Transform Canned Biscuits Into Scones With Ingredients From Your Pantry

Besides complementing your nightly dinner, canned biscuits serve as a convenient way to simplify some of your favorite baked goods. While you may already use canned biscuits to upgrade pizza night, you can also use this versatile dough to make a variety of flavorful scones. Scones are traditionally made from varying combinations of flour, butter, baking powder, cream, and sometimes eggs. While English-style scones tend to be more dense, American scones tend to incorporate more cream or buttermilk to accommodate a variety of sweet mix-ins. Fortunately, with the help of canned biscuits, you no longer need to bust out all of your baking supplies to make a batch of sweet, breakfast-inspired scones.

First take stock of your pantry and refrigerator. For sweet-tasting scones, use classic combinations like chocolate chips and pecans, dried cranberries and orange zest, or varying combinations of your favorite dried fruits and nuts. Try and avoid mixing in moisture-rich ingredients like citrus juice or fresh berries that may compromise the consistency of your canned biscuit dough. Since refrigerated biscuits are already pre-portioned, be mindful when incorporating extra ingredients. 

To make sure your additions are evenly enclosed, slice through the center of each biscuit or separate a few layers of dough to strategically add your inclusions. The key here is to not over-mix, which can result in stiff unappealing baked goods. Once your biscuit dough has been successfully altered, upgrade your makeshift scones with a select variety of sweet toppings. 

There are several foolproof ways to make your next round of easy-bake scones extra special. If you want scones for sweeter tea parties, before baking, brush your reformed biscuits with heavy cream and sprinkle them with turbinado sugar. Since they're composed of large granules, turbinado or raw sugar and demerara sugar work as effective toppings. These sugar varieties give freshly baked scones an extra crunchy texture. Instead of using sugar, you can also top your scones with oats or seeds.

On the other hand, for a creamy last-minute addition after your scones have baked, drizzle them with a simple glaze composed of milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla. For a spiced alternative, include some nutmeg or cinnamon. Depending on the extra ingredients included in your dough, you can also swap out the milk in your glaze for citrus juice or coffee. If you'd prefer to have more control over the sweetness factor, choose your own variety of toppings like whipped cream or jam. For a bit of contrast, serve scones with Greek yogurt for an extra tangy flavor. Once you feel comfortable making scones with canned biscuits, you're ready to use this shortcut ingredient for big-batch donut holes, monkey bread, and mixed berry cobbler. You might even consider making scones with more savory ingredients such as shredded cheese, chives, or bacon.