Think of this scone recipe as a beginner scone, a lazy scone, or think of it as The Most Basic Scone Recipe. And definitely think of it as the easiest scone recipe you will ever make. I took my cream scone recipe and simplified it down to 3 main ingredients with an endless list of add-in's and customizations.
I'm not sure how it happened, but I've kind of become known for scones. And muffins. But scones especially. Scones are one of those baked goods that many of you have said you've had bad luck making in the past and I guess I've sort of taken it upon myself to change that. If you want to add in flavorings those will obviously up the ingredient count, but this basic three ingredient scone will give you a soft, slightly sweet blank canvas perfect for butter, clotted cream, lemon curd, Crème Fraîche, jams and jellies.
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A Basic Scone Recipe for everyone
I have a handful of scone recipes on my blog; my Vanilla Bean Scones have been a hit for many years, and recently my Triple Berry Crème Fraîche Scones have seen a surge in popularity. Everyone is making them and having such great results which just makes me so darn happy! I think the reason is that I give super-detailed instructions. And my scones aren't great big, dried out hockey pucks like you find in so many bakeries. My plan is to go back and add some process shots to the posts to make them even more easy to follow but so far you all are loving the recipes and I thank you so much for your feedback, as always. I'll link to my other scone recipes below, but for now let's focus on these simple, easy, three ingredient Scones - the most Basic Scone Recipe you will ever make.
What you'll need for this basic scone recipe
- Self-Rising Flour
- Sugar
- Heavy Cream
Optional Add-ins
The sky is the limit here - these are just a few of my favorite add-ins:
- Vanilla or Almond Extract
- Berries
- Chocolate Chips or Chunks
- Dried Fruits
- Citrus Zest
- poppy seeds
- sprinkles
- coconut
Optional Toppings
Before baking, you could sprinkle your scones with coarse sugar after you brush them with cream.
After baking and cooling slightly they can be glazed, drizzled with caramel or dulce de leche, melted white or dark chocolate, melted peanut butter, sprinkles... really - let your imagination run wild. Make this YOUR easiest scone recipe.
How to make this Basic Scone Recipe
Step 6 is where you would stop if you were keeping these basic. I added blueberries to show you the whole process, but these are so good plain if you are serving them with butter, clotted cream, crème fraîche, jam, berries, lemon curd, or even with a more savory breakfast/brunch spread. Hint, hint: Mother's Day is coming soon.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden on bottoms and just starting to get golden-brown on some of the little craggy edges. I like to cover mine with foil after the first 20 minutes to prevent too much browning on top - but this is up to you and your oven. Don't be afraid to check one by breaking it in half. You want it to be moist still, but not very wet and doughy. Much like a biscuit. Allow to cool, and if adding the optional glaze now is a good time to whip it up.
The simplest glaze for this basic scone recipe (and variations)
This is the formula for the most basic scone glaze: Place 2 cups powdered sugar in a spouted measuring cup, add extract or flavoring of your choice and enough milk, cream, or juice to thin to a pourable consistency. Start with 2 tablespoons and work up very slowly if you need it thinner. If you make it too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
If you want some glaze variations, check out these posts:
Blueberry Glaze - but you could use any freeze-dried fruit
See how easy? Because my basic scone recipe requires just three ingredients and no chilling time, you can whip these up on a whim and totally at the last minute. My kind of recipe! I will always love my other scone recipes and will continue to create new flavors (can't stop, won't stop!) and share them here, but isn't it nice to have a quick, shortcut recipe up your sleeve when you're craving some scones on a lazy Sunday morning? Or when you want to make something special for your momma on Mother's Day? I think the answer is, "yes."
Happy baking, my friends! I hope you love this basic scone recipe. Let me know if you have any questions. If you do make this, it would mean the world if you'd leave a rating and a comment. Thanks so much for hanging out with me! xo - Anita
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The Basic Scone Recipe {one bowl, 3 ingredients, no chilling}
The Basic Scone Recipe. One bowl, 3 ingredients, no chilling, rolling, or cutting. So easy to whip up last minute and so easy to customize with flavorings, add-ins, and toppings.
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 large scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups self rising flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
If adding in anything I recommend about a cup of whatever ingredient you are adding (berries, chocolate chips, etc.)
Instructions
For the basic, easiest scones:
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour and sugar.
- Slowly drizzle in cream while stirring gently with a fork. Continue drizzling and stirring until you have a damp, clumpy mixture that is easily pressed together. You don't want to see any more dry patches of flour, but you don't want a very wet mixture.
- Scoop dough either with a large cookie scoop or ¼ cup measure onto parchment lined baking tray. These will spread ever so slightly but not much, so you can put them pretty close together. I fit all 12 onto my baking sheet.
- Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake in preheated 400 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil after 20 minutes if they are browning too quickly.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before glazing or topping
For flavor variations:
- if adding extracts, add them to the cream mixture before adding to flour.
- If adding fruits, chocolate chips, etc, add them just as the dough is coming together when you still have a few dry patches of flour. Once you add the extra ingredients, continue to gently stir, adding a bit more cream as needed until you have a damp, clumpy mixture that hold together. See photos for reference.
Notes
My weapon of choice for stirring together scone dough is and always has been a fork. It really allows you to bring the dough together without over-working it. I just toss and stir as I'm drizzling in the cream and it works like a charm.
I've used half and half in place of cream and it works just fine. These would also be very good with buttermilk I imagine.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: scones
- Method: baking
Here are a few more recipes I think would be perfect for Mother's Day (or any special Brunch)
Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Vanilla Bean Scones with a Vanilla Bean Glaze
Afghan Scrambled Eggs with Afghan Naan (Khagina with Noni Afghani)
Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Muffins with Chocolate Streusel
Cinnamon Sugar Cream Cheese Muffins
Triple Berry Crème Fraîche Scones
Frosted Brown Butter & Vanilla Bean Cinnamon Rolls
Patricia toth says
Sorry about the previous question about heavy cream. Your recipe says heavy cream!
Patricia Toth says
I have been making scones for the past couple of months with varying degrees of success. Your recipe is by far the easiest I have seen. Would I be able to add dried cranberries? I will certainly try it with blueberries! So many options! I have always used heavy cream. Is this feasible for your recipe? (I have a quart and don’t want to waste it!) Thanks for your help!
KW says
I am a high school teacher & love this recipe. Can I make the batter one day, then bake another? Or make the batter, then freeze, then bake?
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi there! I'm so happy you love this easy scone recipe! Yes, scones are a great make-ahead. You can shape the scones, cover well, refrigerate overnight and bake straight from the fridge. Or you can shape, freeze, and bake. You may need to add a few extra minutes for the frozen scones. Let me know how it goes! - Anita
John says
Wow! 3 ingredients and no kneading! It doesn't get much easier, simple, or delicious. I followed the recipe and used White Lily self-rising flour. The batch made 11 good size scones and they were fantastic while warm. I can't comment on how they taste after cooling because we ate the entire batch almost immediately! I highly recommend!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi John! I am so happy to read this! Thanks for the wonderful feedback! I'm so glad you and yours enjoyed these easy scones!
Chrys says
I made these this morning and they are perfect - quick, easy, and delicious! Thanks for this recipe. I look forward to experimenting with it more in the future by using add-ins, glaze, etc.
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Chrys! Thank you! I am so happy you enjoyed these and that you plan to make them again. Let me know how your experiments go!! - Anita
Lisa says
I'm very interested in using your recipe. I just ordered groceries and I was shocked at the price of buying scones from the grocery store bakery! my question is, would I need to add anything to the dough if I'm using plain unbleached flour instead of self rising flour?
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Lisa! Yes, I agree - grocery prices in general are unreal! According to King Arthur Flour's website, to make your own self-rising flour for each cup of flour you will add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. So use 3 cups AP flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 4 tablespoons sugar, and 1 1/2 cups heavy cream for this basic scone recipe. Let me know how it goes! Thanks!! - Anita
Tere says
Made this two times. The first time I used regular sized chocolate chips and felt like this didn’t incorporate too well into the dough. The second time I used mini chocolate chips and felt like it was much better. Size of chocolate chips could totally be a personal preference thing though. I made some home made vanilla and matcha whipped cream with the left over cream, which paired well with the chocolate chip scones. The recipe is easy and the scones are delicious! Trying to decide what I should add next
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Thank you for coming back to leave this wonderful feedback! Aren't they just such a simple, easy scone?? Such a nice recipe to have up our sleeves. I will have to add a note letting people know that the mini chips worked better. Thanks for the tip! That whipped cream sounds delicious and such a smart way to use up the leftover cream! Thanks again - Anita
Alexis says
These scones were easy and delicious as promised! The texture was perfect and I added blueberries to mine. The scone batter is the perfect starting point for so many additions!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Thank you so much Alexis! I was thrilled to see you had made these and I really appreciate the tag on instagram and this kind feedback! It means so much!! xoxoxo - Anita
Carole says
These were so easy and just perfect for what I needed! Thank you! My question is, how do I store them? Room temp or in the fridge? Thanks again! Can’t wait to try them again with some add-ins!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Carole! I am so happy to read this! Thank you for giving my recipe a try and for taking the time to come back and leave a comment and rating - it means so much!! The scones will keep in an airtight container at room temp for 1-2 days and about a week in an airtight container in the fridge. They will dry out as they age, but you can refresh them in the microwave or in a hot oven for a few minutes. I guess I should add these instructions to the recipe card! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂 Take care! xo - Anita
Carole says
Perfect 🙂 thanks so much for the quick reply!!
Barbara says
Can you use regular milk
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Barbara. You can use regular milk but your scone may be a bit drier as a result of the lower fat content. I'd bake them a little less to compensate for that. Let me know if you give them a try. - Anita
SHARON says
Can you post metric pls
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Sharon, I do not measure my ingredients using metric measurements. There are many online calculators that will convert recipes for you. Hope this helps. Thanks. - Anita
SHARON says
Hi I tried to find a converter, but cups measure differently for different items! O well...
Ann M. says
Can I use almond flour?
I'm on the keto diet.
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Ann, I have not tried these with almond flour therefore I can't recommend it. Almond flour works very differently than wheat flour, so I would recommend finding a scone recipe that is written specifically for almond flour. I am sure there are some good ones out there! Thank you! - Anita
Barbara says
Can you use regular milk
Marilyn P says
No rating yet but a quick question before I make these, Anita. How many berries do you suggest adding? Maybe 1 cup? (I’m thinking of using frozen blueberries.) Thank you!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Yes, one cup is a good amount. I need to go back and add that important little detail. Thank you for drawing my attention to it! Good luck - Can't wait to hear how yours turn out. Thanks!
Mary Gallagher says
So very perfect — thanks for opening up a whole new world! After reading countless recipes and wanting to bake scones for at least ten years, I used your basic recipe, with the addition of raisins and unsweetened coconut flakes. The scones, nicely browned on top and bottom and with lovely crunchy tops, thanks to the brushed-on heavy cream and a sprinkling of turbinado sugar, are both attractive and yummy. I’m delighted with my new “skill” — Bless you!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Oh, Mary! This comment just makes my heart sing! Thank you for making my recipe and for taking the time to leave such a kind review. I am so happy they turned out. Love those flavor additions! xo - Anita
Mary Gallagher says
Happy to make your heart sing as you continue to make mine do the same, Anita! ♥️
Something to consider: I added the zest (approximately 1TBS.) of a navel orange to the batter for my second scone making attempt, also using raisins and unsweetened coconut flakes, and although the scones were quite good, no orange flavor came through. Today, when I added the same amount of orange zest to the flour (ooops, I thought, then whisked it in, along with the turbinado sugar!) the flavor of the zest came through beautifully, without overwhelming the other ingredients.
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Oh Mary, thank you. This is a wonderful tip! I am just so happy you've had success with this recipe and I love that you are experimenting with add-ins! Sounds so delicious! Thank you for your kindness and support. <3 Anita
Arlene says
I have wanted to make scones for a long time and your recipe was too good to resist. I added frozen blueberries and vanilla. So easy, fast and delish. Thank you so much.
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
This makes me so happy! Thank you for trusting my recipe and for the kind comment and review. It means so much! xo - Anita