Simple Scones

This is a simple recipe that always produces a lightly sweet and delicately moist scone that my own British mother taught me to bake.

2 cups of flour

2 Tablespoons of sugar

3 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

A dash of nutmeg

½ cup softened butter or shortening

1 cup raisins*

¾ cup of milk

One egg, beaten

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Sift together dry ingredients, cut in butter or shortening till crumbly. Add raisins, gently toss. Add milk and mix just until moistened. Put dough onto flour covered board and kneed slightly until not sticky. Form a circle and cut into six triangles.

Place triangles on a lightly greased cookie sheet and brush tops with egg, sprinkle with sugar or sugar cinnamon mixture. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Serve warm with butter and jam or honey

*instead of raisins you could use some other dried fruit, like cranberries. You could use chocolate chips, nuts, or bake plain with a couple of tablespoons of lemon or orange zest.

For a savory scone add fresh chopped herbs like rosemary or basil, lessen the sugar by one tablespoon. You may also add chopped cubes of cheese or crumbled bacon.

Make your scone a dessert. Split one of the chocolate chip scones in half, scoop your favorite flavor of ice cream on each half and garnish with chocolate sauce. Use a plain or zested scone for short cake by topping it with strawberries or other fruit and fresh whipped cream.

One simple to make recipe can give you lots of different scones, just use your imagination. Enjoy!

#scones