Scones are my bakery treat of choice to have with coffee. Why? Because they’re not too sweet, they’re not too rich, and they’re not too heavy. Especially when they’re dotted with juicy blueberries and topped with a bright and zesty lemon glaze. Homemade scones are especially great because they’re incredibly easy, super inexpensive, and they freeze really well, so you can keep them in the freezer to reheat one at a time when that craving hits. And of alllll the flavors of scones, these Lemon Blueberry Scones are by far my favorite!
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What is a Scone, Anyway?
It’s important to note that the word “scone” can mean different things depending on where you are in the world. Classic British scones are simple, with not a lot of fat or sugar, they’re often round, and are served with clotted cream and jam. In the U.S., scones are decidedly more dessert-like with a crust of sugar on top or a drizzle of glaze, they’re served with coffee or breakfast and are often triangular in shape. But the bones are the same. It’s a deliciously tender and flakey baked good leavened with baking soda or baking powder, rather than yeast. They’re quite similar to what we call a biscuit in the U.S., although scones are usually a little more dense and less rich.
This Lemon Blueberry Scone Recipe is for a U.S.-style scone. It’s sweet, although not as sweet as a muffin or cupcake, triangular in shape, and deliciously crumbly. It’s the perfect side for a hot cup of coffee!
If you’d like to learn more about British-style scones, try this recipe for Authentic British Scones from Curious Cuisinière. She does a great job breaking down the difference between the two types of scones.
Fresh Lemon is a Must
While I use bottled lemon juice for a lot of recipes, this is one where you definitely want to use fresh lemon. The lemon zest is where most of the lemon flavor comes from in the scones, while the juice just provides tartness to the icing.
How to Freeze Lemon Blueberry Scones
As I mentioned in the intro, I love to keep a batch of these Lemon Blueberry Scones in the freezer. To freeze the scones, first make sure they are fully cooled to room temperature (which they should be before adding the glaze, anyway). You can either freeze them without the glaze, or glaze them and wait about 30 minutes for the glaze to dry slightly. Then just place them in a gallon-sized freezer bag and toss in the freezer. The glaze will absorb a little moisture while in the freezer, but they’re still quite tasty!
To thaw the frozen lemon blueberry scones, either let them sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or microwave for about 30 seconds straight from the freezer.
Lemon Blueberry Scones
Servings 8Ingredients
- 1 lemon ($0.60)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.19)
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar ($0.02)
- 2 tsp baking powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 6 Tbsp cold butter* ($0.66)
- 1/2 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh ($0.89)
- ¼ cup milk ($0.10)
- 2 large eggs ($0.47)
- 1 cup powdered sugar ($0.07)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Zest and juice the lemon. You'll need about 1 tsp lemon zest for the dough and 2 Tbsp lemon juice for the glaze.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Stir until they are very well combined.
- Grate the butter into the flour mixture and stir until the butter is well incorporated and no large lumps remain.*
- Add the blueberries to the flour mixture and stir to combine (no need to thaw first, if frozen).
- Whisk together the milk and eggs, then pour it into the bowl with the flour and bluberries. Stir everything together until it forms a cohesive ball of dough, with no dry flour remaining on the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too dry to come together into a single ball of dough, add a splash more milk (1 Tbsp or so) until it comes together.
- Press the dough out into a flat 8-inch diameter circle. Cut the circle into eight wedges. Place the cut scones on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake the scones in the preheated 425ºF oven for 15-17 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the baked scones to a wire rack to cool.
- Allow the scones to cool completely, then combine 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 Tbsp lemon juice until it forms a thick glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones, then enjoy!
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Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring Cups Spoons
Notes
Nutrition
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Love lemon and blueberry together? Me too! Try these other great lemon blueberry desserts: Blueberry Lemon Curd Shortcakes, Lemon Blueberry Cornbread Skillet, or Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Galette.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Scones From Scratch – Step By Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Zest and juice the lemon. You’ll need 1 tsp zest, and about 2 Tbsp juice. The zest will be used in the scone dough, the juice will be used later for the glaze. Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tsp lemon zest in a bowl. Stir until very well combined.
Grate 6 Tbsp cold butter into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir everything together until the butter is very well mixed into the flour and no large clumps remain.
Stir ½ cup frozen blueberries into the flour mixture. Do not thaw the blueberries first.
Whisk together ¼ cup milk and 2 large eggs
Then pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour and blueberries.
Stir everything together until it forms a stiff dough. There should be no more dry flour left on the bottom of the bowl. If it’s too dry and won’t stick together in a cohesive ball or there is a lot of flour left on the bottom of the bowl, add a small amount of milk (maybe 1 Tbsp) to bring the dough together.
Press the blueberry scone dough out into an 8″ diameter circle, then cut it into eight wedges.
Place the cut scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake the scones in the fully preheated 425ºF oven for 15-17 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the scones to a wire cooling rack to cool.
Allow the scones to fully cool before making the glaze. Once ready, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp lemon juice until it forms a thick glaze.
Drizzle the lemon glaze over the blueberry scones. If the scones are still hot or warm when you try to glaze them, the glaze will simply melt off, so make sure the scones are cool first!
Serve your delicious, homemade lemon blueberry scones with a hot cup of coffee and enjoy the day!
Anon – Both strawberries and raspberries also go great with lemon, but the raspberries would probably bake better into the scones because they’re not as wet. Or, you could do a straight lemon scone (and maybe add a smidge more sugar to the dough). :)
What other things could I put in this recipe that would go with the lemon icing?
I love lemon but I hate blueberries with a passion.
I made these for breakfast this morning and they turned out fantastic! The best part is I had everything on hand in my kitchen. I will never buy overpriced coffee shop scones again! Love your blog and looking forward to trying out more of your recipes. :)
I’m baking these for the second time in two weeks! It’s blueberry season in North Carolina, and these scones were such a hit that I ran out to the blueberry farm to pick more. Thank you for providing such a wonderful array of new recipes for me to try- I’ve never felt comfortable around the kitchen until this blog!
Hey Lady, You’ve got the right idea! I would definitely lower the oven temp a bit (maybe 25) and cook a little longer. And yes, add just a little more flour… how much is hard to say without having seen your dough. If it’s just a little tacky, you can try just adding a little to the countertop and your hands when you’re pressing it out. If it’s super wet, I’d add a quarter cup more to the original flour/butter mix. Play around with it and I’m sure you’ll have perfect scones in no time!
Hey Beth, I love your blog! Mine turned out pretty well for a first attempt, but I had a few questions. My scones didn’t really rise as much as yours did, and the outside was REALLY crusty while the inside wasn’t quiiiiiite done at 15 minutes. I’m assuming that I just need to turn my oven down a bit on the temperature? Also, my dough seemed just a bit wetter than yours, which made it pretty hard to cut up. Should I just add a bit more flour if that happens next time?
Ha! You’re hilarious, Josh! Glad they turned out good!
Wait, you’re saying there are some other websites about food? Screw that! Anyway, I made the cheddar scones following your recommendation and they turned out perfect. I made them this morning actually, and now it’s 11:10pm and all I have eaten all day are five cheddar scones! yum yum yum. Well, one of them I kinda ate in dough form. I also followed your advice on the rubbery texture and it was almost entirely gone this time.
Josh – You’ll probably need to decrease the sugar as well. Try taking the sugar down to 1/2 Tbsp and then I would add a 1/2 cup cheese and maybe a 1/4 cup of chives. …Although I’ve never tried it. :P If in doubt, do a google search for similar recipes. I know I’ve seen a lot of cheddar scone recipes out there over the years so it may be worth it to follow a recipe that someone has already tried. Epicurious.com and Foodnetwork.com both have a huge bank of very reliable recipes. Mmm, now I want some cheddar scones!!
Thanks for the reply on the rubberiness, Beth. I am going to try these again tomorrow following your advice. I like cheddar & chives scones. Do you think swapping out the berries for cheese would be enough, or would the recipe need to be changed more than that? What quantities of cheese + chives would you recommend for the amount of scones above? Sorry if this question is too far off base :)
Since I’ve been wanting to make these but wasn’t sure when I could fit them in, I sought out some frozen blueberries. I was shocked that frozen blueberries were more than twice as expensive as the frozen berry medley (with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries), so I bought that. When I opened the bag I discovered that there were more than enough blueberries for the recipe, and I also found a use for the raspberries and blackberries: I mashed them up and combined them with the lemon/confection sugar icing to make a kind of berry chutney. It was awesome!
Josh- overworking the dough can make it a bit rubbery so try to just mix it until everything gets wet. It’s okay if there are a few crumbs. Also, when working with the butter, make sure it’s cold and doesn’t melt as you’re working it into the flour. I hope that helps!
Thanks. I am a novice maker of food. I tried these and they came out well, without the over-sweet flavour they have at some coffee shops. I didn’t make the frosting. Mine came out with a slightly rubbery texture. It’s not that major, but there is something rubbery rather than crumbly to the units. Do you know what that might be?
Thank you for this amazing recipe! Simple and delicious. My son really likes the texture and the great fruit taste!
I baked another batch with fresh blackberries (in sold for 99 cents…) and an orange zest and juice. Excellent!
These look AMAZING!