Homemade Clotted Cream

It's so easy to make homemade clotted cream, it takes only ONE ingredient and it's all hands-off time!! Now the thick, rich cream can be at our fingertips for spreading on scones.

Have you ever had a British scone? It's not really anything like an American scone. American scones are filled with butter and a lot of times fruits or other add-ins.

British scones use very little amounts of butter in the dough. They instead slather butter, or more typically, clotted cream on top! And fruits are more in the form of jams on top of the clotted cream.

If you've never had this amazing pastry, be sure to check out my recipe for Gluten Free English Scones.

WHAT IS CLOTTED CREAM?

Clotted cream is simply full-fat cream that's been heated low and slow for many hours and then cooled slowly so the cream rises to the surface and forms "clots." This thickened cream is scooped off the top and into a jar or small container. It's tastes like nothing you've ever had before, has a very fresh, almost nutty flavor that is just OUT OF THIS WORLD!!

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE CLOTTED CREAM?

Although there is hardly any (literally minutes) of hands-on time, it does take a couple of days to make clotted cream. First, the cream is poured into a shallow dish and covered with foil.

Place the dish into a low oven at 170 degrees for 12 hours. You read that right, low and slow for a long time is the only way to make clotted cream. Set this up a few hours before you go to bed at night and all the cooking part will be done while you sleep.

In the morning, remove the cream from the oven and place it, with foil still covering, in the refrigerator to chill all day, at least 12 hours. Then the thickened cream is skimmed off the top, leaving the liquid behind. The liquid can be used in place of milk or buttermilk in recipes.

WHAT KIND OF CREAM DO I NEED?

You'll need non ultra-pasteurized whipping cream, preferably 35% milk fat or higher. This can be hard to find in stores, but I do know that Whole Foods sells it. We use Oberweis Dairy for home milk and food delivery, and their cream is gently pasteurized and works perfectly.

WHAT ELSE CAN I EAT CLOTTED CREAM WITH?

I certainly love it on my English scones, but I've also been known to spread it on American scones and even on my biscuits, cornbread, bagels, or just eat it with a spoon, haha! Clotted cream is super versatile and can be eaten on pretty much anything you would normally spread butter on.

WHY MAKE IT HOMEMADE?

Here in America, clotted cream is sometimes hard to find. And worse, if you find it, it's about $8 for a small (6 ounce) jar. Making it homemade means you can save money and have it when you want it! And to me it tastes even better.