Lemon Blueberry Scones

Name: Lemon Blueberry Scones
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 2¼ cups flour; ½ cup sugar; 1 Tbsp baking powder; ½ tsp cinnamon; 1 Tbsp lemon zest; ½ cup buttermilk ((or heavy cream)); 1 Tbsp limoncello ((or lemon juice)); 1 tsp lemon juice; 1 large egg ((beaten)); ½ cup salted butter ((frozen)); 1 cup blueberries ((or huckleberries)); 2 ounces cream cheese; 2 ounces cream cheese ((softened)); ½ cup confectioner's sugar; 1½ tsp half and half; 1½ tsp limoncello ((or lemon juice))

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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 jam.

🧐 The Story Behind This Recipe

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 scones recipe was the result!

🛒 What Goes into This Recipe

lemon blueberry dry ingredients — Lemon Blueberry Scones Dry Ingredients

blueberry scones wet ingredients — Lemon Blueberry Scones Wet Ingredients

cream cheese icing ingredients — Cream Cheese Glaze Ingredients

🔖 Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions

Flour: You'll need some all-purpose flour.
Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, you can make some by adding ½ teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a ½ 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.
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

Before you start, place butter in the freezer for at least one hour, or until frozen solid.

Step 1: Add your dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix to combine.

Step 2: Using a cheese grater, grate frozen butter and fold into the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to work the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Stir blueberries or huckleberries into the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Make a well into the center of the dry ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients together and pour them into the center of the bowl.

Step 4: Using a fork, gently work the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until the dough comes together. The dough will be pretty crumbly. Do not overmix. If necessary, add a few more tablespoons of buttermilk to bind the dough.

Step 5: Cover the workspace with flour, then transfer the dough onto the floured surface. Press and push the dough into an 8" circle. Be gentle with the dough and handle only as necessary to shape the dough into a disc.

Step 6: Using a pastry cutter, divide the dough into 8 equal portions. The easiest way to do this is to slice the dough in half, then quarters, then eights.

Step 7: Gently transfer the blueberry scones onto a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This helps the scones to keep their shape. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

uncooked scones on a cookie sheet — **No, those aren't just blueberries. Yes, I snuck in some huckleberries.**

Cream Cheese Lemon Glaze

While the oven is heating, prepare the cream cheese glaze.

Step 1: Using a hand-held mixer or a food processor, mix the softened cream cheese with the wet ingredients. Add the confectioner's sugar last. Mix thoroughly to make a smooth glaze.

Step 2: Cook scones for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Place scones on a rack until completely cool.

Step 3: Transfer the glaze into a small Ziploc bag and poke a tiny hole into one of the corners of the bag. Squeeze the glaze down into the corner of the bag. Drizzle the glaze over the slightly cooled scones and eat while warm.

Now, have some friends over and enjoy your tender scones with a nice cup of tea!

🤷🏻‍♀️FAQs

What do scones taste like?

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.

What can you add to Scones?

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.

Should you rest scone dough?

Resting the dough in the fridge while the oven is heating up is highly recommended. This keeps the butter from melting prior to baking the scones.

Can you freeze 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.
Chill the shaped scones in the fridge for 15 minutes, while the oven is heating up.
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.
This dough can be slightly dry and crumbly. If needed, add a few tablespoons of additional buttermilk to help bind the dough.
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.

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📖 Recipe

This recipe was originally published on 11/13/2019. It was updated on 2/18/21 by increasing the sugar from ⅓ cup to ½ cup.