Lemon Blueberry Scones
I’ve made these scones for several occasions, and each time there’s someone asking for the recipe. Goes especially well for breakfast, and they’re not too sweet. If you keep an eye to make sure they don’t overcook, you’ll end up with a soft crumble that’s not too dry . The flavors can be varied depending on season or what you have at home, but this combo with zesty lemon and sweet blueberries has to be my favorite. When working with a recipe like this that doesn’t call for too many ingredients, I try to use the best ones. A good quality butter and egg makes all the difference in the end.
Notes: Make sure to keep the dough as chilled as possible throughout the process. This will help to keep the scones from spreading out in the oven.
If the scones are too big you can cut the triangles in half again to make mini scones.
Lemon Blueberry Scones
granulated sugar, 1/2 cup
one lemon, zest and juice
all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 cups
baking powder, 2 1/2 tsp
baking soda, 1/2 tsp
salt, 1/2 tsp
cold or frozen unsalted butter, 1 stick (1/2 cup)
cold heavy cream, 1/2 cup for dough + extra for brushing on top
one large egg
blueberries, about a cup (fresh or frozen)
confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup
Method:
Start off with sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. When zesting, make sure to only skim the yellow bit off the outside of the lemon, the whitish layer starts to get bitter. Then use your fingers to rub the two together for a few minutes, this gets all the essential oils out for extra lemon flavor.
Next add your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix.
In a separate small bowl, mix your 1/2 cup of heavy cream with the egg and set aside. Get your cold butter, roughly chop into cubes, and add to your dry mix. Working quickly with your fingers or a fork, cut the butter into the flour mix until it’s in small crumbles.
Grab your egg mixture and it add to the bowl. With your hands or a spoon, gently fold through until the mixture starts clumping together. Try your best not to over mix, and you may need to add more heavy cream. You’ll know the dough is ready if you can smush it in your hands and it sticks together. After this, place the bowl in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to cool. This will prevent the scones from spreading too much when baking, you want to make sure this dough stays as cool as possible before it gets baked.
In the meantime preheat your oven to 400°F, line a baking sheet with parchment, and prepare a work space for the dough with some extra flour on hand. You can also get your glaze ready by adding the confectioners sugar and a small squeeze of lemon juice to a bowl. Mix well until smooth and combined, if it’s too runny add more sugar.
Grab your bowl from the fridge, gently fold in your blueberries, and start forming the dough into a ball. Pour out onto your clean, floured workspace. Roll around and flatten the ball, making sure to add extra flour if it’s sticking. Once the dough is round and flattened (about 1.5 in. thick), you can use a bench scraper or a knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles, like pizza slices. Use some extra flour to shape the sides a bit more, and place onto your baking sheet. Grab a some extra heavy cream and brush overtop the scones, garnish with some course sugar if you’d like.
If you have the time, put the formed scones in the fridge/freezer to cool for another 10 minutes. Otherwise, place the tray into your preheated oven on the middle rack. These should bake for about 15-18 minutes, but everyone’s ovens are different. Rotate the tray halfway and keep an eye on the bottoms so they don’t burn. Once they’re done let cool before drizzling the glaze on. If you’re unsure about doneness you can cut one in half, I’ll typically know mine are done when the tops of the scones are firm to the touch.
