Lemon Blueberry Scones

July 15, 2021

Lemon Blueberry Scones

With the zest of 2 lemons, these blueberry lemon scones are citrusy with lots of berries. This is a simple drop scone recipe. No fancy shaping required!

With the zest of 2 lemons, these blueberry lemon scones are citrusy with lots of berries. This is a simple drop scone recipe. No fancy shaping required!

Lemon Blueberry Scones

It’s not an exaggeration when I say I bake scones every other week and sometimes more. On the off weeks, I can just reach for the stash in my freezer.

My 7-year-old loves either lemon or cinnamon scones. He doesn’t like when I add fruit to the mix, but sometimes I just can’t resist.

That’s especially true during berry season when I bake these lemon blueberry scones. The funny part is that most of the time I use frozen berries even if it’s peak season.

Lemon Blueberry Scones

What is a Scone?

Scones are very similar to biscuits in terms of ingredients and how you make them. Originally hailing from Scotland, scones are served for tea in Britain.

I think of scones as being a bit more dense than biscuits which tend to be fluffier in the middle. In the US, biscuits are usually served for breakfast or as a dinner roll.

And even though I wouldn’t exactly call a scone sweet, I do think they are sweeter than a biscuit. Also, I wouldn’t bake fruit into biscuits. 

Stirring blueberries into scone dough

Fresh Berries or Frozen Berries for Scones

This blueberry scone recipe works with fresh or frozen berries. I make a blueberry smoothie every morning, so it’s pretty much a guarantee that I will have berries in the freezer.

If I can find them, I prefer wild blueberries for baking because they are smaller than standard ones. Also, they have more skin than pulp, so they are less watery and the juices won’t stain the dough as much.

Lately at the grocery, I have been seeing bags of wild blueberries in the frozen fruit case.

Scone ingredients

The Ingredients

This is what you need for these blueberry scones:

  • Flour: All-purpose flour gives you a tender crumb that results in scones with a crumbly texture, which is how they should turn out.
  • Baking powder: You need this leavening agent to give your scones some lift.
  • Sugar: The scones are lightly sweetened with granulated sugar.
  • Salt: For sweet and savory recipes, salt brings out the overall flavor.
  • Lemon zest: I zest 2 lemons, so the scones are very citrusy.
  • Butter: Make sure the butter is chilled, so you can easily cut it into the dry ingredients. Don’t let it sit out at room temperature and soften.
  • Egg: I whisk the egg with the rest of the wet ingredients before pouring them into the flour mixture.
  • Milk: Typically, I use skim milk or oat milk because that’s generally what I have in my fridge and not heavy cream. Whole or reduced fat milk would be fine too.
  • Vanilla extract: The vanilla is subtle but necessary even though these scones are all about blueberries and lemon. 
  • Blueberries: As I mentioned, I like wild blueberries for baking because they are smaller, but you can use regular ones. And fresh blueberries or frozen are ok, too.
Blueberry scones on cooling on wire rack

How To Make Lemon Blueberry Scones

First, I preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line each baking sheet with parchment paper.

Then I combine the dry ingredients in a big bowl: all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and lemon zest.

After that, I cut the butter into the dry ingredients.

Cutting butter into flour

How To Cut In Butter

The phrase cutting in butter can be a bit confusing. All you are trying to do is combine the chilled butter with the dry ingredients.

In order to do this, you can use a fork or a pastry blender (also known as a pastry cutter) to push the cold cubed butter into the flour. What you want to end up with are pea-sized clumps or big coarse crumbs throughout the flour.

You can also rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips. Since it’s important that the butter is cold, I prefer a fork. By using your hands, you risk warming up the butter.

The reason you want the butter to be chilled is that in the oven, cold butter in the dough releases steam and helps the scones rise and get their signature layered crumb.

Making the Dough

With the butter cut into the flour, I whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla extract. Then I pour the liquid into the flour mixture.

To combine the ingredients, I stir them together until the dough starts to turn into clumps. Before it is fully mixed, I toss the blueberries in a tablespoon of flour and then add them to the dough. Finally, I finish patting it all together.

Scone dough on sheet pan before baking

Shaping the Scones: Try Easy Drop Scones!

Call me lazy, but my days of using a biscuit cutter for scones or cutting them into wedges are long gone. I don’t even bother slicing them into triangles.

My preference is to use a cookie scoop that’s equivalent to nearly a quarter cup, and I drop them right on the sheet pan.

Scones should come out lumpy and irregular, so embrace that with drop scone method.

With the scones on the sheet pans, I brush the tops with milk and sprinkle them with sanding sugar. It’s optional, but I like that crunch and slight sparkle to finish the scones. I don’t bother making a lemon glaze. I find it too sweet, and I prefer the citrus flavor coming from the zest.

When the scones bake, they will turn lightly golden brown.

Lemon Blueberry Scones

How To Store Scones

Scones are best the day you bake them. You can store them for a day or two after and revive them in a 300-degree oven for a few minutes.

And yes, you can freeze scones. Just thaw them in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

More Scone Recipes

Lemon Drop Scones
Cinnamon Maple Scones
Strawberry Almond Scones

More Blueberry Recipes

Vegan Blueberry Chia Muffins
Vegan Blueberry Crumble Ice Cream
Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes
Blueberry Lime Pie

Print
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Lemon Blueberry Scones

Lemon Blueberry Scones

  • Author: Paige Adams
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
  • Total Time: 33-35 minutes
  • Yield: 1416 scones 1x
  • Category: Quick Breads & Muffins
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: British
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

With the zest of 2 lemons, these blueberry lemon scones are citrusy with lots of berries. This is a simple drop scone recipe. No fancy shaping required!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 6 ounces (11/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup milk plus more for brushing tops
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • Sanding sugar, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together 3 cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt and lemon zest.
  3. Use a fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients, until it resembles pea-sized clumps. You can also rub the butter and flour together with your fingers.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla extract. Stir into the flour-butter mixture. The dough will turn into clumps.
  5. Before the dough is fully combined, toss the blueberries in 1 tablespoon flour and add them to the dough, gently pressing the clumps together.
  6. Drop the dough by 1/4-cup-full in mounds on the sheet pans spreading 3 inches apart.
  7. Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
  8. Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.
  9. Cool the scones on a wire rack.
 

Notes

Scones are best the day you bake them. You can store them for a day or two after and revive them in a 300-degree oven for a few minutes.

Scones can be frozen. Thaw them in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

Keywords: blueberry lemon scones, blueberry scones

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Recipe rating

    • I haven’t baked them this way, but you could substitute with a flax egg. Whisk 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (also known as flaxseed meal) with 3 tablespoons water. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes to thicken before using it in the recipe.

  1. My goodness, these look amazing and will be trying the recipe when family comes in next week. You did a fantastic job explaining everything! I learned so much, especially why chilled butter is necessary. Thank you for sharing and God bless!