These elegant Earl Grey Scones are soft, tender, rich with delicate Earl Grey flavor, and topped with creamy vanilla icing. They taste just like a London Fog!
Typically we enjoy scones with tea... but what if the scone was the tea? These Earl Grey scones are just that; tea flavored scones. If you've only had more normal flavored scones such as pumpkin spice scones or lemon cream scones with your tea, this might seem a little "out there".
Trust me, they are delightful! The Earl Grey flavor comes through well and the creamy icing makes them taste like a cup of tea with milk and sugar. A London Fog scone, if you will.
Baking tasty scones is a passion of mine. From pretty heart-shaped raspberry white chocolate scones to miniature chocolate chip scones or triple chocolate scones to savory cheddar jalapeño scones, I've got a scone recipe for just about every occasion!
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Flavor - With the fragrant Earl Grey tea leaves and milk steeped with tea leaves incorporated into the dough and the creamy vanilla icing on top, these scones taste just like a London Fog latte.
- Texture - These scones have a light and fluffy interior with a slightly crispy exterior.
- Process - There is no need to be intimidated by making homemade scones. It is surprisingly easy and so much more affordable than buying scones!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make these Earl Grey scones with vanilla icing.
Ingredient Notes
- Milk + Tea - At least a few hours or overnight before making these scones, you will need to steep a bag of Earl Grey tea in scalding milk and then let it cool down and refrigerate until fully chilled before adding to the recipe.
- Earl Grey Tea Leaves - You need 1 tea bag to steep in the milk plus 1 ½ teaspoons (around 4 tea bags worth) of very fine loose tea leaves to incorporate into the dough. If your tea leaves are most coarse, run through a clean coffee grinder or crush in a mortar and pestle. I like to use Twinings Earl Grey tea bags for the best texture and flavor.
- Salted Butter - I use salted butter in most of my recipes, but unsalted butter may be used instead with ½ teaspoon of salt added to the recipe.
- Whipping Cream - Cream makes a nice rich icing but you could use milk instead if you don't have any cream. Start with 1-2 tablespoons of milk and add more as needed to make the icing the consistency to drizzle.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: A few hours before making the scones, heat the milk until it is scalding (just under boiling). Add 1 Earl Grey tea bag and let the tea steep in the milk. Let cool down to room temperature before refrigerating until chilled before adding to the recipe.
Step 2: Whisk together the flour, white sugar, baking powder, and fine tea leaves. Add the cubes of cold butter.
Step 3: Work the butter in using a pastry cutter until the pieces of butter are small like peas.
Step 4: Whisk together the cold steeped tea milk, eggs, and vanilla separately.
Step 5: Add the combined wet ingredients to the flour/butter mixture and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Step 6: Gently knead and press the dough together until the scone dough comes together. Shape into three disks around 3 inches in diameter and 1 ½ inches tall.
Step 7: Cut each dough disk into quarters and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving spreading room between each scone.
Step 8: Bake in a preheated oven for 13-17 minutes or until golden. Let cool down slightly before topping with the icing.
Step 9: Whisk together the powdered sugar, 3-4 tablespoons of whipping cream, and a splash of vanilla until smooth. Drizzle on top of the slightly cooled scones.
💡 Top Tip
Let the scones cool for at least 10 minutes before topping with the icing so that the icing doesn't melt and slide right off the scones. The icing may, of course, be left off if you prefer a less sweet plain scone.
❓ Recipe FAQs
This recipe was tested with Twinings brand Earl Grey tea.
Yes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients if using unsalted butter for proper flavor development.
Yes. You will need less milk than cream so start with 1 tablespoon and add just enough until the icing is the consistency that can be drizzled over the scones.
You don't really notice the texture of the tea leaves if you use very fine tea leaves or grind the up fine, however if you are extremely sensitive to texture you might notice the tea leaves.
Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
🧈 More Scone Recipes
Looking for other yummy recipes for homemade scones like this? Try these:
If you tried these London Fog Scones or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Earl Grey Scones
Equipment
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- mixing bowl
- measuring cups & spoons
- whisk
- pastry cutter
Ingredients
For the Scones:
- ½ cup milk
- 1 Earl Grey tea bag (to steep in the milk)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons superfine Earl Grey tea leaves * (appropriately 4 tea bags worth)
- ¾ cup salted cold butter *
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- 3-4 tablespoons whipping cream *
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To Steep the Milk:
- Heat the milk in a heat-safe measuring cup in the microwave or in a pot on the stove until scalding. Place 1 Earl Grey tea bag into the hot milk and let steep until cooled to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator until completely chilled. Squeeze out the tea bag and discard right before using the chilled steeped milk in the recipe.
To Make the Scones:
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and tea leaves together in a large bowl. Cut the cold cubed butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the pieces of butter are the size of peas.
- In another bowl, whisk together the chilled steeped milk, egg, and vanilla extract until combined. Add to the flour/butter mixture and gently fold with a spatula until the dough just starts to come together. Turn the contents of the bowl onto the countertop and knead/press the mixture just until the dough comes together.
- Shape the dough into 3 even rounds each about 1 inch thick. Cut each round into 4 even wedges using a pizza cutter or large knife and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before topping with the icing.
To Make the Icing:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, whipping cream, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle icing over the slightly cooled scones using a spoon, a ziplock bag with the corner snipped, or a piping bag. Enjoy!
Notes
- If your tea leaves are more coarse, run through a clean coffee grinder or crush in a mortar and pestle. I like to use Twinings Earl Grey tea bags for the best texture and flavor.
- Unsalted butter may be used instead with ½ teaspoon of salt added to the recipe.
- You could use milk instead if you don't have any cream. Start with 1-2 tablespoons of milk and add more as needed to make the icing the consistency to drizzle.
Taryn
Made these yesterday, and they are so delicious! The perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea. Highly recommend.
Naomi Andres
Thank you so much, Taryn!