The Perfect Scone Mix Recipe [Bonus Gift Ideas]
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This Scone Mix recipe comes together quickly so you can easily have freshly baked scones in just a few minutes. Perfect for busy mornings or to give as gifts!
Scones are delicious sweet bread that you can use for breakfast or afternoon snack. Scone Mix is something you can easily put together in advance with simple pantry staples and have to pull out and make whenever you feel like it.
Homemade Scones
I feel like scones sometimes get a bad rep. Or, at the very least, they don’t get the center stage as much as they should. Everyone loves muffins or danishes, but scones often get passed by. If you have been overlooking the scone, it is time to give them a second glance.
Scones have the perfect balance of savory and sweet. They are slightly saltier than a muffin and a little less sweet, which makes them a perfect companion for a cup of tea or coffee, whether it is your first morning cup or a sweet treat after dinner.
Below, I have broken down the recipe so you can make the scone mix recipe and keep it in a clean mason jar until you’re ready to use it. Then, just add in a couple more ingredients, and you are ready to bake up a delicious batch of fresh scones!
Ingredients for Scone Mix
- Sugar. Regular sugar is needed in this recipe to give the scones some flavor. I’ve not tried this recipe with a sugar alternative.
- Flour. You want a good all-purpose flour for this recipe, and you could also try gluten-free flour if you want to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Baking Powder. You need quite a bit for this recipe, so I recommend buying it in bulk!
- Salt. I use Pink Salt for all my recipes because I keep it on hand. I buy it in bulk here.
- Lemon or orange zest. What you use will depend on the flavor that you are going for. You might not need any zest if you make savory scones.
- Blueberries, strawberries, or dried cranberries. If you don’t want to do any of these, check out the more extensive list of scone mix add-ins below.
- Heavy Cream. A whole fat is needed to give these scones their flavor. You can also use lard, butter, or shortening if that’s what you have.
FAQs to Know on Making Homemade Scones
The secret to making a good scone comes from what you put in it…usually the fat ingredient. In this particular recipe, that would be the heavy cream.
Traditionally you do not add egg to a scone recipe. The only exception I would say is that when you are making this recipe gluten free. Then I would add an egg to help act as a binder.
Baking powder is the ingredient in scone mix that helps it rise. Scones don’t really rise a lot so you really shouldn’t see too much of a lift but if you wanted even more, you could add a little baking soda or a little more baking powder.
You can replace the heavy cream with full fat coconut cream OR with shortening in this recipe.
Scone Add-In Ideas
The basic recipe I have below has you adding strawberries, blueberries, and some lemon zest into the scones.
This is a great base recipe to give the scones some flavor but there are SO many other add-ins that you can put into scones!
Here are some ideas to replace the berries with and how to make some tasty flavor variations:
- Dried Cherries
- Your favorite flavor of jam. (This is an easy way to flavor scones and muffins! Just add some jam into the batter.)
- Pecans or Almonds. (For topping)
- Chocolate Chips or White Chocolate Chips
- Lemon juice and poppy seeds
- Herbs
- Shredded Cheese
- Almond or Vanilla Extract
More Homemade Mix Recipes
If you love having homemade mixes in your pantry, here are more recipes to check out!
- Homemade Oatmeal Cookie Mix Recipe
- Homemade Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix
- Homemade Muffin Mix Recipe
- Lemon Poppyseed Bread Mix Recipe
- The Best Chocolate Muffin Mix Recipe
- Homemade Chocolate Brownies Mix Recipe
Instructions for Making Scone Mix
This recipe makes enough mix for 4 batches of scones. Each batch makes 8-scone servings. Yielding a total of 32 scones from this mix.
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir until well mixed.
Place the mixture in a container in your pantry and label as Homemade Scone Mix. You can place them in one large container and scoop out the amount needed for a batch each time or go ahead and portion the batches out into smaller containers.
When you are ready to make the scones:
Grease a baking sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until ingredients are combined and incorporated. You can use forks or a pastry cutter to add in the heavy cream and make sure it’s evenly distributed.
Tip: Store your leftover Cream as Cream Cubes so you have it for your next batch of Scones!
Transfer your scone dough onto a clean lightly floured surface and gently pat and form into a round circle, about 1/4″ thick. Do not overwork the dough or you will lose any flaky layers.
Use a knife or a pizza cutter and cut the circle into 8 equal slices or wedges.* You can also form them into circles, similar to biscuits if you prefer.
Transfer the scone slices onto a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving enough room for each piece to rise and bake for 35 – 40 minutes of bake time, or until golden brown and cooked through.
You could also serve with a variety of flavored glazes on top. Mix a little bit of powdered sugar with milk and add in a tsp of your favorite zest or extract to give the scone more flavor.
*If you have trouble with the texture of your dough and your dough crumbling, you can make them ahead of time and freeze them for 4 – 12 hours and they will hold together better. If you’ll be having your scones for breakfast, you can easily mix them up the night before and pop them in the freezer overnight. In the morning, pull them out and bake them for a delicious breakfast!
Tip: Make sure you label your DIY Scone Mix, I love to use these Free Printable Jar Labels.
Want to print this recipe for Scone Mix for your Recipe Binder? Grab it below:
Scone Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 7 3/4 cups flour
- 1/4 cup baking powder
- 4 teaspoons salt
To Make Scones
- 2 1/4 cups Scone Mix
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon or orange zest
- 1/2 cup blueberries, raspberries, or other add-ins
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed.
-
Place the mix in a container in your pantry and label as Homemade Scone Mix. You can place them in one large container and scoop out the amount needed for a batch each time or go ahead and portion the batches out into smaller containers.
To Make Scones
-
Grease a baking sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until ingredients are combined and incorporated.
-
Transfer your dough onto a clean surface and gently pat and form into a round circle, about 1/4" thick.
-
Use a knife or a pizza cutter and cut the circle into 8 equal slices.* You can also form them into circles, similar to biscuits if you prefer.
-
Transfer the scone slices onto a greased baking sheet, leaving enough room for each piece to rise and bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Recipe Notes
This recipe makes enough mix for 4 batches of scones. Each batch makes 8-scone servings. Yielding a total of 32 scones from this mix.
When you’re ready to bake up some fresh scones, simply grab your scone mix in a jar out of your pantry and follow the directions for Scones Recipe.
*If you have trouble with your dough crumbling, you can make them ahead of time and freeze them for 4 – 12 hours and they will hold together better. If you’ll be having your scones for breakfast, you can easily mix them up the night before and pop them in the freezer overnight. In the morning, pull them out and bake them for a delicious breakfast!
Homemade Scone Mix Gift Ideas
Whether you need a gift for a teacher, a new mom, a simple Christmas gift, or as a thank you to a dear friend, a batch of this homemade scone mix makes a great gift! Simply label your mix, add a little tag with baking day directions and give it as a small gift by itself or create a fun basket of items to give along with it.
Bakers Basket
Choose a few of your favorite baked goods mixes to add to your basket. Consider tossing in a fun kitchen towel (or a Dish Towel Apron) or spatula for an extra little something.
Here are a few other mixes that would be great for this basket:
- The Best Chocolate Muffin Mix Recipe
- Homemade Muffin Mix Recipe
- Sugar Doughnuts Muffin Mix
- Lemon Poppyseed Bread Mix Recipe
- Homemade Chocolate Brownies Mix Recipe
Afternoon Tea Basket
Create the perfect afternoon tea basket with a batch of Homemade Scone Mix and some dried teas. Or skip the tea and add in some Homemade Cappuccino Mix or Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix instead. For an extra touch, you could add in some cute coffee mugs or one of these sweet little Homemade Teacup Candles.
Here are some dried tea blends you might want to include in this basket:
- Warm Cinnamon Tea Herbal Latte
- How to Make Dried Orange Peel (and a Tea Recipe)
- Strawberry Apple Fruity Loose Tea
- How to Make Ginger Tea
Meals Made Easy Basket
This would be perfect for a new mom or elderly friend in your community. Toss in a few of your favorite everyday meal mixes that can simplify your life for a few days. Make sure everything is labeled for ease.
You might even consider making a list of the items needed from the store to complete each mix so they can easily pick those up at the store. Consider a nice lotion if you’re looking for something extra to add to this mix. For a new mom, you might consider a cute blanket or baby toy.
Here are a few other mixes you might want to add to this basket:
- Homemade Pancake and Waffle Mix
- Pasta Fagioli Homemade Soup Mix
- Hamburger Helper Mix
- Homemade Rice Roni Mix
- Homemade Oatmeal Cookie Mix Recipe
Did you make this recipe and enjoy it? Be sure to leave a rating on the recipe card above and share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and through Email using the sharing buttons.
Do you like scones? What’s your favorite type of scones to make?
Merissa Alink
Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.
The Scones Mix Recipe was originally posted on Little House Living in September 2014. It has been updated as of September 2023.
I love scones! Thank you for sharing this! I’m going to do this tomorrow morning!
i have a question in the scone mix there is there no shortening?
thanks i wanted to do this mix it looks great
Hi Becky,
That’s right, there is no shortening in this recipe. The heavy cream helps give it a nice texture, so the shortening isn’t necessary. Hope you enjoy!
Andrea
how would dry fruit work in this if you were going to give it as a gift? and could you put dried zest in it as well that way you only have to add the Heavy Cream?
Hi Crystal,
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work, as long as all of the ingredients are shelf-stable. I will have to try that!
This looks delicious! I love scones and can’t wait to try this! PINNED!
I absolutely love scones! How cool to be able to make the ones that I want rather than what’s available at a store. Thanks so much for sharing!
I love scones, and this will make it so much easier to make them. This would make a great gift too! Found you on the Pintastic Pinteresting Party, and am pinning this one to my Recipes board.
how would this convert to gluten free? could you use a cup for cup product. Would love some gf recipes for mixes you can make ahead. Thanks for any suggestions.
I have not tried this recipe gluten free yet but it’s worth trying! The only thing with this recipe is that it doesn’t really have any kind of binder so you would want to add in an egg or xanthan gum, or both, when you mix it up.
great idea to keep in the pantry
Freeze when? Before or after baking? If before, don’t you have to up the baking time?
You would freeze these after baking.
I made scones this week for Christmas morning. I cut and froze them before baking. Christmas Eve I moved them from the freezer to the fridge. This morning I baked them. They were amazing.
Just made it today and it’s just perfect. It’s amazing how it turned out great with very few ingredients. I’ve never tried baking anything without butter or any kind of shortening before so I was a bit skeptical but oh my, they were gone in 60 seconds! This will be my go to quick pastry fix 🙂 Thank you so much!
Thank you so much! I serve tea every month in my home Sept through April, and have been looking for something like this. I’ve used many wonderful recipes, and have a few favorites I use over and over. But this will be great to have on hand, even for the non-tea party days. It would also make a great gift for my tea party guests and friends!
Have you ever swapped the cream out for whole milk? Just curious!
I’m interested also. I almost never have heavy cream at home unless I get it for something specific.
The dough firms up beautifully with heavy cream. Half and half makes the dough wetter and the scones less tall. Whole milk’s lesser butterfat(?) makes it even more sloppy wet.
From my experience, it’s worth specifically getting heavy cream. (And maybe keeping it on hand to whip these up🙂)
This makes delicious scones.
I made these earlier this week with coconut cream instead of the heavy cream. Added in vanilla extract, dried apples, and chocolate chips. They turned out great, and the texture was perfect! Making another batch now, still with dried apples but added in allspice and fresh ginger this time. This recipe will definitely be a staple in our house.
can this convert to gf with a one to one mix? any suggestions for other make ahead mixes that are gf would be appreciated. Thanks
Would you use whipping cream or would 18% be enough to make them tender.I used to use cream for the farm even when it soured,there were awesome. can,t get it anymore.Just a thought as I have extra 18% on hand
I was wondering if I could add a bag of cinnamon chips and like some spices like cinnamon,nutmeg and cloves instead of the fruit cause I don’t have any fruit on hand right now/ If so how much of the spices would you think I would use? Thanks in advance for a reply.
Yes, of course! The amount added would be up to you, depending on what you are adding.
Can I make a large batch of the mix to keep on hand? Or do I need to only make one batch of mix at a time and store separately? I hope I worded that right. Thanks
You can make a large batch of this to keep on hand. 🙂 Just double/triple/quadruple the recipe.
This is timely. I was just craving scones last week. Thanks, Merissa!
I’m happy to help! 🙂
What a great idea! Thanks — I’ll definitely be making this up. One question…I have a recipe for pumpkin scones that I often use in fall months. Might there be a way to incorporate pumpkin puree when using this mix to make a batch of scones, do you think?
I would replace some or all of the heavy cream with pumpkin 🙂 Yummy!
My husband and I love scones and this pre-made mix will make it easier to bake as we crave it. I love your site and your book! So many practical and wonderful ideas. We definitely appreciate it!
I’m going to quarter this recipe to try gluten free (gf flour is EXPENSIVE). Would I quarter the amount of salt, or would I use less. I know when you double a recipe you’re not supposed to double the salt. Thank you. Love your site!
Yes, you would quarter all ingredients.
I made these last week and they were lovely. If I forget to get heavy cream what would I use as an alternative and how much?
Thanks
Hi! Just stumbled across your recipe and can’t wait to try it! Question-for labeling if I give as gifts what would you say the “use by” date would be/about how long would the mix be good for stores in the pantry? Thanks so much!!!
I’ve stored my homemade mixes in the pantry for up to a year so I would just use your discretion based on ingredients. 🙂