Blueberry lemon scones: a golden-brown sea of dried blueberries and lemon zest packed into a buttery, tender dough and baked to perfection. Not only is the bite-sized confection delicious, but it’s also versatile. Serve them for breakfast or dessert with a big cup of tea. Add them to holiday spreads, picnic baskets, kid’s lunch boxes and beyond.
If you’ve never had a scone, the texture is similar to a biscuit and the treats are often used for similar occasions. They’re both great breakfast foods and are often topped off with a pat of butter or a swipe of jam. But as most biscuit-loving Southerners know, the two foods differ in some notable ways.
Although both are quick breads, scones typically require eggs and heavy cream while biscuits use buttermilk. This is why scones — a popular treat on the East Coast — are more dense and flaky compared to southern biscuits. The dense, dessert-like texture of scones lends itself well to sweet ingredients, like the blueberry and lemon combo seen in this recipe.
If you want to make the treat a little lighter, try using Greek yogurt in place of heavy cream, as suggested below. This recipe also uses honey as a natural sweetener. The honey gives the scones a floral-like flavor that complements the already sweet blueberries and tangy lemon.
Once the dough for the scones is prepped and cut into six wedges, it’s placed into the oven and baked until golden brown (about 15 minutes). Serve the scones plain, with a lemon glaze or pat of butter. It’s the perfect way to put summer berries to use, as are these recipes for jams, salsas, tarts and more.
Blueberry Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon (if desired)
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup dried blueberries
- 1 large lemon
- 1 large egg white (to brush on top)
Directions
Step 1: Put butter in the freezer while working with the other ingredients.
Step 2: Whisk honey, eggs and Greek yogurt together in a small bowl.
Step 3: Set aside.
Step 4: In a larger bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.
Step 5: Stir in dried blueberries.
Step 6: Zest the entire lemon, add to the large bowl of dry ingredients.
Step 7: Take the butter out the freezer and grate it (or you can chop it up) into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Step 8: Use your hands to work the butter into the mixture until the texture is crumbly.
Step 9: Add the wet ingredients and use a fork to combine everything.
Step 10: Knead the dough into a ball, transfer to parchment paper or a cutting board.
Step 11: Use a rolling pin to roll the ball into a disk about 8 inches wide.
Step 12: Don’t have a rolling pin?
Step 13: Flatten it out with your hands.
Step 14: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and place it in the freezer for about 25 minutes.
Step 15: Just before you take the chilled dough out of the freezer, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Step 16: Remove the dough and use a pastry cutter or knife to slice the disk into 6 wedges (can cut into 8 for smaller servings).
Step 17: Space the wedges out on your baking sheet so they cook through.
Step 18: Brush the top of the wedges with egg whites.
Step 19: Place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.
