I hate seeing good jam go to waste! That's why these Buttermilk Scones Made with Leftover Jam are the tastiest solution. The baked and sliced scones are a homey New England treat, tender and soft with swirls of jam or jelly — you choose the flavor.
This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.
I love scones with jam. So instead of baking plains scones and adding the jam after, I came up with Buttermilk Scones Made with Leftover Jam.
It's a simple scone dough that bakes up with a tender texture thanks to buttermilk and butter. The dough is layered with dollops of jam, jelly, or marmalade in any flavor you like. Once baked, the sweet jam is rippled throughout every scone.
Not only is this a sweet scone bake, it employs some good old, New England Yankee thrift to use up those half-empty jars of preserves and jams before they go bad.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A clever bake that rescues those half-empty jars of jam hiding in the fridge. They're swirled into New England-style, tender scones.
- You'll love this part: Scones and jam are a classic combination, and this twist bakes that fruit flavor right inside. And easy bake for any occasion.
- How it's made: Blend the scone ingredients and squeeze the dough together. Layer the dough and jam in a pan, and bake to a deep golden brown.
Jump to:
What are buttermilk scones?
Scones are a type of quick bread, meaning they're made without yeast and instead rely on leaveners like baking powder and baking soda to help the dough rise and achieve a lightened texture. Traditional scones are made with cream or milk; as you may have guessed from the name, buttermilk scones are made with buttermilk!
Old-fashioned buttermilk is the liquid that's left behind after churning heavy cream into butter. The bottled variety sold in stores is made by lightly fermenting regular milk to thicken it and give it a tangy flavor.
Buttermilk is rich, flavorful, and fairly acidic, and these are the reasons that it's a fantastic liquid to add to scone dough. The richness helps create a tender texture, the tang adds a mild flavor that works well with the sweet ingredients, and the acidity of buttermilk helps activate the leaveners to create a lighter crumb in the finished scones.
Why you'll love my unique Buttermilk Scones made with leftover jam
The first and most important reason you'll love this buttermilk scones recipe is because they're so, so delicious. They have a soft texture and light sweetness in the crumb.
Unlike traditional scones that are cut into wedges, rounds, or squares before baking, these scones are baked in a square pan in a cake shape, and sliced after baking—there's a good reason for this, and it's another way my recipe turns the notion of classic scones with jam on its head.
Instead of spreading jam on top of baked scones, in this recipe, the jam is baked inside the scones!
Why? Because that's how I'm able to get swirls of leftover jam running through every bite. Built as layers of dough bits and dollops of jam, the square pan keeps the jam inside the dough as it bakes (rather than melting out the sides). Once baked, just lift the whole thing from the pan and slice it into squares.
This is a clever way to use up those nearly empty jars of jam, jelly, preserves, and marmalade hiding in the back of your fridge. A delectable treat born of New England Yankee thrift and resourcefulness!
Use just one kind of leftover jam, or mix a few together. In one version that I baked, I combined leftover raspberry and blackberry jams to create a mixed berry flavor that was so freaking good. In another batch, I made half of the pan with orange marmalade and the other half with pinot noir coffee date jam. Two jars of leftover jam, used up!
Buttermilk scones are quick to prepare so you can make them mid-week, to bring to weekend brunch, or to treat your family or roommates.
Another jammy treat!
Ocracoke Island Fig Cake
A quick stovetop fig jam makes this cake sweet and moist.
Swirl true New England jams into these Buttermilk Scones
While you can make my best Buttermilk Scones recipe with any brand of leftover jam, why not find inspiration (and deliciousness!) from preserves, jams, jellies, and marmalades made right here in New England? Not only will you be supporting small and local businesses and farms, you'll be swirling the unequaled flavor of juicy New England-grown fruit into your tender scones.
Here are jam and jelly companies from all six New England states that I love and really want you to try. The links will take you to their websites, and you can look for them at the store, too.
- Blake Hill Preserves — Windsor, Vermont: The pride and joy of the Green Mountain State, Blake Hill Preserves makes classic jams and preserves as well as unique flavors like black currant with mint and blackberry blueberry balsamic.
- Berkshire Wine Jelly — Lenox, Massachusetts: My brother introduced me to this brand that makes jellies from wine! I made a batch of scones with Berkshire Wine Jelly's pinot noir coffee and date; the shiraz blackberry and basil is also very good!
- Olde Haven Farm — Chelsea, Maine: A family-owned farm just south of Augusta, Olde Haven Farm makes jams in flavors like blueberry peach, cherry amaretto, and "Christmastime" made with mulling spices.
- Laurel Hill Jams and Jellies — Manchester, New Hampshire: Named for the native New England plant mountain laurel, Laurel Hill Jams has spreads made with fruits like strawberries, blueberries, rhubarb, and cherries. They also have jellies made from wine and tea!
- We Be Jammin'— Warwick, Rhode Island: This is a family-owned company that's owned by and supports autistic and differently-abled people. We Be Jammin' has fun and funky flavors like "Toe Jam" (tangerine, orange, and elderberry), and "Frog Jam" (fig, orange, raspberry, and ginger!)
- Wonderland Jams — Newtown, Connecticut: "Jam-packed with fruit!" Someone had to make that pun, and who better than expert jam-maker Natalie McCraigh at Wonderland Jams. The delectable flavors include blackberry bourbon and champagne jam with flecks of real gold!
🔪 How to make Buttermilk Scones with Leftover Jam
Ingredients:
- Buttermilk: Rich and tangy buttermilk helps create a really tender texture in the scones, and that tang is lovely with the sweet jam filling. Check your dairy case for bottles of buttermilk; I like Kate's from Maine brand.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour to make these scones. My go-to brand for this and all flours is King Arthur Baking.
- Butter: The butter brands I like to use are Cabot, Kate's, and Kerrygold. The butter should be cold, so hold it in the fridge until you're ready to start.
- Leftover jam: You can make these scones with jam, jelly, preserves, or marmalade, and any flavor you wish. Or, combine a couple of flavors!
- Egg: You'll need just one large egg for the scone dough, which helps give it a richer baked texture.
- Vanilla extract: Choose a good quality pure vanilla, such as Nielsen-Massey brand, for the best flavor.
- Sugar: Just a little granulated sugar is all you need to sweeten the scone dough.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These leaveners help lighten the texture of the scones as they bake.
- Coriander: Ground coriander has a citrusy and earthy flavor that pairs so beautifully with fruit. It enhances the flavor of the scones no matter which fruit jam you choose.
- Lemon Juice: A little lemon juice in the dough adds a bright acidity that, like the coriander, is delicious with the fruit jams.
- Salt: I add just a little salt because it makes the whole jammy scone taste more delectable.
My preferred baking pan
My Buttermilk Scones bake up best in a metal pan, and USA Pans are my preferred brand. The straight sides create bakes that slice up into tidy squares. *affiliate link
Mix the dry ingredients
Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the butter
Grate cold butter into the bowl and stir everything together.
Pour in the wet ingredients
Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Pour it into the dry mixture; stir everything together. Then, squeeze the dough together with your hands in the bowl.
SAVE THIS RECIPE OR POST!
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.
Create the layers in the pan
Drop a third of the scone dough, torn into small pieces, into a lined baking pan. Then, add dollops of leftover jam over the dough. Repeat these layers one more time. Then, tear the final portion of dough into small pieces and drop them over the top. Lightly press the top of the dough and jam layers, then brush buttermilk over the top.
Bake and eat!
Bake the scones until they're a deep golden brown over the top. Let them cool for about an hour. Then slice up the scones and dig in!
A note on baking pans:
My preference for these buttermilk scones with jam is to bake them in a metal baking pan. Not only does it give the scones straight, tidy sides, the scones are also more evenly browned and baked through.
If you're using a glass baking pan, you'll need to increase the baking time by 10 to 15 minutes—otherwise, the center will be underbaked.
Buttermilk Scones FAQs
Although milk and cream are traditional, I prefer to make scones using buttermilk—this rich milk (the liquid leftover from making butter) creates a really tender scone, and adds just a hint of tanginess that pairs beautifully with the sweet fruit flavors of the jams.
Both American and British scones can be found cut into rounds or triangles. The biggest difference is that British scones tend to be plain and not very sweet, though some varieties will include dried fruit like currants. American-style scones are more rich and tend to be on the sweeter side, with mix-ins like chocolate, berries, and chopped fruit, and topped with icing or chocolate. Savory scones are also popular in the U.S., in flavors that include herbs, crumbled bacon, caramelized onions, and hearty cheeses.
If you can't get your hands on real buttermilk, a good substitute is a blend of regular milk and a little lemon juice. For this recipe, add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the measuring cup, then pour in milk to the ¾-cup line. Stir them together and let sit for about 10 minutes; it will be thickened and tangy.
Buttermilk scones should be cooled completely and then transferred to an tightly-covered container. Scones are particular susceptible to drying out and becoming tough, but keeping them tightly covered will keep them soft and moist. Don't refrigerate them, as this will also speed drying out. Instead, store the covered scones at room temperature away from sunlight and heat. My Buttermilk Scones Made with Leftover Jam will last for five to seven days.
Yes, these buttermilk scones with jam can be frozen to make them last longer. Transfer the cooled, sliced scones to a tightly-sealed freezer container, or a resealable bag with the air pressed out. Store the scones in the freezer for up to one month. Move them to the refrigerator to thaw over several hours, or overnight.
Here's a sweet scone!
Orange Scones with Maple Glaze
Lightly spice with cardamom and loaded with orange zest, these maple-topped scones are one of my family's favorites!
Tips:
- When the scones are made with lighter-colored jams such as orange marmalade or apricot jam, the top will have a lighter golden-brown hue when they're done.
- Make these scones with any kind of jam, jelly, preserves, or marmalades; just make sure they aren't so old that they've turned to liquid.
- You can make the scones with just one flavor of leftover jam, or two or more flavors mixed together. Another option is to make the scones with one flavor on one half of the pan and another flavor on the other.
- If you're baking these scones in a glass pan, you'll need to increase the baking time by 10 to 15 minutes to ensure that the center is baked through.
Alright, enough chattin'... let's get baking so we can dig into these fruity scones, preferably alongside a hot cup of coffee. Dig deep in the fridge and find all those nearly-empty jars of jams and jellies!
The Buttermilk Scones Made with Leftover Jam recipe is below. Here are more recipes that you will love, love, love:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Buttermilk Scones Made with Leftover Jam
SAVE THIS RECIPE OR POST!
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup buttermilk plus extra for brushing
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cold butter (4 tablespoons)
- ¾ cup leftover jam (Any flavor or combination of flavors you want, such as strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, apricot, fig, or an orange marmalade)
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with crisscrossing pieces of parchment paper, cut so that the bottom and sides of the pan are covered, and there's a little paper sticking up above the rim so that it's easy to grasp after baking.
- Whisk together the ¾ cup buttermilk, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl. Hold this aside.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir together the 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
- Use a box grater or large-hole handheld grater to grate the ¼ cup cold butter into the dry mixture. Stir to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture.
- Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry mixture; use the wooden spoon to combine everything into a sticky mass.
- Squeeze the dough together in the bowl with your hand. If a few dry crumbly bits remain in the bottom of the bowl, dribble a few drops of buttermilk over them, then squeeze them into the rest of the dough.
- Roughly divide the dough in the bowl into three portions.
Add the dough and jam to the pan:
- Take one of the dough portions. Tear off little pieces of the dough (roughly 1½-inches in size) and drop them over the bottom of the lined baking pan.
- For the ¾ cup leftover jam, use half of it in this first layer: use a spoon to drop small spoonfuls of jam over the dough pieces in the pan.
- Take a second portion of dough: tear off little pieces and drop them into the baking pan as you did before. Try to drop pieces into any bare spots.
- Add in the rest of the jam by dropping it in small spoonfuls over the dough pieces as you did before.
- Finally, take the third portion of dough, tear off little pieces and drop them into the pan as the final layer.
- Use a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to lightly press down the dough and jam layers in the pan. This will help them bake into a firm shape that will be easy to slice.
- Pour a little buttermilk into a small dish. Use a pastry brush to brush buttermilk over the top of the jam and dough mixture.
Bake:
- Slide the pan into the oven and bake the jammy scones for about 25 minutes. It's done when there is a deep golden brown color over the top. It should feel set when you lightly press it in the middle.
- Note: I find that scones made with lighter-colored jams like orange marmalade have a lighter golden brown hue over the top when they're done.
- Place the pan on a wire rack. Let the scones cool for about 1 hour.
- Slice it into nine squares, and then enjoy!
To store:
- Leftover buttermilk scones with jam should be stored in a tightly covered container and stored at room temperature. They'll last for five to seven days. Enjoy the scones at room temperature or slightly warmed.
To reheat:
- You can warm up the the cut scones in the microwave; cover with a paper towel and zap for 10 to 15 seconds.
- The scones can also be reheated in a toaster oven for just a couple of minutes until they're warmed through.
Notes
- When the scones are made with lighter-colored jams such as orange marmalade or apricot jam, the top will have a lighter golden-brown hue when they're done.
- Make these scones with any kind of jam, jelly, preserves, or marmalades; just make sure they aren't so old that they've turned to liquid.
- You can make the scones with just one flavor of leftover jam, or two or more flavors mixed together. Another option is to make the scones with one flavor on one half of the pan and another flavor on the other.
- If you're baking these scones in a glass pan, you'll need to increase the baking time by 10 to 15 minutes to ensure that the center is baked through.
Nutrition
Anonymous says
These were such a treat!! Tender, lightly crumbly scones with a soft interior! A delight!
Nancy Mock says
Thanks for being my taste-tester on so many batches of jammy buttermilk scones! I'm so glad you enjoyed them.