Blueberry Lemon Scones

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

Cut cold butter into the dry ingredients, fold in blueberries and lemon zest, then add cream, egg, and vanilla just until a shaggy dough forms. Pat into a 3/4-inch round, cut 8 wedges, and bake at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes; cool 10 minutes before adding the lemon glaze.

Jump to Recipe

Scones are one of those baked goods that punish enthusiasm. Mix too much, warm the butter with your hands, keep kneading because the dough looks “unfinished,” and the reward is a blueberry hockey puck with a glaze. These blueberry lemon scones stay tender because cold butter is cut into the flour until pea-size pieces remain, then cold cream and egg are stirred in only until a shaggy dough forms. Those butter pockets melt in the oven and leave behind the flaky layers you were trying to get in the first place.

Fresh blueberries and lemon zest keep the crumb bright instead of overly sweet, and the lemon glaze goes on after a short cooling period so it clings instead of disappearing into the surface. Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch round, cut eight wedges, and bake at 400°F until the tops are golden. They are excellent with coffee, which is convenient because scones have the energy of a breakfast food that expects everyone at the table to already be awake.

Prep25 minutes

Cook30 minutes

Total55 minutes

Serves12 servings

DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

Servings

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3/4 cup cold heavy cream, plus more for brushing
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (for glaze)

Instructions

1Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining.
3Gently fold in the blueberries and lemon zest, tossing to coat so the berries don't sink.
4Whisk the cream, egg, and vanilla together. Pour into the dry mixture and stir just until a shaggy dough forms.
5Turn onto a floured surface, pat into a 3/4-inch circle, and cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to the baking sheet and brush the tops with a little extra cream. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
6Cool for 10 minutes, then whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice and drizzle over the scones before serving.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 12 servings.

230Calories

3 gProtein

29 gCarbohydrates

12 gTotal Fat

7 gSaturated Fat

1 gFiber

12 gTotal Sugars

220 mgSodium

55 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Toss the blueberries in a spoonful of the flour mixture before folding them in -- it keeps them from sinking and bleeding too much color into the dough.
Keep everything cold -- butter, cream, even the bowl if your kitchen is warm. Cold ingredients are what make scones flaky instead of dense.
Let the scones cool before glazing, or the glaze melts right off instead of setting into a glossy coat.

Substitutions

fresh blueberries → frozen blueberries, used straight from the freezer Do not thaw first or they'll bleed and turn the dough purple; add 2 to 3 extra minutes to the bake time.

heavy cream → half-and-half or whole milk Texture will be slightly less rich but still works.

lemon → orange zest and juice A 1:1 swap for a different citrus profile.