These simple sweet scones are easy to make and you will probably want to double the recipe because they’ll disappear quickly! We’ve had scones in different parts of the world and at some of the finest tea parlors and cottages, but we have yet to come across a scone that matches the one we’re about to share with you. Have you ever eaten a scone that’s too dry, crumbles when you cut it and falls apart before it gets to your mouth? We have had that experience too many times and on occasion have been tempted to share our simple sweet scone recipe with the chef of that restaurant, but didn’t. We’ve just sat there and thought of our recipe. When serving these tasty little treats to your friends and family they will ask for the recipe; it’s up to you if you want to share it. Print this recipe and tuck it away somewhere safe; you’ll want to guard it with your life. Of course, when we have afternoon tea on a weekend, these simple scones are sitting right next to one of our homemade jams, clotted cream and a pot of tea. However, there are times, when we enjoy them with a pat of good butter and other times, we just enjoy these simple sweet scones with nothing in or on them. Here’s the recipe:

Simple Sweet Scones

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of flour (1-3/4 cups spelt and 3/4 cup all-purpose)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter ( if salted, reduce salt by 1/4 teaspoon)

1/3 cup brown sugar (1/4 cup if you like your scones sweeter)

1/2 cup of moist, plump raisins, if dry, see instructions below

2/3 cup of milk

Instructions

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Mix flour, baking powder, salt in a large bowl

2. Add cold butter and cut with a pastry blender or rub with your fingers until the mixture looks like fine granules

3. Add sugar and mix well

4. Add raisins. If they are hard and dry, place them in a small bowl , add 1/4 orange juice and microwave for about 20 seconds to plump up the raisins, give it a toss and add a few seconds if needed, drain before adding to the bowl

5. Add milk and gently stir with a fork or gently with your fingers until a soft dough forms

6. Form a ball and place on a lightly floured board and knead no more than 10 times. You don’t want to over knead the dough

7. Decide if you want triangles or round scones, as well as, the thickness. f you want 8 healthy triangles (like in our photo), roll the dough about in a circle about 10 inches wide. One scone will be enough for each person. If you want to make circles, decide how thick you want them. You can roll out the dough to about 12 inches and use a 2-1/2″ round cookie cutter for thinner scones, or roll it out to 1o inches for thicker scones. Play with it and you’ll figure it out.

8. Place scones on an ungreased cookie sheet or silicone sheet, slightly apart for crisp sides or touching for soft sides

9. Bake for 12 minutes, or until medium brown on top. Do not over bake. We stick to 12 minutes

10. Place a clean kitchen towel on a wire rack; cover loosely with the towel and cool completely before serving

Variations: We usually make these simple sweet scones without any additions, but in this version we added some raisins. You can add cranberries or any dried fruit.