The most Basic Scone Recipe

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.

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:

Crème Fraîche Glaze

Blueberry Glaze - but you could use any freeze-dried fruit

Orange Cream Cheese Glaze

Vanilla Bean Glaze

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

The Basic Scone Recipe {one bowl, 3 ingredients, no chilling}

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 large scones 1x

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Description

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.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 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.)

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Instructions

For the basic, easiest scones:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour and sugar.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

Keywords: easy scone recipe, easiest scones, three ingredient scones recipe, mother's day recipe, easy brunch recipe, simple scones, basic scones

Here are a few more recipes I think would be perfect for Mother's Day (or any special Brunch)

Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

The Best French Toast

Vanilla Bean Scones with a Vanilla Bean Glaze

Afghan Scrambled Eggs with Afghan Naan (Khagina with Noni Afghani)

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

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