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Scones in general are an underrated breakfast or tea time snack. These lemon scones are soft and slightly sweet with bright notes of lemon both in the glaze and scone itself. Spring might not be here yet but you can bet that if given the opportunity to make something lemon I will.

These scones come together quickly in a stand mixer or food processor, saving you lots of time and keeping your butter cold.

Wet Ingredients
Cold Butter
Dough Combined

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2/3 cups sugar
  • 4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter cut into 1/2 tablespoon cubes and very cold
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream (plus more if needed) very cold
  • 1 3/4 tablespoon lemon zest from about 2 lemons
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Lemon Icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp half and half or heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (plus more if needed)
  • 1 tsp lemon zested
Scones Cut Up
Scones On A Tray
Baked Lemon Scones

Tips & Tricks:

  • Keep Everything Cold: We want the layers of flay pastry in these scones so by keeping your cream and butter very cold we can have pockets of the butter. The less you handle the dough and heat it with your hands the better. If you over work the dough it will become more dense.
  • Lemon Juice: Use fresh squeezed lemon juice and zest for a brighter and more flavourful outcome.
  • Don’t Over bake: The Lemon scones should be just starting to brown on the bottoms when you remove them. If you let them bake too long they will be dry and loose any softness.
  • Make ahead: You can make your dough and keep the pre-baked triangles in the fridge for a day prior to baking. You can also freeze the cut triangles in an airtight back for 2-3 months. Bake straight from frozen when ready adding a couple minutes to the cooking time.
  • Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Lemon Scones WIth Glaze

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Lemon Scones

Equipment Used:

  • Stand Mixer or food processor – I use a kitchen aid stand mixer but other brands will work will too. Just make sure you have a paddle attachment.
  • Zester – If you don’t have a zester the fine side of a box grater will work great to zest a lemon with as well.
  • Bench Scraper – This a super useful tool for cleaning up your workspace but also makes it very easy to cut the scones into triangles.
Lemon Scones
Lemon Scones

This recipe was inspired by the lemons scones mentioned in the Inheritance games book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. In the book main character Avery is being given a tour of the estate by Xander (one of the Hawthorne grandsons). He is a big fan of scones so the kitchen is always stocked with them. He gives Avery a lemon scone to enjoy saying that she has not yet earned the blueberry scones which are much better in his opinion. Maybe in the second book she will be worth of the blueberry.

If you like Young adult books that have so mystery and intrigue with a tiny bit of romance this is a great book. 5/5 stars.

Lemon Scones
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Lemon Scones

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Course: Breakfast, BrunchCuisine: EnglishDifficulty: Medium
Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Servings

16

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

18

minutes
Calories

276

kcal
Total time

38

minutes

Soft and brightly flavoured lemon scones are perfect for any brunch or breakfast you have coming up.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour

  • 4 tsp baking powder

  • 2/3 cups sugar

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1 cup butter cut into 1/2 tablespoon cubes and very cold

  • 1 large  egg

  • 3/4 cup heavy cream (plus more if needed) very cold

  • 1 3/4 tbsp lemon zest from about 2 lemons

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • Lemon Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 1/2 tbsp half and half or heavy cream

  • 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (plus more if needed)

  • 1 tsp lemon zested

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • In your stand mixer or a food processor, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Do not use and beaters for this recipe.
  • Add very cold cubed butter to the flour mixture and mix on medium-low (or pulse if using food processor) until the mixture becomes fine crumbs.
  • In a separate small bowl combine the egg, cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Once incorporated add to the flour mixture and mix on low (or pulse) until the dough comes together, adding more cream 1 tablespoon at a time if needed, until it is moist and mostly holds together. Do not overwork your dough or this will lead to a dense scone.
  • Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4-5 times. Then use your hands to pat into a rectangle ½ inch thick. It should be roughly 11 inches long and 8 inches wide.
  • Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the scones into 16 triangles. First cut the dough in half lengthwise, then in half widthwise. Cut each of the 4 sections into 4 triangles.
  • Place on prepared sheet pans and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly golden on the bottom and the tops look dry.
  • While the scones are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl. If your glaze is too runny add more powdered sugar.
  • Once finished baking, allow scones to cool for 5-10 minutes on the sheet pan. Then place on a cooling rack. Once cool, drizzle with glaze and Enjoy!

Notes

  • Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: 1, Calories 276, Total Fat 14.3g (18% Daily Value), Saturated Fat 8.8g (44% Daily Value), Cholesterol 50mg (17% Daily Value), Sodium 126mg (5% Daily Value), Carbohydrate 34.7g (13% Daily Value), Dietary Fiber 0.7g (3% Daily Value), Sugars 15.9g, Protein 3.1g

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