Eats: Glazed Lemon Cream Scones

I live in Seattle—land of coffee and rainy days (although the latter are not quite as prevalent as our reputation suggests). Scones are the perfect food to complement both!

An Easy and Delicious Scones Recipe

First off, they were shockingly easy. While I do know my way around a baked good, I’ve never made scones. For some reason, I’ve associated their difficulty level with biscotti, which I tried to make once. Just once. But, these scones? Simple to make and simply sublime.

Because they have just the right amount of lemon—not overpowering—they pair well with your morning cup of coffee or tea or just a good ol’-fashioned glass of milk. What I also like about this recipe is the possible flavor combinations—the lemon taste is present, but subtle enough so that it could only be enhanced by the right addition. I’m thinking, next time around, about mixing some berries—blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries—into the batter. Or even, perhaps, some ginger, almond extract/flavoring, or white chocolate! Oh, the possibilities!

One final tip from the pages of Eats that helped me in my scone making: For light, fluffy scones, avoid kneading the dough too many times. A gentle touch is best.

Glazed Lemon Cream Scones

Batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 egg yolk
1 cup heavy or whipping cream, plus a spoonful or two for tops
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon milk, plus more as needed
⅛ teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, for garnish

For batter:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Get out a large baking sheet.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl and whisk to mix. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut it into the dry mixture to make very small pieces. Make a well.

Combine the yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl and stir to blend. Pour into the well and stir until the dough pulls together. Set aside to rest for 3 to 4 minutes.

Lightly flour a work surface.

Scrape the dough onto the work surface and dust your hands and the dough with the flour. Knead the dough gently four or five times. It will be soft but manageable. Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk about ¾-inch thick and 7 to 7½ inches in diameter. Cut the disk into eight equal pie wedges.

Flattening the dough with your hands is a cinch. Just work it out slowly and evenly, then cut with a knife like you would a pizza.

Place the wedges on the baking sheet, evenly spaced. Lightly brush the tops with cream.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Add the corn syrup and 1 tablespoon of milk and stir with a wooden spoon, until smooth. Add the lemon extract and stir to blend. Add additional milk, ½ teaspoon at a time, and whisk until the glaze is runny but still thick.

When the scones are barely warm, place them on a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap and drizzle them generously with the glaze. Garnish with lemon zest.

Makes 8 scones. 

Get a printable version of the Glazed Lemon Cream Scones recipe.

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