Lemon Scones
Made with fresh lemon juice and zest, these Lemon Scones have a bright tart and sweet flavor finished with a delicious drizzle of lemony icing. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack, they're like a ray of sunshine on a plate!
Servings: 12 scones
Calories: 226kcal
Special Equipment
- 3-inch round cookie cutter if desired
Ingredients
For the scones
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (66 ⅔ grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) kosher salt
- ½ cup (113 ½ grams) unsalted butter, cold, grated or cubed, see Recipe Notes
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) lemon zest, from 2 lemons
- ½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream, plus extra for brushing on top
- 1 (50 grams) large egg
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) lemon juice, see Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling
For the lemon icing
- ½ cup (57 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a half sheet baking pan with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.Note: The instructions below are for making the dough by hand. If you want to use the food processor to make the dough, see the instructions in the post above.
- Make the scones: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Toss ½ cup unsalted butter into the flour mixture to coat, then use a pastry blender, two forks, or your hands to work the butter into the flour mixture until coarse, pea-sized crumbs appear. Don't overdo this step as you don't want the butter to warm up and mix completely into the flour.Fold in the 1 tablespoon lemon zest.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup heavy cream, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- Slowly add the lemon mixture to the flour mixture and mix until the dough just holds together. Using a bowl scraper will help to combine the dough in the bowl without your hands warming up the butter, plus you can see any crumbs at the bottom that still need to be mixed in. Remember, do not over mix the dough - you want to keep that butter cold and separate from the flour.The amount of liquid to add to the flour mixture depends on the humidity of the day. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers, and add more heavy cream or flour, 1 tablespoon at a time (2 tablespoons maximum), if it's too crumbly or too wet.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and push together into a rough square. Fold the square in half, repeating a couple more times (this is to create flaky layers).
- Gather the dough, and flatten it into a 6-inch disk (if you want square scones, shape the dough into a rectangle with the short side about 4-inches long). Use a bench scraper to release the dough, if needed. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Once the dough is chilled, you have your choice of how to shape the scones:For wedge-shaped scones: Roll out the disk into an 8-inch circle, then use a bench scraper to cut the disk into 8 wedges. For round scones: Roll out the disk to a height of about ¾ inches. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out rounds (gather, press, and cut the leftover dough again as needed, but hopefully not more than 2 times).For square scones: Roll out the dough into a 12- by 4-inch rectangle, then cut into twelve 2-inch squares with a bench scraper. Covering the dough with plastic wrap helps roll out the dough without sticking.
- Place the scones about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking pan. Brush the tops of each scone with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool the scones on the baking pan for 2 minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make the icing: Sift the ½ cup powdered sugar into a small bowl, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (starting with the lesser amount - you might need to add an additional tablespoon to get the right consistency). Stir until the icing is smooth and leaves a trail when drizzled into the bowl.
- Place the cooling rack on the baking pan to catch the drips. Drizzle the icing onto the scones and allow to set.
- Serve the scones warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
- Storage Instructions: Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. Glazed or plain scones freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then warm to your liking before serving.
- Make-ahead instructions: For freshly baked scones anytime, freeze the cut, unbaked scones in a ziplock bag. Take out as many as you want to bake (there's no need to defrost them first), and bake at 375 °F for 20 to 23 minutes.
- The yield is generally about 8 scones (that's what I get from a circle cut into wedges or with a 3-inch round cookie cutter), and up to 12 (cutting the square scones). Your yield may vary.
Recipe Notes
How you cut up your butter isn't as important as keeping it cold. Generally I'll grate frozen butter on a box grater, mostly because I won't have defrosted the butter ahead of time. You can also cut chilled butter into ½-inch cubes before blending it into the flour mixture.
For the best flavor, I'd recommend using fresh lemons and skip the bottled lemon juice this time.
The amount of the heavy cream mixture to add to the flour mixture depends on the humidity of the day. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers, and add more of the cream mixture or flour, 1 tablespoon at a time (2 tablespoons maximum), if it's too crumbly or too wet.
Nutrition
Serving: 1scone | Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 223mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 402IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg
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