Lavender Almond Scones Recipe

Nothing hits like a buttery scone in the morning, fresh from the oven, slathered with a generous pat of butter. Unlike their American buttermilk biscuit counterparts, scones are a bit less fussy, requiring less fat to make with a similarly simple mixing process. Alexander Roberts developed these lavender almond scones with ease in mind, utilizing a food processor for convenience. Rather than cutting them into the standard triangular scone shape, these are cut into 2-inch circles, which gives them a petite tea party vibe. Perfect for weekend baking, they come together in about 15 minutes and bake in the same amount of time.

The combination of dried lavender flowers, sliced almonds, and a bit of lemon zest makes for a subtly spring-flavored scone that pairs excellently with raspberry jam, whipped cream, or even traditional clotted cream, if you can get your hands on some stateside. Keep this recipe in your back pocket and whip it out before friends come over — and don't forget to brew an obligatory pot of hot coffee or tea.

One of the best parts of making scones is how simple they are: You only need about 10 ingredients, half of which are most likely waiting in your cabinet. For pantry ingredients, you'll need flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Grab a stick of butter from the fridge, a lemon, and some heavy cream for the dough. You'll need a little extra cream to brush on top before baking, so set 2 tablespoons aside for this. Aside from those typical ingredients, what you'll probably need to grab at the store are sliced almonds, almond flour, and lavender flowers. 

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Add sugar, lavender, and lemon zest to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 15 seconds.

Remove 3 tablespoons of the lavender-lemon sugar and set it aside, leaving the remaining sugar in the food processor.

Add flour, almond meal, baking powder, butter, and salt to the food processor.

Pulse for 30 seconds, until the butter is broken into very small chunks.

Add ½ cup heavy cream and pulse until a crumbly dough forms, about 30 seconds.

Empty the dough onto a floured work surface and gently pat into a ½ inch-thick circle.

Flour a 2-inch round cookie cutter and use it to cut scones from the dough.

Any remaining dough can be re-rolled once more to cut out extra scones.

Place scones on a lined baking sheet and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons heavy cream.

Top each scone with sliced almonds and a generous sprinkle of the reserved lavender-lemon sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and flaky. Serve warm.

Considering lavender has multiple uses — from candles to aromatics to cleaning products — you probably want to make sure you're using the correct kind when you'll be eating it. You actually don't have to worry too much, because essentially, all lavender is safe to consume since the flower is non-toxic. If you want to avoid lavender that may have been treated with pesticides, though, it's best to go for an organic option. Culinary lavender — ideally English lavender, which is known for its potent flavor — can be purchased from some supermarkets and specialty grocers, as well as online. 

Better yet, if at all possible, utilize lavender from your own (or a friend's) garden. Simply clip the stems, rinse under cold water, and pat dry before using in a recipe. Store the dried lavender flowers in an airtight container to maintain their freshness, and keep in mind that a little goes a long way!

Even though scones are already quite simple to make, sometimes, you may not want to pull out the food processor. You could surely make these by hand instead, but that would obviously take longer. The easiest way to make a really fast batch of scones is to actually melt the butter going into the dough! It may sound counterintuitive, and while it will yield a slightly different texture (more fluffy and dense rather than flaky, by comparison), they're still just as delicious.

To use melted butter for these lavender almond scones, melt the entire stick in the microwave or a small pot. Pour the butter slowly into the cold heavy cream, and you will see small beads of butter beginning to form. Add this creamy butter liquid to your dry ingredients with everything else in the recipe, mix it up, and you'll be ready to roll. There's no food processor or mixer required if you use this melted butter method. Easy, right?