mash and stir until the ingredients are well combined and the honey butter looks smooth and shiny.
- Serve the scones warm or at room temperature and slathered with honey butter as a delicious smackerel.
Conversation Starters
While your scones bake and as you enjoy your snack together at the table, talk about the stories in Winnie-the-Pooh and what it was like to cook the recipe together. You can help young readers make connections to the book and share your own answers, ideas, and stories with them with the following prompts:
- Pooh enjoys "elevenses" (pronounced "eleven-zees"), a short break for a snack taken around 11:00 am that's traditional in Great Britain (and other parts of the world). When is your favorite time to have a snack?
- If you could invite one character from the Pooh stories to enjoy your scones with you, who would you invite, and why?
- In this recipe, the butter used in the scones dough needs to be very cold, and the butter used to make the honey butter needs to be warm and soft. Why do you think that is? (Grown-ups: the answers are in the article!)
Miye says
Looks delicious!
Sandra Cyrus says
Easy and fun to make recipe. Since I didn't have a round cookie cutter, I used an inverted jam jar. My British neighbor came for afternoon tea and claimed these scones to be authentic!