These blueberry and Meyer lemon scones are airy and buttery with a burst of blueberries and an addicting tangy lemon glaze.
When Meyer lemons are in season, many lemon goodies are on repeat--Meyer lemon bars, bostocks, and lemon cake. I might have gone overboard last weekend and bought at least five pounds of Meyer lemons. Some went to my friend Gail, others were preserved and jammed, and the rest still sitting on my kitchen counter. I went through my repertoire of recipes to see what else to bake and decided to update Vu’s favorite scone recipe. I turned Vu’s blueberry scones into blueberry and Meyer lemon scones.
I was never a scone person until we had afternoon tea at the Orangery in Kensington Palace eight years ago. It was my first time having afternoon tea and wasn’t sure what to expect. The server brought out a selection of scones, butter, and jam. I vividly remember my first bite of the orange scone--light, airy, and buttery with a lovely orange flavor. I was blown away by how good they were, forewent the sweets, and asked for a second serving of scones.
From that moment, I made a resolution to replicate the texture of those scones. We can definitely learn a few things about making proper scones from the Brits. Over the years, I have learned a few tricks to avoid making dense, sandpapery scones. The most important one is not overworking the dough. Using a folding motion to bring the dough together will get the mixture moistened evenly. Stirring the dough until it becomes wet will result in dense and heavy scones. Meyer lemon zest is used in the batter to impart that distinguishable lovely Meyer lemon aroma while fresh blueberries are used to create jammy pockets of blueberries. Once the scones are cooled, they’re drizzled with a tangy glaze made with lemon juice, zest, and confectioners’ sugar. Making the glaze is an extra step but it brings everything together. These blueberry and Meyer lemon scones have become a favorite in our family, surpassing even the cranberry and orange scones that we often make with leftover cranberries after Thanksgiving.
These blueberry and Meyer lemon scones are perfect for breakfast with coffee or tea, a snack, or a little pick me up. With Easter and Mother’s Day coming up, they would be the perfect addition to brunch. Your guests will love these airy and buttery scones with a burst of blueberries and addicting tangy lemon glaze. We always make an extra batch to freeze and throw in the oven on days when the scone craving hits.
If you need more breakfast inspiration, check out the recipes for Meyer lemon bostocks, orange and cranberry scones, and Dutch baby pancake.
Blueberry and Meyer lemon scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 1 ½ cups organic fresh blueberries
- Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
- 1 cup organic heavy cream plus extra for brushing
- 1 organic medium egg, cold
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsps sanding sugar
Meyer lemon glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tbsps freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
Instructions
- Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl.
- In a food processor, add the dry ingredients and butter and pulse about 10-12 times. The mixture should resemble coarse bread crumbs with some small pieces of butter.
- Transfer the flour mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the blueberries and lemon zest and toss gently to coat.
- In another mixing bowl, combine cream, egg, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Pour a little of the cream mixture at a time into the flour mixture and use a spatula or your hands to work the cream into the flour mixture as you gradually rotate the bowl in a folding motion, not a stirring motion. Mix just until the dough comes together.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Use a 2 ½ inch diameter ice cream scoop, portion the dough, rounded side up, onto the parchment paper about 1 inch apart.
- Brush the top of the scones with cream and sprinkle the sanding sugar on top.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 5-7 minutes until light golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center of the scone comes out clean.
- Remove the scones from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the lemon glaze, in a bowl add the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and zest and stir until well combined.
- Drizzle the glaze of the warm scones. If the glaze is too thick, add a few drops of lemon juice.
Kaitlyn
Delicious!! Super light and airy texture means you can eat 2-3 in a sitting easily, hahah. Gentle lemon flavor wasn’t too overpowering. Blueberries burst with juicy flavor when you bit into scone. I used whole milk and only about 2/3 cup. Based on size of my scones, recipe made about 10 medium scones. Bake time was ~12 minutes.
Vy Tran
Hi Kaitlyn! I love your description of the scones. So happy you liked them!