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These blueberry lemon scones are made with heavy cream to create a rich, tender scone, fresh blueberries, and lemon zest then drizzled with a sweet lemon icing. This blueberry scone recipe is easily mixed up in minutes, making for an easy brunch treat!
When it comes to simple from scratch breakfast recipes, nothing easier than scones. In about an hour, you can have warm buttery scones drizzled in a sweet glaze. And they only require one bowl and you don’t even have to break out your mixer.
My time working at a bakery, I was the scone queen. Ok I may have given myself that name. But after making about 10 batches each day. I think I had the arms to prove it.
But even after all that scone making I still loved them. Maybe it’s just because they are so versatile. Like these dark chocolate cherry almond scones, or Nutella scones, or these fresh strawberry scones – you really can dream up any combination.
This version is a classic with fresh blueberries, lemon zest, and topped with a lemon glaze.
What’s The Difference Between Biscuits And Scones?
According to Bon Appetit, a scone is not a biscuit. Biscuits and scones are however similar in that they are made from flour, rely on a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder, and made with some sort of dairy like buttermilk.
Scones will usually be on the drier side and contain more sugar than a biscuit. Biscuits will generally be on the flakier side like these Buttermilk Biscuits.
Ingredients Needed
- All purpose flour – This type of flour works perfect in scones. It has a mid range protein content so making for a perfectly tender scone.
- Baking powder – Baking powder and baking soda are NOT the same thing. So don’t swap one for the other. You can read all about baking powder vs. baking soda here and really nerd out on some baking science.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter while baking. Different brands can use varying amounts of salt in their salted butter making it hard to control the salt.
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla extract
- Blueberries – Fresh is best but if using frozen, do NOT thaw and you may need to increase the baking time by a few minutes.
- Lemon zest
How Do You Make Blueberry Scones From Scratch?
These scones start with combining your dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
Heather’s Baking Tip
You want to make sure to measure your flour correctly so you don’t overmeasure and up with a cakey, dry scone in the end. Learn how to measure your flour accurately in this post.
To those dry ingredients you want to cut your butter in. Cutting in your dough simply means you will be coating the butter pieces in flour and breaking them down into small, but visible pieces.
You can use your hands for this step, but I prefer a pastry blender. This way my hands don’t warm the dough up and melt the butter.
Heather’s Baking Tip
Be sure to use COLD butter. The colder the better. Those bits of butter that don’t get worked into the dough, melt and create pockets of flakiness. The butter will get coated in the flour and then in the oven the butter will melt. The water in the butter will turn to steam and push apart the layers of flour helping to create a tall, flaky scone.
You want to cut the butter in until pea-sized, crumbly, but still visible.
Like so…
Now once the butter has been worked in, you need to add your blueberries and lemon zest. I used fresh blueberries but frozen, even dried will work just fine. But when blueberries are in season, is when they will tase their best!
Next you need to add your liquid ingredients – heavy cream, an egg, and pure vanilla extract.
I like to whisk the wet ingredients together first in a measuring cup so when I add it to my dough it’s more evenly mixed in and I don’t overwork my dough.
Once that’s whisked together, I make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the heavy cream mixture in.
And then stir the mixture together. If the dough seems a bit dry, you can always stir an extra tablespoon of heavy cream into the dough until it comes together.
The dough will be a bit sticky and shaggy looking. If it looks kinda messy, you’re doing it right!
You want to mix your dough just until it comes together. Doing this by hand ensures a soft scone in the end. Simply then turn your dough out onto your counter and press it together. I press and fold the dough together a few times to bring the dough together into a cohesive mass.
You want to make sure to not overwork and “play” with your dough too much at this point as it will create a tough scone in the end.
Once the dough is together, I simply press it into an 8″ circle. I love using my pastry mat because it has the measurements on it so there’s no need for guessing or measuring!
Then take a sharp knife and cut the disc into 8 equal wedges – as if you were cutting a pizza! I like to then pop the scones into the fridge for about 15 minutes which will help firm up the butter and keep the scones from spreading.
And then it’s time to bake. Once they are baked, I let them cool and whip up an easy lemon icing to drizzle over. Because, um why not?! Icing makes it all better.
Recipe FAQ’s
Absolutely! I get it. Fresh blueberries are not always in season and look the best at the store. Frozen totally works.
To use frozen blueberries, you want to add them froze directly to the dough. Do not thaw them first.
Absolutely! I love freezing my baked goods. Both baked or unbaked.
To freeze unbaked: You can place the unbaked scones on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once they are solid you can place them into a zip-loc bag. When ready to bake, there is no need to thaw first before baking. Just add on a few minutes of bake time!
To freeze baked: Bake first then allow to cool completely before freezing. Freeze solid then you can wrap each individually or place into a zip-loc bag.
Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
I do this by cutting the 8 wedges and then cutting those in half again.Ā These half sized scones will take less baking time of course. After the first 10 minutes, rotate the pan in the oven and bake 5 minutes more.
More Recipes To Try
Blueberry Lemon Scones
Ingredients
For The Scones:
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 cup (Ā½ pint) fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Ā½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
For The Icing:
- Ā½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (57 g) confectioner sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon Juice or more to adjust consistency
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Add butter. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers, until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal.
- Add mix-ins. Fold in blueberries and lemon zest.
- Add wet ingredients. Whisk together heavy cream, egg, and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the heavy cream mixture. Stir lightly with a wooden spoon or spatula until dough comes together. Dough will be sticky and shaggy looking.
- Knead dough. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead dough together a few times. I press down on the dough into about 1/2" thickness, then fold in half. I repeat this about 3-4 times. Do not overwork the dough, you just want to incorporate the flour and bring it together.
- Shape scones. Pat dough into an 8" circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Prep oven and pan. Preheat oven to 400Ā°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Bake the scones. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 20-22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire rack to cool.
- Make lemon icing. Combine icing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Adjust consistency if needed. Drizzle cooled scones with icing.
Video
Notes
- Storing: Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freezing: You can place the unbaked scones on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once they are solid you can place them into a zip-loc bag. When ready to bake, there is no need to thaw first before baking. Just add on a few minutes of bake time. To freeze baked scones, bake first then allow to cool completely before freezing. Freeze solid then you can wrap each individually or place into a zip-loc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Icing: If you do not prefer icing, you could always make an egg wash and brush on the scones before baking and sprinkle some sanding sugar on top.
- Blueberries: Fresh is best but if using frozen, do NOT thaw and you may need to increase the baking time by a few minutes.
Jenny says
What a wonderful recipe! Such gorgeous scones, they look it looks delicious. Thank you for your post, I will definitely make these blueberry lemon scones.Ā
Tammy says
These blueberry lemon scones are delicious! So perfect for spring breakfasts or luncheons <3
Marie says
Scones are one of those recipes that look and sound intimidating to make but once you get the hang of it, you can make some in minutes! You’re providing a ton of helpful tips in here and the blueberry and lemon flavor combination is a favorite of mine. I’ll be making these over the weekend!
Denise says
I made these yesterday and I just want to say how good they were! They don’t look quite as pretty as your but the taste was out of this world. Thanks for sharing.
Heather says
aw thank you Denise! so glad you loved them!
Kathryn says
These blueberry lemon scones sound so good! I can’t wait to make them this week for brunch!
Heather says
Thanks Kathryn enjoy š
Kayla DiMaggio says
Yum! These blueberry lemon scones were delicious! I am normally worried about baking but your directions were perfect!
Heather says
Glad you were successful!
Lauren Michael Harris says
I love making homemade scones. The blueberry-lemon flavor is so good and one of my family’s favorites now!
Heather says
Aw thatās great to hear!
Raksha says
Thanks for sharing step by step pictures to make this blueberry scones recipe. Loved the tip to add cold butter. Will make it for tea time today.
Annie says
Blueberry and lemon is one of my favorite spring flavor combos! These scones look like they are bursting with flavor. I’ll definitely be saving this one for later!
Gloria says
I absolutely love scones. The combination of lemon and blueberry is classic. I would eat these for breakfast and dessert.
Patti says
These were so easy to make and taste great. Following the icing recipe, mine came out runny. I added more powdered sugar but maybe not enough? I almost doubled the amount and was afraid to add more.
Heather says
Hi Patti! Yes sometimes it just depends on how you measure the powdered sugar. Don’t be afraid to add more though and just adjust as you feel needed!
Melanie Alexander says
Would be nice if the ingredients list included the lemon zest and amount of vanilla for the scones. I see it in the icing, but not the scones list. Had to guess.
And, the info about refrigerating the dough before baking would be best put inside the recipe, not as an after-thought.
Heather says
Hi Melanie, my apologies. I’ve updated the recipe with the correct information that was missing. Thank you for letting me know!
cricketsconfections says
Rustic scones can be so beautiful, love the drizzle on these babies!
Heather @Boston Girl Bakes says
The drizzle makes all the difference! Thanks!
Strength and Sunshine says
I have not made scones in a year!
Heather @Boston Girl Bakes says
No time like the present. They are so simple to make! Bust that pastry cutter out and get to making them š
gingeredwhisk says
Your scones look so awesome!
Heather @Boston Girl Bakes says
Thank you so much!!
Courtney says
So good!!
Heather says
Thanks Courtney!!
Platter Talk says
Blueberries and lemon go together like carrots & peas. Nice recipe!
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says
These look amazing! my favorite coffee house treat. The lemon would be amazing in these.
Cindi says
J’espĆØre que vous aimez notre derniĆØre hack pour prime eleven haut et allez la partager avec tous vos amis!