Lemon Drop Scones

You can customize these lemon drop scones using your favorite citrus like lime, orange or grapefruit. And they have just the crumble you want in a scone.

The best part of baking is sharing.

Whether diving into a pan of brownies at home with friends or bringing a cake to the office, I never assume I’m going to devour an entire batch on my own.

Twice a year there is a parent breakfast for my son’s class at school. 

Back in the fall we baked these lemon drop scones and our plan was to bring them to the spring breakfast in March.

But with all of us staying at home these days, the breakfast was cancelled like so many other events both big and small.

We still went ahead with baking scones even though we weren’t able to share them. I stashed the extras in the freezer.

And ever since we’ve been baking lemon drop scones on a weekly basis.

I am a big fan of scones. Usually I make the dough, pat it into a cake pan and throw it in the fridge to let it chill and firm up before cutting triangles.

With drop scones, it’s a less formal process. There’s no waiting and cutting into shapes. 

The results are lumpy charming scones that all look a bit different.

How To Make Lemon Drop Scones

To make the dough for the scones, I start by stirring together all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, baking powder and salt.

I stir in the zest of 2 lemons, but you use any citrus you want like lime, orange or even grapefruit.

With a fork, I cut cubes of butter into the dry ingredients until they resemble pea-sized lumps. You can also rub the butter and flour together with your fingers.

In a small bowl, I whisk together an egg with a 1/2 cup heavy cream and fold it into the flour-butter mixture.

At this point the dough really starts to get clumpy, which is good.

I drop the scones by the 1/4-cup-full onto a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and bake them in the oven.

The lemon drop scones turn golden brown, and some even crack on their tops. 

They have just the crumble you want from a scone. 

Lemon Drop Scones

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
• Total Time: 28-30
• Yield: 14–16 scones 1x

You can customize these lemon drop scones using your favorite citrus like lime, orange or grapefruit. And they have just the crumble you want in a scone.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Zest 2 lemons
• 6 ounces (1–1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup milk plus more for brushing tops
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the 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. Then you can press it together.
5. Drop the dough by 1/4-cup-full in mounds on the sheet pans spreading 3 inches apart.
6. Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.
7. Cool the scones on a wire rack.
8. Scones are best the day they are baked. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Instead of lemon zest, you can use another kind of citrus including lime, orange or grapefruit.