Because today, May 18, is Adrien’s birthday, I decided to bake one of his favorite breakfast treats: scones.

I really like this recipe from King Arthur Baking because it is a simple base from which to experiment. This morning, I added cinnamon bits and substituted maple syrup for the flavoring, but really, whatever the recipe accommodates any whims or cravings. By setting up the dry ingredients the night before, I had hot scones ready for breakfast in 30 minutes.

Special birthdays definitely should start with breakfast.

King Arthur Baking Simple Scones

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 3/4 cups (326g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or King Arthur Pastry Flour Blend
• 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon (12g) baking powder
• 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, cold
• 1 cup to 2 cups (113g to 227g) chopped dried fruit, chocolate or other flavored chips, nuts, or a combination
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or flavoring of your choice
• 3/4 cup (170g) half-and-half or milk

Topping (optional)

• 2 teaspoons milk, optional
• coarse sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, optional

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. (Shaping options on the original recipe; however I lined a baking sheet with parchment, and pat the dough into a circle which is then segmented into eighths)
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
3. Cut in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.
4. Stir in the fruit, chips, and/or nuts.
5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla or other flavor, and half-and-half or milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.
6. Using a muffin scoop or a 1/3-cup measure, generously filled, fill your scone pan or baking cups. Or plop the dough in mounds onto the baking sheet. Brush with a bit of milk and top with coarse sparkling sugar. (see step one for my adaptation)
7. Bake the scones 25 minutes to 30 minutes until lightly browned. Remove them from the oven and let them sit for 4 to 5 minutes to firm before removing them from the pan.
8. Serve scones warm with butter and/or jam.