These amazing scones are moist, crumbly, and absolutely delicious! Even if you're not a scone person, you'll love these tender lemon blueberry scones with a lemony cream cheese glaze. Serve these delicious scones for brunch or breakfast with clotted cream and orange curd.
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Last night we joined some of our friends at Anita and Bob's beautiful log home for coffee and dessert. Anita and Bob were preparing to head back to California for the winter and were in the process of emptying their fridge.
Anita divvied up the items, and I ended up with a small jug of buttermilk, a block of cream cheese, and some lemons. I was challenged to use the items to create a new recipe. This delicious lemon and blueberry scone recipe was the result!
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: You'll need some all-purpose flour.
- Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, you can make some by adding ¾ teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a ¾ cup of whole milk.
- Limoncello: I used limoncello because I had some on hand. If you don't, simply substitute with lemon juice.
- Salted Butter: If you would rather use unsalted butter, be sure to add ½ teaspoon salt.
- Blueberries: As you may notice by the pictures in this post, I used a mixture of huckleberries and blueberries. Frozen or fresh blueberries or huckleberries can be used.
- Lemon Juice: You'll need fresh lemon juice and zest instead of bottled. You can also substitute with orange juice and zest.
- Cream Cheese: You'll need cream cheese both for the scones and to prepare the cream cheese lemon cheese glaze.
* A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🍋 How to Make Lemon Blueberry Scones
Step 1: Before you start, place butter in the freezer for at least one hour, or until frozen solid. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and lemon zest into a large bowl, mix to combine.
Step 2: Using a cheese grater, grate frozen butter into the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to work the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Stir blueberries/huckleberries and cubed cream cheese into dry ingredients.
Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk ½ cup buttermilk, limoncello, and egg together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour the wet ingredients into the center.
Step 4: Using a fork, gently work the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until the dough comes together. If necessary, add 1 tablespoon of buttermilk at a time to bind the dough together. The dough will be pretty crumbly. Do not overmix.
Step 5: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, then gently press and push the dough into an 8" disc.
Step 6: Using a pastry cutter, divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Slice the dough into ½, then ¼, then ⅛. Do this by lowering the pastry cutter down to make the slices, then slide it outwards instead of lifting it up.
Preheat Oven to 400°F.
Step 7: Gently transfer the blueberry scones onto a parchment paper-covered baking sheet, leaving room for expansion. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. This keeps the scones from spreading too much. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 8: Transfer baked scones to a rack and cool for approximately 10 minutes.
Cream Cheese Lemon Glaze
While the scones are cooling, prepare the cream cheese glaze.
Step 1: Using a small food processor, mix the softened cream cheese with limoncello or lemon juice. Add confectioner's sugar last. Mix thoroughly to make a smooth glaze.
Step 2: Transfer the glaze into a small Ziploc bag and poke a tiny hole into one of the corners. Squeeze the glaze down into the corner and drizzle glaze over the cooled scones.
Now, it's time to have some friends over and enjoy your tender scones with a nice cup of tea! You may also want to try this amazing beaver tail recipe. Beaver tails are a Canadian dessert, shaped like a beaver tail, and taste like a doughnut. How fun is that?
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Scones are slightly sweet since they usually contain a small amount of sugar. The texture is supposed to be crumbly on the outside and moist on the inside, especially when they contain fruit. American Scones are usually sweeter than the scones in the UK.
Scones come in many flavors, some with vanilla and others with lemon juice. The fruit and spices used also affect the flavor.
You have all kinds of options when it comes to making scones. Here are some of them:
• Fresh or dried fruit: berries, figs, dried apricots, craisins, raisins, or currants.
• Nuts: almonds, walnuts, and pecans are great options.
• Flavoring: Vanilla extract, lemon juice, or orange juice.
• Chocolate chips or chunks.
Resting the dough in the fridge while the oven is heating up is highly recommended. This keeps the butter from melting before baking the scones.
Scones can be both frozen before baking and after. For better results, freeze the scones before they are baked and defrost the scones for 30 minutes or so before baking them according to the recipe instructions.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- To make huckleberry scones, follow the same recipe, replacing the blueberries with huckleberries.
- Treat the scone dough very gently. Overworking the dough will cause the scones to be tough.
- Keep all your ingredients cold until needed. The colder the better. This prevents the butter from melting before baking. When the butter melts in the oven, it creates flaky, delicious scones.
- Most scone recipes call for brushing the tops of the scones with half-and-half or cream before baking. I tried the recipe by brushing the tops and without and got the same results.
- If using a convection oven, reduce the baking temperature to 375F.
- Serve the scones as soon as they're ready. Fresh scones taste the best. Store leftover scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat scones in a microwave for 15-30 seconds or for 10 minutes at 325 degrees in a toaster oven.
If you love lemony desserts, make sure you try this decadent lemon posset recipe!
🥮 More Desserts
If you enjoyed this lemon blueberry scone recipe, be sure to check out this yummy lemon blackberry cake and my new huckleberry curd recipe!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Before you start, place butter in the freezer for at least one hour, or until frozen solid. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and lemon zest into a large bowl, mix to combine.
- Using a cheese grater, grate frozen butter into the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to work the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Stir blueberries/huckleberries and cubed cream cheese into dry ingredients.
- In small bowl, whisk ½ cup buttermilk, limoncello, and egg together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour wet ingredients into the center.
- Using a fork, gently work the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until the dough comes together. If necessary, add 1 tablespoon of buttermilk at a time to bind the dough together. The dough will be pretty crumbly. Do not overmix.
- Cover the workspace with a light sprinkle of flour, then turn the dough out onto the work surface. Gently press and push the dough into an 8" disc.
- Using a pastry cutter, divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Slice the dough into ½, then ¼, then ⅛. Do this by lowering the pastry cutter down to make the slices, then slide it outwards instead of lifting it up.
- Gently transfer the blueberry scones onto a parchment paper-covered baking sheet, leaving room for expansion. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. This keeps the scones from spreading too much. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Transfer baked scones to a rack and cool for approximately 10 minutes.
- While the scones are cooling, prepare the cream cheese glaze. Mix softened cream cheese with limoncello or lemon juice in a small food processor. Add confectioner's sugar last. Mix thoroughly to make a smooth glaze.
- Transfer the glaze into a small Ziploc bag and poke a tiny hole into one of the corners. Squeeze the glaze down into the corner and drizzle glaze over the cooled scones.
Nutrition
Notes
- To make huckleberry scones, follow the same recipe, replacing the blueberries with huckleberries.
- Treat the scone dough very gently. Overworking the dough will cause the scones to be tough.
- Keep all your ingredients cold until needed. The colder the better. This prevents the butter from melting before baking. When the butter melts in the oven, it creates flaky, delicious scones.
- Most scone recipes call for brushing the tops of the scones with half and half or cream before baking. I tried the recipe by brushing the tops and without and got the same results.
- If using a convection oven, reduce the baking temperature to 375 degrees F.
- Serve the scones as soon as they're ready. Fresh scones taste the best. Store leftover scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat scones in a microwave for 15-30 seconds or for 10 minutes at 325 degrees in a toaster oven.
Sheila says
I finally made these again at home. Still my favorite recipe for scones. i love the texture and taste.
Hilda Sterner says
One day you have to try them with huckleberries! Thank you as always for the review!😘
Sandra Myers says
Absolutely delicious & easy!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Sandra! Enjoy! 🙂
Sheila Tong says
I made these while we were camping. I had to do the best I could with what we had. These were very tasty. I can’t wait to make them again at home.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Sheila, I'm glad they worked out for your. Thanks for the review too!
Kelly Methey says
These scones are delicious!! I love them. This is a great recipe! Thanks, Hilda!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kelly, I appreciate the review! But how do you feel about my fig scones? 😬
Connie Poland says
I made these for a gathering of the lady friends. They were lovely. Such a wonderful flavor. I made them with lemon juice, not lemon cello. Everyone raved. I will definitely being making them again and soon.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Connie. Maybe one day you'll get to try them with huckleberries in my kitchen!❤️
Monica Kutter says
This recipe was fantastic! The scones were so moist and tender and I just love the glaze on top. Tasted great with a hot cuppa tea. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
HildaSterner says
Thank you, Monica. I really appreciate the review and so glad that you enjoyed them!
Kelly Methey says
I love, love, love scones! These look so delicious! Can’t wait to try them since I missed out on the scone party! I heard rave reviews on them! Your recipes are the best!
HildaSterner says
Thanks, Kelly! We sure missed you at the tea and scone gathering!
Jasmine Pina says
Having a hard time with the wet ingredients vs dry...mixing them and making sure I don't overwork the dough and burst blueberries at the same time ...i am not really an experienced cook so the dough is very crumbly like there is not enough wet ingredients to balance out the dry...not sure what i did wrong. Wish I had you here with me to guide me.
HildaSterner says
Oh no, sorry, Jasmine! Wish I was there with you too. Scone dough is pretty dry and crumbly. Definitely not a wet dough. It's ok if the blueberries burst. You basically want to push and pat the dough to hold it together. If necessary, add a tablespoon or 2 of additional buttermilk.
Lori says
These scones were amazing! They were super flavorful, flaky and moist. Truly the best scones I have ever had! There was no need to add anything to them:)
Kathy Fisher says
If you don't like scones because they taste like sawdust, you haven't tried Hilda's Lemon Blueberry Scones. I had no idea scones could be this yummy. I love the lemon and blueberry combination. You won't need to doctor these scones up with additional toppings. The cream cheese drizzle is just right. I think the most pleasant part of biting into one of these scones is the crunch on the bottom. Thanks for changing my mind about scones Hilda. But then, nothing else will measure up.
HildaSterner says
Thanks for your kind words, Kathy! So glad you enjoyed them. ❤️