Scones vs. Muffins: A-Z Comparison of Differences and Similarities

Who doesn’t desire a wonderful blueberry muffin as a snack or a nice scone to satiate their cravings? Even though these two pastries are equally delicious, you’ll discover that they have more differences than similarities.

Today, we’ll provide you a comprehensive introduction to scone vs. muffin, comparing texture, flavor, ingredients, and more. We’ll also discuss which is better for you!

So, are you ready to dive right in?

Comparing Scones vs. Muffins

At first appearance, scones are easily distinguished from muffins. While muffins are simply small cakes with chocolate chips, blueberries, or other fillings, scones are more like a combination between bread and cookies.

With that in mind, let’s go further into the distinctions between the two delectable baked treats in terms of origin, texture, flavor, and other variables.

Origin

Scones are well-known in the United Kingdom, but when and where did they first appear?

Scones, it is usually assumed, were initially introduced in Scotland in the early 16th century. They were originally prepared with oats and classified as a kind of fast bread.

Scones came to be the way they are now following years of experimentation with various ingredients and techniques. They are now prepared using flour rather of oats and cooked in the oven rather than on a griddle, as they were formerly.

Muffins were invented in the United States when pearlash was found in the mid-1800s. Those delectable tiny cakes often featured nuts, spices, or fruits, and they still do today!

Texture

Scones and muffins couldn’t be more different, particularly in terms of texture.

Scones are a kind of fast bread, yet their texture is light and crumbly enough to resemble an English biscuit. The majority of scone recipes are sweet, but others are savory.

Scones may also include nuts or fruits, and some people prefer to add jam as a filling to improve the taste and create a tasty snack with tea.

Muffins, on the other hand, are similar to cakes but should not be confused with cupcakes. Cupcakes, unlike muffins, are often sweeter and always have icing on top.

You should also realize that muffins are rather moist, while scones are not.

Muffins, like scones, may be prepared with chocolate chips, nuts, or fruit. However, the majority of people like them plain, making this kind of muffin the most popular across the globe.

Taste

Sure, both treats are on the sweeter side, but muffins have a more sugary flavor.

In the case of scones, you’ll notice a stronger buttery taste, which will be much less noticeable in muffins, even if they’re simple.

Ingredients

Of all, it seems to reason that both baked delicacies would share some components, as many pastries and sweets do. However, even a little modification in an ingredient or two may result in all of the significant variations weve previously mentioned between the two sweets.

With that in mind, let’s take a peek at the components that go into those delectable concoctions!

Scones are created mostly from flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, eggs, and milk. These are the fundamental components for making a traditional scone, but you can add a plethora of additional ingredients to take your scones to the next level of taste.

Some individuals, for example, prefer to add cinnamon for a delicious flavor. To welcome the approach of autumn, some people top their scones with cranberries, orange juice, or even pumpkin!

Even better, you may leave out the sugar to make savory scones, which can serve as the perfect starter. Aside from omitting the sugar, try adding your favorite kind of cheese, such as cheddar or parmesan, and herbs for a delectable scone version.

When making muffins, you’ll need flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt. It’s strange how the components are same yet the two sweets are so different, right?

It all comes down to how you combine and cook everything together, which we’ll go into later.

In addition to these items, you may add blueberries, almonds, or chocolate chips to the mix. Muffins may also be flavored with shredded coconut, mashed bananas, cinnamon, vanilla, and the list goes on!

Baking

Even the manner in which you bake these desserts differs.

Scones are cooked on a flat baking sheet on a tray that goes into the oven, which is a new way of producing scones on a griddle.

On the contrary, muffins can only be made by pouring the batter into a cupped tray. Otherwise, they won’t finish up in the rounded shape that we recognize.

Shape

The form is the last point of distinction between scones and muffins.

Scones may be round or triangular in shape, and they seem flat as if pushed down. Muffins are usually round and fluffy, shaped after the cups on the baking pan.

How to Make Scones and Muffins in a Few Easy Steps

Now that we’ve examined the primary differences and similarities between scones and muffins, let us help you notice the differences for yourself by providing a recipe for each.

Fortunately, baking those two pastries is a breeze, as you can see in the video below.

How to Bake Scones From Scratch

Here are your ingredients to make eight servings:

• Three cups of all-purpose flour
• Five teaspoons of baking powder
• Half a teaspoon of salt
• Half a cup of white sugar
• One egg
• One cup of milk
• cup of butter

And now, this is how to prepare your scones:

• Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter
• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Take a bowl and combine all of the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt, then combine them with the butter.
• In a separate dish, whisk together the egg and milk until smooth, then add to the preceding mixture.
• Mix everything to perfection
• Sprinkle flour on your work surface, then drop the mixture and knead it.
• Roll the dough out into a half-inch thick circle using a rolling pin.
• With a knife, cut the circular into eight wedges and set them all on a baking sheet that has previously been oiled.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake the scones for 15 minutes (or until brown).

How to Bake Muffins From Scratch

These are the things you need have on hand (for 12 serves) to create the most delectable muffins:

• Two cups of all-purpose flour
• cup of white sugar
• Three teaspoons of baking powder
• Half a teaspoon of salt
• One cup of milk
• One egg
• cup of vegetable oil

Now, let the fun begin!

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, as you would for scones.
• Line a muffin tray with paper cups
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, but this time, make a pit in the middle.
• In a separate dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil, then pour them into the flour mixture.
• Mix all of the ingredients rapidly with a fork until you get a wet, uniform batter (do not beat the ingredients to let some air into the batter).
• Place the muffin pan in the oven and pour the batter into the paper cups.
• Bake the muffins for 25 minutes

Please keep in mind that you may always add one cup of chopped raisins, dates, or blueberries to the mixture. Do this when the batter is ready to go into the oven, and be sure to fold the fruits in well.

Which Are Healthier, Scones or Muffins?

Both treats include a substantial quantity of sugar and white flour, making them far from the healthiest snacks available.

You should realize, however, that muffins are typically healthier than scones. This is due to the greater fat and calorie content of scones.

However, this is also true when comparing plain scones to plain muffins. You can only expect your muffins to contain more calories than simple scones if you add chocolate or nuts to them, right?

Final Thoughts

After reading our post, we discovered that the scone vs. muffin argument is more complicated than meets the eye.

Muffins are fluffy and moist, but scones are dry and crumbly. Another contrast is that scones may be sweet or savory, but muffins are more often associated with sweet desserts.

But there are a few similarities between scones and muffins. Except for the butter in scones and the oil in muffins, the ingredients are almost identical. Both may include nuts, fruits, and spices.

Overall, scones and muffins are two delectable baked products that you should try, and happily, creating them from home is simple!