Fruit Scones

These fruit scones are part of my Coffee Shop Classics recipe series – where I help you re-create your favourite coffee shop treats at home! If you love simple, timeless and delicious bakes, this is the recipe collection for you.

Your Ingredients List

This easy Fruit Scone recipe uses simple, staple baking ingredients:

• Self-raising flour: This is what gives your scones their structure and that lovely rise. It already contains a raising agent, so it forms the perfect base for a fluffy, tender scone.
• Baking powder: Just a little extra lift to make sure your scones are light and airy – think of it as a little boost to help them puff up beautifully in the oven.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the buttery flavour.
• Unsalted butter: This key ingredient to getting those lovely flaky, buttery layers. Make sure the butter is cold and firm.
• Caster sugar: Sweetens the scones and is sprinkled on top for a golden crust.
• Egg: Binds the ingredients together into a soft dough and adds richness to the scones. Keep your eggs in the fridge until needed.
• Milk: Also acts as a binding ingredient and is brushed up top for a golden finish.
• Raisins or sultanas: Adds bursts of fruity flavour with a chewy texture. Not a raisin fan? Scroll down to the section below on different flavour options.
• To serve: Jam and clotted cream – which way round is completely up to you!

How to Make Fruit Scones

Scones have a bit of a reputation for being tricky but honestly, they’re one of the easiest bakes. All you need is a tried-and-tested recipe that won’t let you down – and on that I can deliver! My Fruit Scones recipe uses no fancy equipment or complicated steps, plus they come together in under 30 minutes. Perfect if you’re short on time but still want something homemade and delicious. Here’s a quick rundown of the steps:

1. Mix the dry ingredients – Pop the flour, baking powder, salt into a big bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Rub in the butter – Chop up cold butter and add to the dry ingredients. Use your fingertips to rub the butter in until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs (see photo below).
3. Add the sugar and dried fruit – Then use your hands to mix them through.
4. Mix in the wet ingredients – Add the cold egg and milk to the dry mix. Use a cutlery knife to mix in a figure-of-eight motion until the dough comes together. You’re looking for a shaggy, chunky dough. Test the consistency by pinching a piece of dough with your fingertips, if it sticks together and feels tacky it’s good to go. Too dry and crumbly? Keep mixing!
5. Cut out the scones – Turn the dough out onto a floured worktop and use your hands to pat the dough into a disc shape. Use a 6cm round cutter to stamp out the scones.
6. Bake until golden – Pop in a hot oven at 200°C (fan) and bake until risen and golden on top (roughly 12-15 minutes).

Warm, fluffy, fruit-packed scones with minimal effort, what’s not to love!

Top Tips for Perfect Scones

These simple tips will help you bake perfect scones with a tall rise, light crumb, and soft fluffy middle every time:

• Cold ingredients = better rise: Cold butter, cold milk, even a cold egg if you’ve got time to chill it. The idea is that cold fat creates little steam pockets in the oven, which helps the scones puff up into soft, fluffy towers.
• Fresh flour is key: If your scones are a bit sad and flat, it may be because your flour isn’t fresh. Try to use a new sealed bag of flour for the best results.
• Don’t overwork the dough: Overmixing develops gluten, which leads to tough scones. Mix the ingredients gently until the dough has just come together. The less you work the dough the more soft and light the scones will be.
• Pat the dough out, don’t roll it: Resist the urge to roll your dough out like pastry. Instead, just use your hands to gently pat it into shape. It helps keep the dough airy, and you’ll get a better rise and fluffier middle.
• Don’t twist the cutter: When cutting out your fruit scones, press your cutter straight down and lift it straight back up. Twisting might feel like the natural thing to do, but it seals the edges of the dough and stops them from rising nice and tall. Flour the cutter beforehand to create a non-stick barrier.

Different Types of Scones To Try

Scones are one of those bakes that you can easily switch up the flavour to suit your taste. So, if you’re not a fan of fruit scones with raisins (my husband can’t stand them 😅), here are some other flavour ideas to try:

• Citrus zest – Add finely grated lemon, orange, or even lime zest for a fresh, zingy lift. This works especially well with sweet scones served with clotted cream and jam.
• Spices – A little spice goes a long way! Try ground cinnamon, mixed spice, or nutmeg for a warm, cosy flavour. For savoury scones, a pinch of chilli flakes or cayenne pepper adds a gentle heat.
• Chocolate chips – Swap the fruit for milk, dark, or white chocolate chips. They’ll melt into little pockets of sweetness that go beautifully with a cup of tea.
• Chopped nuts – Walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts add crunch and depth. Lightly toast them first to bring out even more flavour.
• Grated cheese – Perfect for savoury scones. Add it after rubbing the butter into the flour, but before mixing in the liquid. This stops the cheese from clumping and helps it distribute evenly.

Just be careful not to overload the dough – 100-120g of your chosen mix-in is about right.

Recipe FAQ’s

Fruit Scones

There’s something truly comforting about fluffy Fruit Scones, fresh from the oven – split in half and loaded with a generous dollop of clotted cream and a spoonful of jam. Heaven! Whether you’re planning a proper afternoon tea or just fancy baking something cosy, these fruit scones really hit the spot. They’re quick, easy, and best of all? You’ve probably got everything you need sitting in the cupboard already.

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Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 450 grams Self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 80 grams Caster sugar plus extra for dusting
• 150 grams Unsalted butter cold
• 1 medium Egg cold
• 150 millilitres Milk cold
• 150 grams Raisins or sultanas

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 220°C conventional. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder and salt together.
  450 grams Self-raising flour, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, Pinch of Salt
  
• Cut the cold butter into cubes and add to the bowl. Using cold hands, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  150 grams Unsalted butter
  
• Add the sugar and raisins. Stir to combine.
  80 grams Caster sugar, 150 grams Raisins or sultanas
  
• Whisk the milk and egg together in a jug. Add to the dry mixture and use a cutlery knife to mix in a figure-of-eight until it comes together into a shaggy dough. Take care not to overwork the dough. Test the consistency by pinching a piece of dough with your fingertips, if it sticks together and feels tacky it's good to go. Too dry and crumbly? Keep mixing.
  1 medium Egg, 150 millilitres Milk
  
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to pat it out into a disc shape that's roughly 5cm thick.
  
• Use a 6cm round fluted cutter to stamp out the scones. Press straight down – no twisting, or you’ll seal the edges and stop them rising properly. You'll need to reshape the scraps to make 10-12 scones in total.
  
• Place the scones close together on the baking tray. Lightly brush the tops with milk and sprinkle over a little caster sugar – this will give them a golden, crunchy finish.
  
• Bake for 12–15 minutes until risen and golden. Serve your fruit scones warm, with lots of clotted cream and strawberry jam!
  

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