Scones definitely aren't the poster-child of baked goods by any means. When you think of classic, yummy treats, you'll probably think of cookies, brownies, cake— the pillars of baking. However, there is nothing quite like a dense, buttery, crumbly scone fresh out of the oven. Scones are coming back and I am 100% here for it.
Recently I've seen more and more scones in coffee shops and heard about cool new flavor combinations. It didn't take long for me to crave a fresh scone, but I wasn't sure where I wanted to get one. Gainesville is lucky to be home to a handful of quaint bakeries and coffee shops, so the options were ample and easily accessible. This made me think, "Why choose?" I'd want to try a bunch, anyway.
I narrowed my search down to three well-rated bakeries/coffee shops so I wasn't buying an absurd amount of scones all at once (I definitely would have). I decided on Uppercrust Productions, Vine Sourdough Bakery, and Wyatt's Coffee.
So what constitutes a good scone? The first thing I can think about is texture; scones are crumbly and almost a little clumpy. They should be dense but not dry and pull apart into yummy pieces. In terms of taste, I like scones that are buttery with more mild flavors so you can really taste the scone itself. With this in mind, I came up with the following factors to consider: crumbliness, flavors, and denseness — plus my final thoughts for each!
Scone #1: Uppercrust Productions' Chocolate Cherry Scone
Crumbliness: 10/10. This scone had great texture and was so crumbly and flakey. The outside was also nice and crisp, which made it easy to break apart.
Flavors: The scone base tasted buttery and slightly sweet. I was a little skeptical of the chocolate-cherry combo, but the flavors were actually much milder than I thought and I was surprised by how well they worked together.
Denseness: This scone was very dense and felt heavy in my hands but somehow still moist; I really enjoyed its texture.
Overall Thoughts on the Chocolate Cherry Scone: This scone was really good. I thought it was well baked and that they nailed the texture and consistency. I was really impressed with how soft and moist the inside was. The chocolate and cherry combination, although yummy and different, wasn't my favorite scone flavor. However, I still enjoyed the scone overall. I also liked the powdered sugar dusting and thought it was a nice finishing touch. I will definitely be going back and trying their other flavors and baked goods as soon as I can.
Scone #2: Vine Sourdough Bakery's Cranberry Scone
Crumbliness: This scone was crumbly but a little more uniform (it didn't have as much texture when compared to the former scone). I did want to see a bit more crumbliness from it, though, and felt as though something was a little off in terms of texture.
Flavors: I liked the flavor of this scone a lot; it had a bit of sweetness throughout which I thought was subtle and enjoyable. The cranberry was also a mild flavor which I appreciated and thought worked nicely in a scone.
Denseness: This scone was definitely dense and buttery. However, it didn't feel as moist on the inside or as crunchy on the outside as I had hoped.
Overall Thoughts on the Cranberry Scone: I liked this scone and enjoyed trying it but the texture wasn't as good as the Upper Crust Scone. I thought that it was a little bit dry and not as crumbly. I did like the cranberry flavor a bit more than the chocolate-cherry, but I wished it was a little more buttery and moist.
Scone #3: Wyatt's Coffee's Lemon Basil Ricotta Scone
Crumbliness: This scone wasn't very crumbly- it was almost fluffy. I honestly really enjoyed the texture though, which surprised me since I thought that I really liked crumbly scones. It also had a nice crunchy texture on the outside.
Flavors: I loved the flavor of this scone. I hadn't really had a more 'savory' scone before, but the flavors worked so well together. The basil flavor was evident and really gave the scone more depth. I couldn't really taste the ricotta in it, so maybe it was more of a contributor to the texture of the scone than the flavor. I also liked that the scone was nice and buttery.
Denseness: This scone wasn't as dense as the previous two, but I liked that it was lighter. The exterior was really nice and crispy. This scone reminded me a bit of a biscuit in terms of its density and texture, but it definitely still is a good, classic scone.
Overall Thoughts on the Lemon Basil Ricotta Scone: This scone was my favorite of the three. It had a different texture than I would normally consider to be indicative of a good scone, but it really worked in terms of flavor and its crunchy exterior. The lemon and basil notes were amazing and felt so refreshing to eat. This scone is definitely a must-try.
Final Thoughts:
These scones were all great. I enjoyed them all, but my favorite was definitely Wyatt's Coffee's Lemon Basil Ricotta Scone in terms of flavor. However, in terms of traditional scone texture, I think Uppercrust nailed it. I honestly would love to go back to all three places and try more scones and other baked goodies. Gainesville has definitely impressed me with the quality and quantity of the bakeries throughout town. If you're wanting a nice, warm scone (or just any baked item), go, go, go!