Queen Elizabeth's Scone Recipe is Fit for Mom Too
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: May 7, 2012

This royal scones recipe (also known as Scotch pancakes) from Queen Elizabeth's own culinary collection are definitely fit for the queen of your castle. This Mother's Day, make Mom feel like royalty and bake up a batch. Don't forget the jam, clotted cream, and a nice pot of tea.
Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones
Makes 16 scones
	It is common in England to use a teacup as a baking measure. 1 teacup is about 3/4 cup. Serve as you would pancakes - with syrup or your favorite jam or jelly.



4 teacups flour (3 cups)
4 tablespoons castor sugar
2 teacups milk (1.5 cups)
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons melted butter
 

Beat eggs, sugar and about half the milk together.

Add flour, and mix well. Add the remaining milk as required.


Mix in baking soda and cream of tartar, fold in the melted butter.


Drop onto ungreased baking sheet by the teaspoon full.


Bake at 400 degree for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
 
Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Comments:
J.T.S.
May 8, 2012

I would love to try this recipe but you forgot to measure out the sugar everything else is measured but the sugar could you please fix this minor error I do so want to try these they sound ever so delightful 
 Thank You
                      J.T.S.
Y
Sheri Wetherell

Greetings! Treacle is the sugar. I changed it to treacle in the steps to be more consistent :)
Cheers!
kelley

I do not understand how the picture of the scones could be the ones made by this recipe....treacle or molasses turns the batter brown!  These scones just seem wrong.
kelley

I followed this recipe exactly.  Fist of all the picture is inaccurate because the treacle turns the batter brown and these come out much flatter as well.  I have made many scone recipes and I just felt that this recipe was wrong from the beginning.  Is this a joke?  These are awful!  Nice STOCK PHOTO though!
Sheri Wetherell

Yes, the picture is a representation. The recipe, however, is Queen Elizabeth's exact recipe. We have not altered it in any way. Sorry the recipe did not work out for you.
Kelley

well it is very misleading to post a picture that in no way resembles the recipe, don't you think?  Also, that is not queen Elizabeth's recipe for "drop scones".  "Drop Scones" are actually Scottish pancakes and are dropped on a griddle the recipe is all over the web and is as follows:
Ingredients:
INGREDIENTS
3 cups (400 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda*
3 teaspoons cream of tartar*
1/4 teaspoon salt**
2 eggs
1/4 cup of superfine sugar, or a heaping 1/4 cup white, granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup (350 ml) of whole milk (and maybe a little more if needed)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
*If you don't have cream of tartar, substitute the 2 teaspoons of baking soda and the 3 teaspoons of cream of tartar with 5 teaspoons of baking powder (make sure your baking powder is less than 6 months old or it may be flat and unable to provide leavening).
**If using salted butter, skip the added salt.
METHOD
1 Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl.
2 In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Then whisk in most of the milk.
3 Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the milk egg mixture. Whisk until smooth, adding more milk until you get the right consistency - thin enough to spread on the pan, but not so thin as to run. Fold in the melted butter.
4 Heat a griddle or large cast iron pan on medium to medium low heat. Coat the pan with a little butter, spreading it with a folded over paper towel. Drop large spoonfuls of batter on the griddle to form pancakes. When bubbles start to appear on the surface (after 2 to 3 minutes), use a metal spatula to flip the pancakes over. Cook for another minute, until lightly browned. Remove to a plate and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm while you cook the rest of the drop scones.
Serve with butter, jam, or golden syrup (Americans sub maple syrup).
Yield: Makes about 16 American-sized pancakes.
Sheri Wetherell

You are correct, the picture is not what drop scones look like. We have swapped out the image.
As per the recipe, this one is indeed Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scone recipe. It's on file with the National Archives here: http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2011/nr11-116.html
Kelley

You might want to take a look at that recipe at the national archives.  It does not contain treacle or molasses.  It calls for good ole SUGAR.  "castor sugar" is a common ingredient in England and is a fine grained sugar.  The result of using treacle or molasses is just a horrible substitution.  I showed your recipe to a colleague who is British and she replied, "yuck!".  I am not trying to be rude or annoying and I am sorry if I am beating a dead horse about this, but I have been baking scones for many years and there are just some things you do not do!  the recipe that I listed here is the same as the one at the National Archives but with adjustments made for the American baker.  "teacups", for example, is actually 3/4 cup.