I love scones! But really, I don't like the dry left-over tasting biscuits that usually pass for scones. I like them fresh, warm and with a dollop of butter or creme fresh and home made strawberry jam.  Great for breakfast, morning or afternoon snake. I like them with coffee or tea, these scones fit the bill for me. Try the basic scone recipe and then add to your heart's content. The basic recipe can be augmented with dried fruit such as raisins, cranberrys, figs, dates or apricots or nuts or both.

Basic Scones

1# All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Butter
6 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Add 1/2 cup of any two of the following as desired; Dried cranberries, raisins, dates, figs, prunes, apricots, walnuts, pecans or pistachios to equal a 1 cup addition.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Sift the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder together into a bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and rub into flour mixture with the tips of your fingers as quickly as you can. Add milk and mix lightly into spongy dough. If adding dried fruit or nuts then add at this point. Knead very lightly to make the dough smooth, and roll out 3/4" thick. Cut out scones with a 2"  biscuit cutter, and let stand 10 minutes. Brush with  a well-beaten egg or whole milk before placing onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. I like to top the scones with coarse sugar. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes, then let cool and enjoy! This recipe makes quite a few scones, you can freeze 1/2 the dough to bake later or bake all and freeze.