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by Baker BettieSeptember 15, 2018
Learn the process of how to make lemon scones that are soft, fluffy, and moist! These lemon scones are tender and flavorful and topped with a tangy lemon glaze! Pin it for Later »
Lemon Scones Overview
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Techniques Used: The Biscuit Mixing Method
- Components Used: Basic Scone Recipe, Lemon Glaze Recipe
What are Scones?
Scones fall into the category of baking known as quick breads. Quick breads are bread like products that are leavened with baking soda and/or baking powder instead of yeast, meaning they can be made quickly.
Scones are very similar in texture to American style butter biscuits. Biscuits and scones have the same mixing method and similar ingredient.
The main difference between biscuits and scones are that scones include an egg and often a little bit of sugar. Scones tend to be slightly less flaky in texture than biscuits and often include sweet add-ins like raisins or blueberries.
Lemon Scones Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
- One of the most important part of making the best lemon scones that are flaky in texture is to use very cold butter and cream. This helps the scones puff up in the oven.
- It is also very important to mix as little as possible to keep the scones soft and fluffy. If you mix too much you can overdevelop the gluten and create dense and dry scones.
- These lemon are made with my basic scone recipe. This recipe can be used to make any flavor of scones includingblueberry scones, cranberry orange scones, or chocolate chip scones.
How to Lemon Scones
Lemon scones are quite easy to make. The mixing method used to make scones that are fluffy, tender, and moist is the biscuit mixing method. If you follow this method, you will not have dense or dry scones.
Step 1: Combine All of the Dry Ingredients
Place all of the dry ingredients for the cranberry scones in a large mixing bowl and whisk them all together. This recipe has a large quantity of baking powder, which will help keep the scones very tender.
Step 2: Cut the Butter Into the Dry Ingredients
It is very important that your butter is very cold for your scones. This will create the flakiness in the scones.
Cube the cold butter and then use a pastry cutter, or a fork, to cut the fat into the dry ingredients for the scones. You want to cut the fat in until it is the texture of coarse meal.
Step 3: Mix in the Liquid Ingredients
Add the cold cream into the bowl and stir the ingredients together until just combined. You want to be careful to not stir too much here or you will overdevelop the gluten and create dense and tough scones.
The batter dough will look shaggy and sticky. That’s okay! Stir only a few times until everything is just starting to come together.
Step 4: Lightly Knead the Dough
Lightly knead the dough just about 4 turns. This will help build a little structure in the scones and will help bring the dough together.
Step 5: Form the Dough
Lightly flour your hands and pat the lemon scone dough out to about 1″ thick circle. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles.
Step 6: Bake the Lemon Scones
Transfer the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with a little more cream. You can also sprinkle a little sanding sugar over the top if desired. Bake the scones until golden brown.
Lemon Scone FAQ
- Can you make lemon scones with buttermilk?: Yes! You can use either heavy cream, half and half, or buttermilk for these lemon scones. Buttermilk will make the scones slightly more tangy.
- Can you freeze lemon scones?: Yes, you can freeze lemon scones! Once the scones have cooled completely, place them in a freezer ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To refresh, warm in a 300 F (148 C) oven for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
- What makes the best lemon scones?:The best lemon scones are made using the biscuit mixing method which keeps the scones light and fluffy. It is important to keep the ingredients very cold and to mix as little as possible.
Yield: 8 Scones
Lemon Scones with Lemon Glaze
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
These lemon scones are soft, tender, incredibly tender and topped with a sweet lemon glaze.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Scone Dough
- 2 cups (240 gr) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated sugar
- 1 TBSP baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick, 112 gr) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1/2 cup very cold heavy cream, half and half, or buttermilk (plus more for brushing the tops)
- 1 TBSP (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1/2 TBSP lemon zest
- turbinado sugar or sanding sugar (optional)
For the Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup (120 gr) powdered sugar
- 1 TBSP grated lemon zest
- 2-4 TBSP (30-59 ml) lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, until well combined.
- Add the pieces of cold butter into the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the dough using a pastry cutter or a fork until the texture or coarse meal.
- Lightly whisk together the heavy cream (or half and half or buttermilk), the egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice together. Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not over-mix.
- Lay the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and lightly knead with a lightly floured hand about 4 times. Be gentle so that you do not overwork the dough. Pat the dough out to an 8 or 9 inch circle (about 1 inch thick) and cut into 8 triangle shaped pieces.
- Gently transfer the scones onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with cream and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar or sanding sugar, if desired.
- Bake at 425 F (220 C) for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow the scones to cool completely before glazing.
- To make the lemon glaze by whisking the powdered sugar and lemon zest with the lemon juice little by little until you have a thick but pour-able consistency.
- Store leftovers completely cooled in an airtight container for up to 2 days. OR wrap cooled scones in plastic wrap or in a ziplock freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Refresh in the oven at 300F (150C) until warmed through
Notes
This recipe is an adaptation of my Basic Scone Recipe
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Bridget —Reply
These were so good!!! Turned out perfect. I did have to bake them for about an extra 2 minutes, but they were nice and golden brown st that point!
Bettie —Reply
That makes me so happy Bridget! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Tricia —Reply
These scones were fabulous! I had never made scones before but wanted to make some for my book club meeting tonight. (Our book this month mentioned scones frequently.) I made your lemon scones and your faux clotted cream and served with store bought lemon curd and raspberry preserves. Everyone loved them! I followed both recipes exactly and they were easy to follow, the step by step photos were very helpful and they came out great. I made the scones last night but froze them and then baked and glazed them shortly before the book club meeting. Thank you for sharing these recipes. I will be making these again and again!
Bettie —Reply
That makes me so happy Tricia! So glad they were enjoyed at your book club!
Linda —Reply
Your step #3 has adding blueberries which are not in the ingredient list. Are these blueberry lemon scones? If so, what weight of the berries?
Bettie —Reply
Hi Linda! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have edited the recipe to remove this instruction. This recipe is almost identical to my blueberry scone recipe and in copying I forgot to remove that wording. If you would prefer to make a blueberry scone with lemon glaze, here is the recipe for that: https://bakerbettie.com/blueberry-scones/
Bobo —Reply
Thanks a lot!! It was easy to understand with pictures each steps. And turned out really yummy scone!!
Bettie —Reply
I’m so happy to hear that Bobo!
jody —Reply
I have company for breakfast tomorrow so decided to make these. I don’t know where my brain is tonight because for some reason I added 1 cup buttermilk and couldn’t figure out why the dough was soooo sticky. When kneading I had to add lots extra flour. Then for some odd reason I thought I saw the baking time to be 25 min!!! Thank goodness I realized that mistake before they burned. Tonight is definitely not my night for baking. Surprisingly, they still turned out and I don’t have to toss them in the garbage. They are lovely despite all my mishaps!
Lisa —Reply
I’m not a baker (I’ve only made banana bread), but I have wanted to try making scones for a while. Followed this recipe and it turned out perfectly! The only adjustments I made were folding my dough a little more than four times. I also didn’t have powdered sugar, but I made my own by grinding corn starch and sugar together, and I added vanilla to the mix. I didn’t have heavy cream or buttermilk, but it still worked with regular skim milk mixed with the lemon juice and zest (which can also make buttermilk as well). I’m sure it would have been even more amazing if I had used heavy cream! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Bettie —Reply
Sounds like you did a great job! So glad they turned out so well!
linda Shapiro —Reply
Absolutely the BEST Lemon Scones. next time I am going to double the recipe – need more.
Thank you.
LindaBaker Bettie —Reply
That’s so great to hear Linda!
Cristin —Reply
I made these twice..the first time they were fantastic! The second time, I thought I did everything the same, but when I mixed all the wet ingredients, it started to curdle, I guess from the lemon juice-and the finished scones had a funny aftertaste. Has this happened to you before? Do you have any advice so I can avoid this next time? Thanks!
Baker Bettie —Reply
Hi Cristin, that is very strange. I have never had that happen. The cream does start to curdle a bit from the lemon juice. That is normal. But it shouldn’t affect the flavor!
Michelle W —Reply
I used Pamela’s All-Purpose Gluten-Free Artisan Blend flour and Myokos Vegan Butter and almond milk with a splash of lemon juice as we can’t eat gluten or dairy. This recipe still turned out delicious. The scones were light and lemony. I have been making scones for years and did not know to be careful to not over mix and to keep the milk, eggs and butter COLD. This recipe is a keeper!
Su —Reply
Have you ever used lemon extract instead of lemon zest? If so how much would you recommend? Thank you
Baker Bettie —Reply
Hi Su, I have not. However, google is telling me that it is a 2:1 ratio. So for every 1 tsp of lemon zest replace it with 1/2 tsp of lemon extract.
Carlyn —Reply
Love the recipe. Made it several times. I have added dried cranberries soaked in the milk. Tonight I have tried something new. Our cherry tree is dropping cherries. My tenant, who loves the scones suggested making cherry scones. Instead of lemon juice and zest, I used 1 cup of cherries and 1/4 tsp of almond extract.
Abby —Reply
How many calories are these scones? By the way love this recipe so delicious!!
Baker Bettie —Reply
Thank you! I am not a nutritionist so I do not typically list any nutritional info.
Vannhi —Reply
Is it possible to make the dough the night before and just shape and bake the next day? I want to make them for breakfast but don’t feel like whipping out all the tools first thing in the morning. Also, made them twice in the last week! Sooooo delicious and easy to make! Everyone loved them. This recipe is a keeper!
Mel —Reply
I always shape and cut up my Scones and put them in the Freezer until I want to bake them.
Then I just take however many I want directly from the freezer to the oven and I have fresh, warm Scones.Baker Bettie —Reply
me too! This is a great process.
Sharon Money —Reply
Great recipe ! The lemon scones turned out very tasty.
I researched a couple of recipes & settled on this one.
I am so proud of them – just do it!
One note – they puffed up in the oven larger than I realized they would, Next time I will cut them into smaller triangles. Also I made more glaze than the recipe called for – I like
more coverageMarilyn Martin —Reply
Thank you so much for this great recipe and especially your guidance. The scones came out beautifully. I made lemon scones and can’t wait to try other flavors. Again,thank you.
Baker Bettie —Reply
You’re welcome!
Naomi Pitassi —Reply
I made this recipe and I am only 12. It was so easy and very delicious. I made it for my brother’s birthday brunch at my grandma’s house and my family loved it. At the end of the day it was all gona and they wanted more. So I am gonna make this recipe again for them. Thank you Bettie for this delicious recipe!
Naomi Pitassi —Reply
gone*
Baker Bettie —Reply
That’s great, so glad everyone liked them!
Becky Helzer —Reply
Dough was very sticky and hard to cut into scones that kept their shape. I just put the round of dough in the freezer to see if that’ll help.
Amanda —Reply
Super great!!! Easy and fast instructions and turned out perfect! 5/5
Baker Bettie —Reply
So glad you liked them!
Sandy —Reply
I have made lemon and other types of scones before, but never turned them as you did. Almost follows the method involved with making puff pastry–but lots less butter. Looking forward to trying them soon. Planning to do so tomorrow (when the butter has thawed). Thanks for your tips. Always enjoy them!
Susie —Reply
Hi Bettie, I made your lemon scones and both my husband and I liked them! I didn’t like the use of kosher salt however, but I gave it a try. Then I looked at your video and you mention salt, not kosher salt. I think perhaps you made a mistake with the recipe when you specified the salt to be kosher? It’s better with regular salt. Thank you for the recipe! It’s a keeper.
Baker Bettie —Reply
Hi! Kosher or table salt will work fine in this recipe.
linda ledesma soto —Reply
I can’t believe how simple it is to get a tender, flaky & delicious biscuit or scone. I can’t wait to try your method. I thoroughly enjoy all your videos & am so very fortunate to have stumbled on them.
Thanks for all you do to bring these videos to all of us…
Baker Bettie —Reply
You’re welcome! Enjoy!
Tommy —Reply
Just love scones recipe
Susan —Reply
These are so, so yummy. I’ve made them about five times since I found this recipe, but waited to post a review because I made at least one mistake each time (baker error, not recipe error). Even in some doozies of mistakes these turn out delicious. My go to recipe now
Baker Bettie —Reply
I’m so glad you like them!
Leora —Reply
These are so yummy! Nice soft texture and easy to make. Perfect lemon flavor in the scone and glaze together.
Janet —Reply
Just made the lemon scones, recipe so easy and worked perfectly.
The hardest part is waiting for them to cool so I can eat one.Baker Bettie —Reply
Ha I completely understand!
jp —Reply
Can you tell us the macros for one lemon scone with the lemon glaze please and thank you!!
Colima Gibbons —Reply
I have been making your lemon scones for awhile now and I adore them. I made the blueberry version today and I found it so difficult to get the dough to somewhat adhere (with as little handling as possible) once everything was combined. I found the blueberries acted as a deterrent to the triangles staying together. Any tips?
Michelle —Reply
Just wanted to say that these lemon scones were delicious!
I had watched your video prior to making them, thank you so much!! Everything was going perfect, I had just sprinkled the turbinado sugar on my last scone and then I realized that I didn’t put any sugar in the dough….oooopsies
But it actually tasted great! I had put lemon curd on them deliciousAmy Wilson —Reply
Wow, wow, wow!! This recipe is awesome. I skipped the optional sugar and added some fresh strawberry into the dough. I am not a huge fan of scones because they can be very dry and dense… but, I loved these! Definite keeper! Thank you!
