These simple scones are very easy to make. You can customize them by adding dried fruit, poppy seeds, or lemon zest.
You don't have to be a professional baker to make perfect scones! This scone recipe is as approachable as it is irresistible.
What Is a Scone?
The word "scone" can mean slightly different things depending on where you're located. American scones (like the ones this recipe makes!) are typically sweet, dense, and dry. They're usually triangular and can contain mix-ins like chocolate chips, berries, or nuts.
Scone Ingredients
This bakery-worthy scone recipe is easy to make with basic ingredients you likely already have on hand. If not, here's what to add to your grocery list:
- Flour: This scone recipe starts with all-purpose flour.
- Sugar: White sugar lends sweetness.
- Baking powder: Baking powder act as a leavener, which means they help the scones rise.
- Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor of the scones.
- Butter: Make sure the butter is frozen before you incorporate it into the dough for the flakiest results.
- Milk: Milk lends moisture and flavor.
- Egg: An egg adds moisture and helps bind the scone dough together.
How to Make Scones
You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make scones at home:
- Mix the dry ingredients, then work the butter into the dough using two knives or a pastry blender.
- Whisk the milk and egg together, then stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead briefly.
- Pat or roll the dough into a round and cut into triangles.
- Bake the scones in a preheated oven until golden brown.
How to Store Scones
Store the cooled scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to one week.
Can You Freeze Scones?
Flash freeze the scones on a baking sheet for a few hours or up to overnight. Transfer the frozen scones to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- ½ cup white sugar
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg, beaten
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Step 2
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with 2 knives or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk milk and egg in a small bowl; gradually stir into flour mixture until moistened.
Step 3
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, 5 or 6 turns. Pat or roll dough out into a 1/2-inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedge-shaped pieces and place onto the prepared baking sheet.
Step 4
Bake scones in the preheated oven until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings Per Recipe 8 | |
Calories 397 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat19g | 24% |
Saturated Fat12g | 58% |
Cholesterol71mg | 24% |
Sodium595mg | 26% |
Total Carbohydrate51g | 18% |
Dietary Fiber1g | 5% |
Total Sugars14g | |
Protein7g | |
Vitamin C0mg | 1% |
Calcium220mg | 17% |
Iron3mg | 14% |
Potassium110mg | 2% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
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source by allrecipe
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- by: CRHARRIS77
- 23 years ago
This recipie made good scones. I just dropped them on the pan instead of kneading. Tasted a little like shortcake to me. Next time I think I will try them with fresh strawberres and whipped cream on top, instead of jam. Husband a son both liked them. (But insisted on calling them biscuits)
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- by: BDEGER
- 22 years ago
I just pulled a tray of these out of my oven and YUM! I added 1 cup of Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips to the batter and sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar before baking. I found the dough to be very, very wet. I spinkled a piece of wax paper with flour, put the dough on that and sprinkled it with flour; then topped it with another piece of wax paper. I patted it into a large rectangle and cut it into approx 30 2″x3″ triangles. Eight wedges would have been huge!!
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- by: CHINDERS
- 22 years ago
OK, this is the recipe that I was looking for! I was trying to recreate my favourite scones from a local cafe, and if you add some currants and a little grated orange peel they are perfect. I did follow the suggestion and use half & half instead of milk, and definitely butter (not marg) for flavour. Since I was making these in a hurry, the butter was not cut in super fine, and I didn’t really knead them, just pressed the dough together enough to make the circle. Came out perfect, and the rough surface was crunchy and “rustic” looking. Mmmmm….Thank You!
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- by: CARRIE27
- 22 years ago
Thank you! I made these for my family at Christmas. My mother and I are big cranberry fans, so I simply added some fresh cranberries! (I imagine that they may be a bit sweet without the tartness of the cranberries.) My mother was so thrilled with the result! I made them with milk, and they were perfectly flaky, great texture overall, beautiful! I think that I will make more, smaller ones next time, as others have suggested.
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- by: Anastasia
- 22 years ago
Fabulous! Bakery shop quality in your own oven. I use half and half rather than the skim milk which is our household staple. I have used this recipe with a variey of additions: dried cranberries, currants, even grated cheddar. Wonderful texture even when day old. A favorite.
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- by: MRS B
- 22 years ago
Thought these were EXCELLENT – I like ’em sweet so I added about 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, and I didn’t roll them out. I just dropped the dough onto the baking dish by well-rounded spoonfuls to make 12 scones. That made it easier and quicker, too. I’ll be making these again and again!
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 22 years ago
Very light and absolutely DELICIOUS! I used about 1/4 cup of half-n-half and 3/4 cup of milk. I also recommend using the food processor to combine the flour mixture and butter. I put 1/2 of the flour mixture into the processor at a time and just used a light pulse to incorporate the butter into the flour. I then put the butter and flour mixture into a large bowl and stirred in the egg mixture. One thing that I don’t recommend is using the drop method for these scones. The texture was much better when I added a little more flour to roll out, then kneaded a couple times and patted down into a circle and made scone wedges. Happy baking!!
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 22 years ago
I found these scones incredibly easy to make. I added quarter of a cup of shredded cheddar cheese and an eighth of a cup shredded red bell pepper and made savory dinner scones. They were light, flaky, and rose beautifully. More significantly, three people ate the whole plate of them that night!
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- by: GABRIELLE1973
- 22 years ago
This was my first attempt at making Scones. They are easy to make and taste really great!!! My hubby even ate one for breakfast. My 4 year old daughter keeps asking for more.. I can’t wait to add something to them next time. I do agree that they are a little big, I think next time I will start with two circles, and I will use my food processor for incorporating the butter into the flour.
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- by: IRON CHEF
- 22 years ago
I needed an English dish to take to a multi-cultural food tasting party at my daughter’s school. I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. When I made the trial batch, my kids said, “Oooh! Let’s make these all the time!” That was enough convincing for me to make them for my daughter’s class. I served them with strawberry jelly and hot tea, and they were a hit!! Thanks for the recipe!
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- by: Flashsmith
- 22 years ago
Wonderful! I’ve added fresh chopped cranberries and orange zest/juice.Orange glaze. I’ve made pumpkin scones with cinnamon glaze. Every altered recipe using this base has been a hit. To avoid dough being too wet I crack the egg in the measuring cup first, then measure to one cup milk or half & half over the egg. Seems to come out perfect.
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 22 years ago
These are so good!! Very light and moist. I added zest of one medium lemon, 3 tablespoons of orange juice, fresh cranberries, raisins, and pecans, and they got rave reviews!I took the advice of one review that suggested measuring the milk into a cup with the egg in it so the batter wouldn’t be too liquidy. Superb!
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- by: Julie
- 22 years ago
A+++ We made orange cranberry scones and they turned out delicious. I just wish they lasted longer, they managed to disappear really fast. Instead of 1 cup milk, We added 1/2 cup fresh OJ, 1/3 cup milk and added cranberries (dried sweetened or fresh cooked in sugar)then glazed them with an OJ/powdered sugar glaze. They were great!
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 22 years ago
AMAZING! These scones are fantastic, and they’re so easy to make. I’ve made them twice in the last twenty four hours, and got rave reviews each time. I added vanilla and two teaspoons cinnamon, because cinnamon rocks, and some walnuts. Also, I sprinkled brown sugar on top, but these are all personal preferences. They were great the first time when I followed the recipe exactly. Enjoy!
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 22 years ago
After paying $1.50 per scone at a local market, I finally decided to try to make my own. Donna’s recipe is easy and a terrific base for making scones to your liking. I divided the dough into two batches and made blueberry/pineapple and another batch of cinammon sugar. I patted out the dough between floured wax paper and cut into wedges. I used 1% milk and they tasted fine. Will definitely make again. A real family-pleaser. Thanks, Donna!
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- by: Trishy44
- 21 years ago
These just turned out wonderful. I used some of the tricks I read and they were perfect. I added two tsp of cinnamon and I put the egg in the measuring cup then added 1/2 milk and 1/2 half and half cream and the dough consistency was perfect. I added raisins and almonds to mine. When I took the dough from the bowl, it was crumbly, but I was able to easly mold it into a dough ball and flatten it and cut it into about 12 good size scones. I also added a bit of lemon zest…. If people had dough that was too wet, they really need to try putting the egg in the measuring cup first, then adding the milk. If you want quick easy scones, this recipe is for you!!! I will make again.
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 21 years ago
5 teaspoons is Tooooo muuuuch baaaaking pooowder!
These scones, unlike the traditional, slightly heavy Irish recipe, float into the air when you aren’t looking.
Also, I might note that the scones have a slightly caustic flavor that could damage one’s tooth enamel.
I strongly suggest halving the amount of baking powder, or even quartering it. At present, this comes out like a cake.
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 21 years ago
I have tried this recipe several times and never quite got the right consistency. It was always too mushy for me to touch. It just stuck to my hands. However, I did add different fruits and sprinkled sugar on top of them before baking and they still turned out pretty good.
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- by: BIOBUGS
- 21 years ago
This was a TRUE hit at my work. Four people ate all 10 of them in less than two hours (I made blueberry and raspberry). Every week they look forward to the scones. I even tried making them healthier by using all oat flour (roughtly 3 1/2 cups – just grind up oats in a coffee grinder). I actually got better reviews with the oat flour! These are a real keeper!
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- by: DANCINGQUEEN117
- 21 years ago
Wow, these scones were really good! This was the first time I ever made scones, but not my boyfriend- he gave me a really good tip: see, I was confused and thought that I was supposed to add the entire egg/ milk mixture to the dough, but instead, he said to just add enough of it so that the dough be moistened (We only used about half of the egg/ milk mixture). Oh yeah, and you have to add it only a little bit at a time, and work the dough each time after you add it. That way, you can tell how moistened it is. I know this is what the recipe says to do, but what i THOUGHT the directions said was to add the whole mixture and keep mixing until it was moistened. It was good the way my boyfriend taught me to do it. We added enough cinamin so that the dough was a very very light brown. We added to the dough BEFORE we put the egg/ milk in.
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 21 years ago
Please please please fix the mistake on this recipe. There is way too much baking powder in this and it comes out caustic. Use one quarter of the baking powder and you have a good recipe. I baked mine in my new scone pan (with a quarter of the baking powder) and they turned out great. Using all the baking powder they have listed make these scones unedible!!
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- by: Mrs. Boggess
- 21 years ago
I’ve never made scones before but this will definitely not be my last time. They are delicious and go great with tea! I will be having these at the tea party I will host for the ladies from my church. The amount of baking powder was perfect for the recipe and the idea of putting the egg in first and adding milk to equal 1 c. was perfect. Thank you all!
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- by: MRSGOOGS
- 21 years ago
I don’t know why some reviewers seemed so upset with the amount of baking powder in this recipe. I doubled the recipe and they came out wonderfully. I didn’t roll them out, though, I just sort of dropped them in clumps and flattened them a little. They didn’t taste caustic, and I used just as much baking powder as was called for.
I added about 2 cups of raisins (for double recipe) and they were soooo good!
Thanks for a great recipe, will use this again! -
- by: My4nonblondes
- 21 years ago
Oh….My….Gosh! These are so yummy, I just wish they weren’t all fat 🙁 I guess that’s why they’re so great though, huh? I added cinnamon and orange juice with a little orange zest, and they came out wonderful. I was a little worried about the reviewers that stated 5 tsp of baking powder was too much, and I surely do value my tooth enamel, so I compromised with 4 tbs, and followed yet anothers suggestion to add the egg to the measuring cup and then enough liquids to make 1 cup. It ended up being about 1/3 c of orange juice and 1/2 c of milk. The dough was a little sticky, but if you knead gently and use a little extra flour on your hands they come out just fine. Made 16 scone sized scones, not sure how big the submitter likes her scones, but 8 would be mighty big, like a big scone muffin. I will make these again and again! Thanks!
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- by: Melinda W
- 21 years ago
This is my absolute favorite scone recipe. I have added everything from chocolate chips to peaches to it and they turn out GREAT every time! Try some blue cheese and walnuts or just sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on top…either way they are yummy. I split the dough in half and make two 8″ circles. The scones are a bit smaller, but seem to rise better and you can make a couple different kinds.
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 21 years ago
Made these with 4 teaspoons of baking powder, because another scone recipe I have requires that. Also, used 1/2 shortening & 1/2 butter. Also, added cinnamon to the dough & sprinkled with granulated sugar. Quite delicious! Since the dough was really wet (humid today), I just dropped them on a cookie sheet. SO easy! My 4 yr old & 6 yr old plus my husband said to keep the recipe! I think I’ll try cinnamon chips next time….and maybe a pwdered sugar glaze. Yummy!
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- by: MICHELLERENEE
- 21 years ago
Very yummy! I used past suggestions and used 1 egg with enough milk added to make 1 cup, which worked well. The dough was crumbly in the bowl, but came together with a little kneading. Be sure to use chilled butter, which gives it the right texture. This time, I added 2t cinnamon and some cinnamon chips. I’ll also try lemon blueberry, and clotted cream with jam. Thanks for the great recipe!
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- by: DENIMSEA
- 21 years ago
Great Recipe!! I love Dunkin Donuts scones and these were perfect. I made two rounds (16 scones) making one round with chocolate chips… these were gone almost before they were out of the oven! And the second batch I made with dried cranberries that I moistened and seasoned with cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutmeg. I also sprinkled cinnamon/sugar on top before baking. I did find the oven too hot, making the edges crispy and the center too gooey. So I just lowered the oven temp to 375 and baked them for 5 extra minutes. 5 stars!
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- by: Klb
- 21 years ago
I added the zest of one orange and about 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips. The finished product was very good, but the dough was very sticky while making them. I added quite a bit more flour to make it manageable. I also cut them into more than 8 wedges otherwise they were too big. I had never made scones before and was suprised at how well they turned out. Looking forward to making more- maybe with cranberries.
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- by: Tanis Aune-Essery
- 20 years ago
I made these today because my recipe calls for whipping cream and I was out. For starters the dough was so sticky I had to add almost two more cups of flour. I added raisins and rolled and cut them out into rounds and they made more than 2 dozen. They weren’t as sweet as my other recipe makes but that is probably due to the fact I had to add so much more flour.
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- by: CRAZYCOOKIE
- 20 years ago
Oh my goodness! These are great. I cut down the baking powder to 3 tsp. and used half heavy cream, and half skim milk. Took awhile to come together, but once they did, it was fine. I added a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg, and then threw in some dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. Came out fantastic. Not too dry like scones usually are. I can’t wait to surprise my boyfriend with these when he gets home.
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 20 years ago
This was my first attempt at making scones- yum! I left them plain for my first try (will try blueberries next time) and drizzled them w/ the vanilla glaze recipe from this site. Served warm w/ homemade raspberry jam to my hubby this morning. Will make again and again!
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 20 years ago
This is a delicious and simple scone. I have made many recipes, but I really loved the flavor of these. After reading all the reviews, this is what I did. I sifted the dry ingredients, using just 4 tsp bakins powder, I did half butter, half margerine, and I used 1 egg with part half and half part milk to 1 cup (I used slightly more than half of the milk mixture). I made mini scones for a tea party – I cut in circles then in half and crimped to make more triangular! These are so light and fluffy. I also did a batch with cranberries and pecans chopped! Thanks for sharing! This is a great verstatile recipe!
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