Lemon Blueberry Scones Recipe

There are few breakfast pastries as satisfying as scones. Scones are equally sweet and hearty, somewhere between a biscuit and a muffin. They're also very impressive for a pastry, given their unique flavors and distinctively dense texture. Recipe developer and nutritionist Hayley MacLean adds a little something to this scone recipe by combining blueberries and lemon for an explosion of sweet and sour.

According to Food Reference, scones originate in Scotland, and were originally made with oats. Many of us now associate scones as a British thing, and it is indeed true that the pastry is an essential part of a good English tea time. If you want to enjoy a tea time of your own, MacLean's recipe will pair perfectly alongside a cup of tea, or coffee, if that's more your cup of tea. With delicious blueberry and refreshing lemon flavors, these scones are truly irresistible — keep reading to learn how to make them!

The great thing about baked goods is that they often use at least some of the same base ingredients. So it is very likely that you might have some of these — such as granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt — at home, which will make your grocery trip even easier.

To start, get a container of fresh blueberries. You'll also need some lemon zest and juice, so be sure to grab a lemon. Grab some unsalted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and powdered sugar. Also, if you don't have granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, or salt at home, be sure to grab those too. 

Preheat the oven to 400 F and prep your baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until all ingredients are well-mixed. Add the butter and cut it into the dry ingredients until there are small, pea-sized crumbs. "The butter should be cold," MacLean explains. "You want it to cut into the flour in small pieces, much like a pie crust, rather than melting in and mixing with the dry ingredients. This creates little pockets of butter that melt in the baking process and create a flaky, delicious scone!"

Gently fold in the blueberries and lemon zest. "Any spatula will work for folding in the blueberries," explains MacLean, "just make sure to be gentle and not squish them into the batter." Once the blueberries are in the flour mixture, put this in the refrigerator and move on to the wet ingredients.

In another bowl combine the heavy cream, egg, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Add these wet ingredients to the flour mixture and fold until just combined. "When the dough is perfectly mixed it will be crumbly and just beginning to stick together," adds MacLean.

Drop the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and form it into a ball. "There should be no bits of dry flour left and it should come together in
a ball without falling apart, but not be overly wet or sticky," MacLean says.

Flatten the ball of dough until about 1-inch thick, and cut it into eight even triangles. Place on a baking sheet and lightly brush with heavy cream. "This gives them that nice shiny, golden crust that make for a perfect scone," MacLean explains, adding that "the extra moisture on the top also allows the scone to rise more and get more tender as the outer crust does not harden as quickly and stunt the leavening." Bake the scones in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Remove the baking sheet with the finished scones from the oven and allow this to cool on the sheet for about 10 minutes. While the scones are cooling, make the glaze. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together ¼ teaspoon of the vanilla extract, the powdered sugar, and lemon juice. The glaze will be what really ties these together and gives them that lemony tang, so make sure your mixture is thoroughly combined.

Once your scones are cooled, top them with the prepared glaze. "When applying the glaze the scones should be as close to room temp as possible, or the glaze will melt right off the top," Maclean explains. "Alternatively, you can pour the glaze all over the top of them while still warm and enjoy. They will not be as pretty, but will be just as delicious." Now serve these warm little treats with a cup of tea and enjoy!