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Lemon Drop Scones
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5 from 1 vote

Easy Lemon 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.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Quick Breads & Muffins
Cuisine: British
Servings: 16 scones
Author: Paige Adams

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

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt and lemon zest.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Drop the dough by 1/4 to 1/3-cup-full in mounds on the sheet pans spreading 3 inches apart. It is easy to do this with a cookie scoop.
  • Brush the tops with milk.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.
  • Cool the scones on a wire rack.

Notes

Instead of lemon zest, you can use another kind of citrus including lime, orange or grapefruit.
You can make the dough up to 3 days in advance. Cover it and store it in the refrigerator.
Scones are best the day you bake them. You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. Warm them in a 300-degree oven for 5 minutes to get their texture back.
Scones can be frozen either unbaked or baked. For unbaked scones, scoop the dough onto a lined sheet and put them in the freezer. When they are frozen, they can be put in the same airtight container and frozen up to 1 month. Do not thaw unbaked scones before you bake them at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes.
Frozen baked scones can be kept in an airtight container up to 1 month. Thaw them in a 325-degree F oven for 12-14 minutes.
Optional Lemon Glaze: Whisk 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice with 1/2 cup powdered sugar. It should be a pourable consistency, so you may need to add a little more juice or sugar. Wait for the scones to cool completely before you ice them. It's best to put the scones on a wire rack with a lined sheet pan underneath when you pour on the glaze because it makes for easy cleanup.

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg