Easy fruit scones | Simple recipe | Cooking with my kids (2024)

This easy Fruit scones recipe is one of the simplest things you can make with your kids and with very little sugar, are a healthier alternative to some other snacks.

Fruit scones are one of the simplest things you can make with your kids and with very little sugar, they are a healthier alternative to some other baked goods. We made them on a day we were snowed in so they were perfect in that they use ingredients we always have in the house.

This fruit scone recipe makes a great treat for afternoon tea. They’re deliciously light and soft, just like any good scone should be.

You can add any dried fruit to your fruit scones, either use a packet of dried mixed fruit or use some sultanas or raisins. If you’re feeling more adventurous you could try adding cranberries or dried strawberries or apricots. Whatever fruit you add, don’t forget to enjoy them with some delicious jam and clotted cream!

And if you liked these fruit scones, you can try our cherry scones, buttermilk tear and share scones, plain scones, blackberry scones, or Mary Berry cheese scones.

How can kids help make this easy fruit scones recipe?

Scones are really easy to make so they’re a great bake for young children and beginner bakers. What makes this recipe even better is that you just need to mix everything together in a mixing bowl so you don’t need any fancy stand or hand held mixers.

Your kids can help measure the ingredients out and mix them all together with their hands, or wooden spoons. Once you’ve made the scone dough, your children can help cut the scones out which is a task even the youngest bakers can help with. Brushing the tops of the scones with a little milk, not only helps to turn them a nice golden brown but is a fun job for little chefs to do.

How do I get my scones to rise and be fluffy?

A few things can help your scones to rise better. The first is being as gentle as you can with the dough both when you rub the butter and flour together, and when you bring it together into a ball. Stop kneading the dough as soon as it comes together so you don’t over work it which will stop them rising well.

Rather than rolling out the scone dough with a rolling pin, just pat it down gently with your hands until it’s the right thickness. Finally, when you use your cutters try and push them straight down rather than turning them.

If your scones still arent’ rising well, make sure your baking powder is still in date. Out of date baking powder won’t work properly so your scones aren’t likely to rise.

How long will the fruit scones keep?

I like fruit scones still a little warm from the oven, but if you want to keep them for longer put them in an air tight container. They should keep for a day or two. You can always warm them slightly before you serve them.

Can I make fruit scones ahead of time and freeze them?

Yes, scones freeze well so if you want you can make them ahead of time and freeze them or freeze any leftovers. After baking, allow them to cool completely, then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag. To reheat, simply thaw them then warm them in the oven.

Can I use fresh fruit instead of dried fruit in my fruit scones?

You can, but they’ll add a lot more moisture than dried fruit so you’ll need to adapt this recipe slightly. Add slightly less milk than the recipe outlines below so they don’t end up too wet.

What can I put on a fruit scone?

Scones are traditionally served with jam and clotted cream. Whether you put the jam or cream on first can depend on where you’re from (people from Devon put the cream on first and add the jam on top, while in Cornwall they do the reverse.)

What can I use instead of self raising flour?

Self raising flour is easy to find in the supermarket here in the UK, but if you live elsewhere or don’t have in your cupboard, you can use an equal amount of plain or all-purpose flour and add an extra 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Other scone recipes

If you liked these fruit scones, you’ll love our other easy scone recipes for kids:

Raspberry and white chocolate scones
Mary Berry plain scones
Cheese scones
Blackberry scones
Buttermilk scones
Cherry scones
Sultana scones
Apple scones

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these fruit scones

Digital scales
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Measuring jug
Wooden spoons
Baking tray
Pastry brush
Wire rack

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Difficulty:Easy

Time:20 minutes plus 20 minutes baking

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

450g (3 3/4 cups) self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
110g (1/2 cups) butter
50g (1/4 cups) caster sugar
1 egg
150ml (1/2 cups) milk
100g (2/3 cups) dried fruit (raisins, sultanas etc)

how to make easy fruit scones

Preheat the oven to 180C/170C Fan / 350F and line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper

Mix together the flour and butter

Get your kids to measure the flour, salt and baking powder and put them in a large mixing bowl. Measure the butter and chop into small pieces before adding to your bowl. Getting your kids to use a butter knife to chop butter can be a great way to practice their chopping skills as they don’t have to be too evenly sized.

Using your fingertips rub the butter and flour together until you have a fine breadcrumb.

Add the sugar and mixed fruit

Measure the sugar and mixed fruit and add them to your bowl. Give it a good mix so that the fruit is well covered in flour.

Add the egg and milk

Crack the egg into a small bowl (just in case any shell goes in.) If you do get shell in with the egg, fish it out with a larger piece of shell or a tea spoon.

Get your kids to measure out the milk – if possible using the ml setting on digital scales as you can be much more accurate this way. Add the egg to the milk and give it a whisk.

Add the egg and milk mixture to your bowl slowly, mixing it in well.

Give everything one final mix and start to bring it together into a ball. It may be easier at this point to use your hands again to make sure the fruit is evenly mixed through the dough. If you need to at this point, add a splash more milk if your dough is too dry or add a spoon more flour if it’s too wet and sticky.

Make the fruit scones

Get your kids to pat the scone dough down until it is about 2cm thick. You could use a rolling pin to do this, but I find that scones work better and rise much more if you just use your hands.

Use a circular cutter to cut out your scones and place them on your prepared baking tray. We used 5cm cutter, but you could use any size and just adjust the cooking time up if you make them bigger.

Finally, get your child to brush a little milk or any leftover egg/milk mixture over the top of each scone.

Bake the fruit scones

Bake the scones in the oven for 15-20 minutes (or more if you have made larger ones). They’re ready when they are well risen and have turned a nice golden colour.

Leave the scones to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before removing them and popping them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve and enjoy.

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Similar recipes

If you liked these fruit scones, you’ll love our plain scones, our sultana cake and our easy bakes for children.

This recipe was first published in June 2020, and updated in August 2023.