Scones of any sort are a huge favorite of mine. And, really, why wouldn’t they be? Just compare this traditional Irish recipe for Fruit Scones with a typical southern American buttermilk biscuit. Uh huh. Very similar, isn’t it? It’s really just a buttermilk biscuit with a bit of sugar and an egg added in. And some dried fruit for good measure.
The older I get and the more I learn and research about traditional Irish foods, the more I can see those roots in the foods I grew up with. It really makes sense because all around south Georgia you’ll find Irish surnames. Dunn (O’Duinn), Toole (O’Toole), O’Hearn (Aherne), Burke (de Burgh), Campbell, Fanning, Fitzgerald, Grady (Ó Grádaigh), Kelly (Ó’Ceallaigh), Regan (O’Riagain)…and many more. They’re everywhere. And somewhere, way back there, the people who brought those surnames and place names to south Georgia more than likely brought their food traditions with them. I like to think that those stalwart settlers would have enjoyed one of these lightly sweetened scones with a nice cup of tea in the afternoon.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. The butter is easier to incorporate if it’s nice and cold and you cut it into small cubes. You can use a pastry cutter or just “rub” it in with the tips of your fingers and thumbs. Either way works. Most of the time I use my hands just so I won’t have to wash another kitchen utensil. I’m lazy like that.
After you’ve cut or rubbed in the butter, add the raisins. You can use light or dark raisins or any other dried fruit that you like. I particularly like diced, dried apricots and have had delicious scones made with dried cherries.
Beat the egg together with the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the liquids. Stir together just until a dough forms. Do not overmix.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. At this point, it really will look like a shaggy mess. Just pat it into a 1” thick rectangle. I sometimes knead it once or twice, but no more! Kneading will make the dough tough.
Cut the dough into 12 squares. Or make a circle and cut it into triangles. Whatever you like. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet. Brush with a bit of milk or cream.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Serve with some good Irish butter like Kerrygold and a bit of jam on the side.
Enjoy!
Fruit Scones
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup raisins (dark or golden)
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- Milk or cream for brushing tops of scones
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the raisins.
- Beat the egg together with the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the liquids. Stir together just until a dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 1” thick rectangle. Cut into 12 squares.
- Transfer the scones to the baking sheet. Brush with a bit of milk or cream. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Notes
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More scone recipes that you might enjoy from around the internet:
- Strawberry White Chocolate Scones from Budget Bytes
- Ginger Scones from Simply Recipes
- Sweet Potato Scones with Maple Cream Glaze from Brown Eyed Baker
- Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Scones from Baking Bites
- Glazed Orange Scones from My Baking Addiction
- Cream Scones Drizzled with Chocolate from She Wears Many Hats
What I was up to…
- One year ago: Strawberry Icebox Cake
- Two years ago: Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese
- Three years ago: Coconut Meringue Pie
- Four years ago: Dutch Baby
- Five years ago: Steak and Eggs and Salsa Chicken
Linda says
atAre these lighter than your Irish Currant Scones recipe from 2011?
Lana Stuart says
atLinda,
I’m not sure if they’re “lighter” per se. They’re a different type of scone. The currant scones are cream scones (they call for heavy whipping cream) and these are buttermilk scones. Buttermilk is definitely lighter in calories than heavy whipping cream.
dina says
atthey look like beautiful scones!
Lana Stuart says
atThank you, Dina. They’re delicious, too.
Marly says
atI love scones! These look so good!
Lana Stuart says
atMe too, Marly! How could I not? They’re a little bit sweet from the sugar and a little “tangy” from the buttermilk. Perfect combination.
Samantha says
atI love all the talk about Irish heritage here! Someone once told me that my last name once began with an ” O’ ” but I haven’t been able to find any proof of that.
These scones look super tasty! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Lana Stuart says
atSamantha – if you’re really interested, there are lots of Irish heritage resources on the internet where you can find out about the origins of your surname. And thanks for the comment about the scones – they are very delicious!
Angie says
atI love scones, and these look so amazing! I should make them more often.
Lana Stuart says
atMe too, Angie! If you can make a buttermilk biscuit, you can make scones!
[email protected] says
atI like the way you made it into a rectangle then cut. Seems much easier than the way I’ve always done it as a round circle then in triangles. I love scones!
Lana Stuart says
atThe squares are lots easier, Brenda. Easier to move from the cutting board to the baking sheet, too.
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
atI also happen to be a huge fan of scones! Yummy!
Lana Stuart says
atMe too, Ashley. I never met a scone I didn’t like :-)
Nutmeg Nanny says
atThese scones look lovely! I love making scones on the weekend….so good!
Lana Stuart says
atThey are perfect weekend breakfast and brunch food, aren’t they? Quick and easy to make and everyone enjoys them.
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
atThese look perfect!
Lana Stuart says
atThank you, Lauren.
Rose | The Clean Dish says
atFirst of all, I love the name of your blog – it made me laugh!! :)
Secondly, I love scones myself and these look PERFECT!
I lived in Ireland for almost two years and I wish they would have made yummy treats like this – no such luck ;)
Lana Stuart says
atThanks, Rose. Glad I could make you smile :-)
Ginny McMeans says
atI absolutely love scones. Thanks for this recipe!
Lana Stuart says
atYou’re welcome, Ginny! Thank *you* for visiting and commenting.
Miss P says
atCome right on down and make those. I have all the ingredients handy.
Miss P
Lana Stuart says
atI’ll be right there. Leave the back door open :-)
Erin says
atYour scones look perfect! I haven’t made them in forever.
Lana Stuart says
atMaybe it’s time to bake a batch again, Erin!
Rebecca {foodie with family} says
atThese scones look like the perfect way to start the day!
Lana Stuart says
atThey are, Rebecca. They’re also a great snack or dessert.
Joelen says
atScones are so delicious, namely because the amount of butter used in them! Yours look fantastic!
Pat says
atHi, Lana, these scones look delicious and you have some beautiful pix to go with it. My DIL is born and raised in Ireland and I love the foods she cooks up. :)
[email protected] Food Ramblings says
atI have always wanted to make scones but have been intimidated by them before. They look so good!
Christiane ~ Taking On Magazines says
atI adore scones! I’m with you too; apricots are my favorite dried fruit. I’d definitely use them, though I’d have to come up with something fun for the second one … cherries sound yummy but I’m just not sure.
Lora @cakeduchess says
atScones are a weekend favorite. I love to bake them mostly on quiet and lazy Sunday mornings before everyone wakes up. Yours look fantastic, Lana!!
Jessica (Savory Experiments) says
atI’m not big on sweet for breakfast, so I love the dry, crumby texture of a scone with a little bit of salted butter. Mmmm…..
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
atI realize I have never seen scone made up in a rectangle. I like it. The bits of fruit look like sweet polka dots. I like that too. But best of all I like the connection to Irish scones. No reason. It just seems to make the recipe more authentic—more ‘sconey’. Makes no sense, but it doesn’t matter when we are talking about warm scones slathered with melting butter.
Dawn Lopez says
atThese look so delicious! I’ve never made any kind of scones, but I’ve always wanted to. Yours look perfect, I’ll have to finally make some. Love the recipe!
Connie | URBAN BAKES says
atI recently made scones and I love them especially with fruit inside. Your scones look wonderful!
Bruce says
atAfter heart surgery, I like to follow the recipes, and try them out, but without nutrition information, they do us little good.
Lana Stuart says
atBruce – I don’t provide nutrition information my recipes because, 1) I’m a cook, not a nutritionist and 2) there’s too much legal liability in doing so. There are several sites on the web that do nutrition analysis. You plug in the ingredients in a recipe and it gives you the analysis. You’ll get a different result from every one of them. If you’re interested, you can do a Google search to find one.