Five-Fruit Granola Scones

These scones combine two breakfast favorites into one. Crunchy granola mixed into a butter-and-flour dough with drained fruit cocktail, baked as a single thick round, then sliced into six generous wedges.

The fruit cocktail brings five different fruits in one can: peaches, pears, grapes, cherries, and pineapple. Each bite hits a different flavor and texture. The juice is drained so the fruit adds sweetness and color without making the dough soggy.

Cutting cold butter into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs is essential for scone texture. Those pea-sized butter pieces create steam pockets as they melt in the oven, which is what gives the scone its lift and flaky layers. Warm or melted butter produces a dense, cake-like result instead.

The granola adds crunch that holds up through baking. It doesn’t soften completely, so each slice has clusters of toasty oats and nuts running through a tender crumb.

Sugar sprinkled on top before baking gives the crust a sparkling, slightly caramelized finish that cracks when you break into a warm wedge.

Pro Tips

• Drain the fruit cocktail thoroughly. Press it gently in a strainer to remove excess juice. Any leftover liquid makes the dough too wet to hold its shape.
• Don’t overwork the dough. Mix just until moistened. Tough scones come from too much handling, which develops the gluten.
• A 45-minute bake time is longer than typical scones because of the thick round shape. Test with a toothpick at 40 minutes.

Variations

• Use fresh diced fruit (peaches, berries, apple) instead of canned cocktail when in season.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the flour for a spiced version.
• Drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze over the cooled scones for a sweeter finish.