Flaky buttery scones bursting with fresh lemon flavor
start with three fresh lemons, zest and juice
mix dry ingredients + zest, add grated butter
quick cheat: grate the frozen butter with a box grater
combine wet ingredients, mix, shape, cut
a danish whisk works well for this, but a fork or wooden spoon is just fine
brush with heavy cream, bake
heavy cream is the key to making perfect bakery style scones with shiny tops
for glaze- mix ingredients together
quick cheat: use a ziplock bag secured in a jar and pour the glaze in. Snip the end of it and use as a piping bag to drizzle the tops
and enjoy!
Lemon Almond Scones with Glaze
Flaky buttery scones bursting with fresh lemon flavor- this recipe uses the juice and zest of three lemons and includes some tips and cheats to making the perfect scone!
Ingredients
For Scones
- 2 cups flour
- 8 tbsp cold butter – frozen or just cold (1 stick)
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/2 cup milk or cream
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp heavy cream (for brushing)
For lemon glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- cream or milk, as needed for consistency
Instructions
For scones:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients and lemon zest (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder)
- In a glass measuring cup, mix milk, egg, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts
- Using a cheese grater, grate the cold butter into dry ingredients and mix
- Add milk mixture to bowl and mix until dough is combined (you may need to use your hands to knead it a few times until it comes together
- Working quickly before the butter melts, turn dough out onto lightly floured counter and shape into a disk (about 1.5 inches thick)
- Cut into 8 even pieces and place on lined baking sheet, space about an inch apart
- Brush each scone with the cream (this is the key to perfect bakery style scones)
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes (check at 15 minutes, they won't brown much on top)
- Cool on rack and drizzle with glaze
For the Glaze
- Mix cup of powdered sugar with remaining lemon juice, zest, and extracts
- If needed, add a teaspoon or two of cream or milk until it's reached a consistency thin enough to drizzle
- Scoop into a ziplock bag and snip the end off to drizzle to tops of each scone