A few years ago, my kids and I decided that the cost of going out for brunch didn’t make sense. I could easily and quickly make cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon and breakfast potatoes at home for far less money, and we wouldn’t have to wait in line, squeeze into a too-small table or shout to be heard. It became something of a weekly ritual, and the one thing they always asked for is homemade scones.

Now that the kids are increasingly off on their own, I realized that it’s time to give them a scone recipe they can whip up with limited time, supplies and, well, experience.

What most people don’t know is how easy scones are to prepare from scratch, especially if you start with this take on cream scones. Crisp outside and tender within, they come together by simply stirring a handful of ingredients and plopping the dough onto a pan.

If you’re wondering what cream scones are, you’re really asking what scones are. Like cookies and cakes, there are endless styles. From their wide-ranging origin stories to the present, scone varieties share only the defining characteristics of sturdiness and getting their rise from baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. Ideally, they’re not tough, but they also shouldn’t be plush like muffins.

Cream scones, mixed without butter or other fats, veer a little caky. If mixed with a light touch, they approach the kind of delicate softness that feels like sinking into a cozy armchair. Butter-based scones, prepared by cutting butter into dry ingredients before mixing in dairy, end up heartier even if they are tender. They develop a crust outside, feel a bit bready within and tend to be the kind you find in bakeries. They also require the butter to remain cold and firm, even as it’s worked into the flour and smashed to gravelly bits. It’s a wonderful skill for any baker to acquire, but it’s not intuitive and takes practice to master.

Cream scones don’t demand that kind of work or experience. They also don’t hold up as well on shelves for hours, which is why the best way to taste cream scones is to make them at home. They are freshest that way and can be especially tender inside, with a crackly shell. With many cream scones, the dough is rolled or patted and cut into rounds or wedges. That makes them pretty enough for afternoon tea, but requires the dough to be a little drier; handling the dough more risks a tougher scone.

For this recipe, a wetter dough stirred gently by hand and simply dropped onto the baking sheet ensures a soft center with a top as craggy as the Rockies. The spiky peaks and ridges brown and crisp in the extra hot oven. (If you want, you can pat the dough gently into prettier domes.) The whole process is easier than making muffins, doesn’t leave you with 12 annoying cavities to wash and requires fewer tools than butter scones. At a bare minimum, you need a bowl and a fork.

The only other thing these scones need is a little time. Refrigerating the dough before baking gives the flour a chance to hydrate fully and, in the process, relax a bit. So even if you went at stirring and shaping too vigorously, you’ll still end up with great scones by leaving the dough alone for a while. The very best thing you can do sometimes, in the kitchen and in life, is to leave something be, to give time to let any toughness resolve itself. And in this case, you’ll be rewarded with the most delightful scones.

Easy Blueberry Cream Scones

All you need is a bowl, fork and baking sheet to make these scones, which end up crisp on the outside and tender within. The recipe doesn’t include the added step of cutting butter into flour, which yields the kind of sturdier, breadier scones found in bakeries and requires extra tools, skills and time. Instead, it’s a streamlined version of cream scones, where the dough is often rolled or patted flat then cut into rounds or wedges. Dropping the batter onto the baking sheet in mounds not only makes these easier to throw together, it also ensures the scones stay soft, as does a short rest in the refrigerator. Folding in berries make these lovely for breakfast or brunch, while stirring in currants gives them a classic tea time feel. They’re rich enough to enjoy on their own, but they also taste great slathered with jam and clotted cream or butter. — Genevieve Ko

Yield: 10 scones. Total time: 1 hour, plus cooling.

For high altitude: Consult the CSU extension service for baking tips.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups/293 grams all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)

1 1/4 cups/290 grams heavy cream, plus more for brushing

1/3 cup/70 grams sugar, plus more to taste and for sprinkling

2/3 cup/85 grams frozen wild blueberries (see Tip) or 1/2 cup/68 grams currants

directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. With a fork, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom, if using, in a large bowl. Use the same fork to mix the cream and sugar in a medium bowl (or liquid measuring cup) until the sugar dissolves. (Add 2 to 3 more tablespoons sugar if you prefer a sweeter scone.)

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and scatter the berries over it. Pour in the cream, and gently mix with the fork just until a shaggy dough forms. To ensure a tender scone, don’t overmix.

4. Gently scoop a mound with the fork and drop it onto the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining dough to form 10 scones. Gently brush or drizzle the tops with cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

5. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

6. Bake until browned on top and baked through, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on the pan until warm. The scones taste best within a few hours of baking. Any leftovers should be frozen and can be reheated in a toaster oven or oven.

Tips: You can add the berries while they’re still frozen, but because frozen wild blueberries are so small, they often end up icy. You want to get rid of any ice crystals as excess water in scone dough makes the scones tough. The easiest way to do so is to rinse the berries in a colander and let them dry completely. This recipe also works with fresh blueberries, ideally smaller ones.