Dreamy blueberry lemon scones with a perfect balance of crisp exterior and light soft center.
They’re buttery, flaky, tart yet sweet, delicious, and so easy to make. In fact, these scones are ready in less than an hour– baking time included. I love how fast they come together although they might seem like a lot of work (which is a good thing if you’re trying to impress your friends).
I’ve had my share of failed scone recipes: too chewy, cakey, dry, or crumbly. And I learned that the method of making scones is important because it affects their texture. So here are a couple of things to keep in mind when making these:
- All your ingredients should remain cold. No exception! Butter cubes have to be freezing!
- Whatever you do, do not overwork the butter. Kneading softens the butter and converts the protein in the flour to gluten, which results in chewy scones. So work fast and handle the dough as little as possible.
- Place the tray of scones in the refrigerator before baking to ensure that they remain cold. Cold dough in high oven temperature results in flaky tender scones!
Pair them with fruit jam, clotted cream, or whipped ricotta honey spread!
Lemon Blueberry Scones (adapted from Pastry Affair)
Ingredients:
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
Zest of 2 small lemons
Pinch of salt
8 tbsp. (113g, 1 stick) butter, cold and cubed
60 ml (½ cup) heavy whipping cream
1 large egg, cold
1 cup frozen blueberries (or freeze fresh blueberries to hold their shape while baking)
3 tbsp. melted butter
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Using a pastry cutter (or two knives), cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream and egg then pour into the flour mixture.
4. Mix until it just comes together as a dough.
5. Transfer dough to a work surface covered in parchment paper and form into a shallow rectangle (about 1”/2.5 cm thick) using your hands.
6. Press ½ cup of blueberries into the dough.
7. Using the parchment paper, fold the dough in half along the long side. Shape again into a rectangle and press remaining blueberries into the top of the dough.
8. Using the pastry knife, cut dough into four equal rectangles. Then cut each rectangle diagonally, making 8 scones.
9. Place scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush tops with melted butter. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon turbinado mixture.
10. Place the sheet in the fridge for 15 minutes.
11. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.