Easy fruit scones | Simple recipe | Cooking with my kids (2024)

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This easy Fruit scones recipe is one of the simplest things you can make with your kids and with very little sugar, are a healthier alternative to some other snacks.

Easy fruit scones | Simple recipe | Cooking with my kids (1)

Fruit scones are one of the simplest things you can make with your kids and with very little sugar, they are a healthier alternative to some other baked goods. We made them on a day we were snowed in so they were perfect in that they use ingredients we always have in the house.

This fruit scone recipe makes a great treat for afternoon tea. They’re deliciously light and soft, just like any good scone should be.

You can add any dried fruit to your fruit scones, either use a packet of dried mixed fruit or use some sultanas or raisins. If you’re feeling more adventurous you could try adding cranberries or dried strawberries or apricots. Whatever fruit you add, don’t forget to enjoy them with some delicious jam and clotted cream!

And if you liked these fruit scones, you can try our cherry scones, buttermilk tear and share scones, plain scones, blackberry scones, or Mary Berry cheese scones.

How can kids help make this easy fruit scones recipe?

Scones are really easy to make so they’re a great bake for young children and beginner bakers. What makes this recipe even better is that you just need to mix everything together in a mixing bowl so you don’t need any fancy stand or hand held mixers.

Your kids can help measure the ingredients out and mix them all together with their hands, or wooden spoons. Once you’ve made the scone dough, your children can help cut the scones out which is a task even the youngest bakers can help with. Brushing the tops of the scones with a little milk, not only helps to turn them a nice golden brown but is a fun job for little chefs to do.

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How do I get my scones to rise and be fluffy?

A few things can help your scones to rise better. The first is being as gentle as you can with the dough both when you rub the butter and flour together, and when you bring it together into a ball. Stop kneading the dough as soon as it comes together so you don’t over work it which will stop them rising well.

Rather than rolling out the scone dough with a rolling pin, just pat it down gently with your hands until it’s the right thickness. Finally, when you use your cutters try and push them straight down rather than turning them.

If your scones still arent’ rising well, make sure your baking powder is still in date. Out of date baking powder won’t work properly so your scones aren’t likely to rise.

How long will the fruit scones keep?

I like fruit scones still a little warm from the oven, but if you want to keep them for longer put them in an air tight container. They should keep for a day or two. You can always warm them slightly before you serve them.

Can I make fruit scones ahead of time and freeze them?

Yes, scones freeze well so if you want you can make them ahead of time and freeze them or freeze any leftovers. After baking, allow them to cool completely, then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag. To reheat, simply thaw them then warm them in the oven.

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Can I use fresh fruit instead of dried fruit in my fruit scones?

You can, but they’ll add a lot more moisture than dried fruit so you’ll need to adapt this recipe slightly. Add slightly less milk than the recipe outlines below so they don’t end up too wet.

What can I put on a fruit scone?

Scones are traditionally served with jam and clotted cream. Whether you put the jam or cream on first can depend on where you’re from (people from Devon put the cream on first and add the jam on top, while in Cornwall they do the reverse.)

What can I use instead of self raising flour?

Self raising flour is easy to find in the supermarket here in the UK, but if you live elsewhere or don’t have in your cupboard, you can use an equal amount of plain or all-purpose flour and add an extra 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

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Other scone recipes

If you liked these fruit scones, you’ll love our other easy scone recipes for kids:

Raspberry and white chocolate scones
Mary Berry plain scones
Cheese scones
Blackberry scones
Buttermilk scones
Cherry scones
Sultana scones
Apple scones

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these fruit scones

Digital scales
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Measuring jug
Wooden spoons
Baking tray
Pastry brush
Wire rack

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Difficulty:Easy

Time:20 minutes plus 20 minutes baking

Serves: 4-6

Easy fruit scones | Simple recipe | Cooking with my kids (5)

Ingredients

450g (3 3/4 cups) self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
110g (1/2 cups) butter
50g (1/4 cups) caster sugar
1 egg
150ml (1/2 cups) milk
100g (2/3 cups) dried fruit (raisins, sultanas etc)

how to make easy fruit scones

Preheat the oven to 180C/170C Fan / 350F and line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper

Mix together the flour and butter

Get your kids to measure the flour, salt and baking powder and put them in a large mixing bowl. Measure the butter and chop into small pieces before adding to your bowl. Getting your kids to use a butter knife to chop butter can be a great way to practice their chopping skills as they don’t have to be too evenly sized.

Easy fruit scones | Simple recipe | Cooking with my kids (6)

Using your fingertips rub the butter and flour together until you have a fine breadcrumb.

Easy fruit scones | Simple recipe | Cooking with my kids (7)

Add the sugar and mixed fruit

Measure the sugar and mixed fruit and add them to your bowl. Give it a good mix so that the fruit is well covered in flour.

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Add the egg and milk

Crack the egg into a small bowl (just in case any shell goes in.) If you do get shell in with the egg, fish it out with a larger piece of shell or a tea spoon.

Get your kids to measure out the milk – if possible using the ml setting on digital scales as you can be much more accurate this way. Add the egg to the milk and give it a whisk.

Add the egg and milk mixture to your bowl slowly, mixing it in well.

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Give everything one final mix and start to bring it together into a ball. It may be easier at this point to use your hands again to make sure the fruit is evenly mixed through the dough. If you need to at this point, add a splash more milk if your dough is too dry or add a spoon more flour if it’s too wet and sticky.

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Make the fruit scones

Get your kids to pat the scone dough down until it is about 2cm thick. You could use a rolling pin to do this, but I find that scones work better and rise much more if you just use your hands.

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Use a circular cutter to cut out your scones and place them on your prepared baking tray. We used 5cm cutter, but you could use any size and just adjust the cooking time up if you make them bigger.

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Finally, get your child to brush a little milk or any leftover egg/milk mixture over the top of each scone.

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Bake the fruit scones

Bake the scones in the oven for 15-20 minutes (or more if you have made larger ones). They’re ready when they are well risen and have turned a nice golden colour.

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Leave the scones to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before removing them and popping them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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Serve and enjoy.

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Easy fruit scones | Simple recipe | Cooking with my kids (19)

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Fruit scones

Easy fruit scones | Simple recipe | Cooking with my kids (21)cookingwithmykids

Fruit scones are one of the easiest things you can make with your kids and with very little sugar, are a healthier alternative to some other snacks.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Afternoon tea

Cuisine British

Servings 15

Calories 210 kcal

Ingredients

  • 450 g (3 ¾ cups) self raising flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • A pinch Salt
  • 110 g (½ cups) butter
  • 50 g (¼ cups) caster sugar
  • 150 ml (1 cup) milk
  • 100 g (⅔ cups) dried fruit eg sultanas, mixed dried fruit, raisins

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C/170C Fan / 350F and line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper

    Mix together the flour and butter

    • Measure the flour, salt and baking powder and put them in a large mixing bowl. Measure the butter and chop into small pieces before adding to your bowl.

    • Using your fingertips rub the butter and flour together until you have a fine breadcrumb.

    Add the sugar and mixed fruit

    • Measure the sugar and dried fruit and add them to your mixing bowl. Give everything one good mix so that the fruit is well coated in flour.

    Add the egg and milk

    • Crack the egg into a small bowl.

      Measure the milk – if possible using the ml setting on digital scales as you can be much more accurate this way. Add the egg to the milk and whisk them together.

      Pour the milk/egg mixture to your bowl slowly, mixing it in well.

      Bring the dough together into a ball. If you mixture is too dry, add a splash more milk. Equally, if you find the dough too wet and sticky add a spoon more flour.

    Make the scones

    • Pat the scone dough down until it is about 2cm thick. You could use a rolling pin to do this, but I find that scones work better if you just use your hands.

    • Use a circular cutter to cut out your scones and place them on your prepared baking tray. We used large 5-6 cm cutter, but you could use any size and just adjust the cooking time.

    • Finally, brush a little milk over the top of each scone.

    Bake the scones

    • Bake the scones in the oven for 15-20 minutes. They’re ready when they are well risen and have turned a nice golden colour.

    Keyword baking

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    Similar recipes

    If you liked these fruit scones, you’ll love our plain scones, our sultana cake and our easy bakes for children.

    This recipe was first published in June 2020, and updated in August 2023.
    Easy fruit scones | Simple recipe | Cooking with my kids (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the secret to making good scones? ›

    Baking tips for making the perfect scones

    The colder the better when it comes to scones, we recommend a chilled bowl and pastry cutter too. Use pastry flour: This will create a noticeably lighter scone. However, self-raising flour works just as well and creates a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely.

    What to avoid when making scones? ›

    5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones
    1. Using anything but cold ingredients. The secret to the flakiest scones is to start with cold ingredients — cold butter, cold eggs, and cold cream. ...
    2. Only using all-purpose flour. ...
    3. Overmixing the dough. ...
    4. Not chilling the dough before baking. ...
    5. Baking them ahead of time.
    May 1, 2019

    Do you have to put baking powder in scones? ›

    However, you will need to add the raising agents that you would usually find in self-raising flour – without any raising agents your scones will be like rocks. And not in a nice Rock Buns kind of way! The general rule of thumb is to add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for every 150g of plain flour.

    Why are my fruit scones dry and crumbly? ›

    Perhaps there wasn't enough liquid, or it could be that the dough was overworked and / or the scones were overbaked. If you're measuring the liquid in a jug, make sure you check the amount at eye level. The dough should be handled gently and feel moist. If there are any crumbs in the bowl it will need a spot more milk.

    Which flour is best for scones? ›

    Cake flour is finer and lower in protein, which makes lighter and fluffier scones. If you don't have any on hand, a simple blend of all-purpose flour and a bit of cornstarch makes a great substitute. Simply whisk together 1¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch.

    Is it better to make scones with butter or oil? ›

    For example, if you substitute oil for butter or margarine, you can significantly reduce the amount of saturated fat in your baked goods. This streamlined recipe for Light Scones uses just 3 tablespoons of canola oil, which contains a fraction of the saturated fat found in butter or margarine.

    How long should you rest scones before baking? ›

    Recipes for scones sometimes provide a make-ahead option that involves refrigerating the dough overnight so it can simply be shaped and then popped into the oven the next day. But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.

    What makes scones rise best? ›

    Much like cinnamon rolls, arranging your scones side by side, just touching one another, helps in making the scones rise evenly, and higher.

    Why are scones bad for you? ›

    Although convenient and tasty, scones are a complete loss. They are typically extremely high in calories from the heavy butter and cream. And, although scones with fruit might seem healthier, most are even higher in calories and still high in saturated fat. Steer clear of scones.

    Should scones be cold before baking? ›

    "Once you've shaped your scones, chill them before baking," Youngman says. "You can use that time to preheat the oven so the kitchen doesn't heat up while you make the dough. The final chill relaxes the gluten which yields a tender texture.

    Can you put too much baking powder in scones? ›

    Additionally, using too much baking powder can give the finished product a bitter taste, as baking powder has a slight alkaline taste. It is important to follow the recipe carefully and use the correct amount of baking powder to ensure that your cakes and cookies turn out as desired.

    What happens if you put too much baking powder in scones? ›

    Too much baking powder can cause the batter to be bitter tasting. It can also cause the batter to rise rapidly and then collapse. (i.e. The air bubbles in the batter grow too large and break causing the batter to fall.) Cakes will have a coarse, fragile crumb with a fallen center.

    Should you sift flour for scones? ›

    The less you knead the mix, the less the gluten will tighten up – which means your scones will stay loose and crumbly, rather than tight and springy. Make sure you sieve the flour and baking powder into your bowl. This means that the two will be well mixed together, which gives you a better chance of an even rise.

    How thick should scone dough be? ›

    It is far better that the scone mixture is on the wet side, sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it out with your hand, or use a rolling pin, to a thickness of 1-2 cm (1/2 – ¾ inch).

    Should butter be cold for scones? ›

    Butter must be COLD from the very start to when the dough enters the oven. The cold butter melts upon entering the oven and the water content in butter evaporates in steam. As the steam escapes, it bursts up and creates that beautiful tall, flaky, fluffy texture.

    Why are my scones not light and fluffy? ›

    Some common reasons for dense scones are not using enough baking powder, overworking the dough and not baking with the oven at the correct temperature.

    How do you make scones rise and not spread? ›

    Pack the scones closely on the baking tray so they will support each other as they rise rather than spreading. Make scones the day you need them – they taste far better warm.

    What is the main reason for resting scones before baking? ›

    This short rest relaxes the gluten, making scones more tender; and cold chills the fat, increasing flakiness.

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