Blueberry Scones
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These blueberry scones are melt-in-your-mouth tender and topped with a tart and sweet lemon glaze.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Most scones are dry and crumbly, especially when left to sit out on the counter for more than a few hours. Not these. Some of the blueberries burst during baking, creating little pockets of juice that keep the scones melt-in-your-mouth tender and almost cakelike for days. The lemon glaze adds a pop of bright flavor and looks pretty too.
These are large scones. If you prefer smaller scones, divide the dough into two rounds instead of one, and then cut each round into 6 wedges. Also, when making scones, try to handle the dough as little as possible—a light hand makes for light and tender scones. If it’s outside of blueberry season and you’d like to make these, frozen blueberries will work too but don’t defrost them, or your scones will turn blue.
Table of Contents
“I made these for my daughter and her roommates for finals week. They said they were the best scones they’ve ever had.”
What You’ll Need To Make Blueberry Scones
- All-Purpose Flour: The base of your scones. Measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Baking powder: Acts as a leavening agent, making the scones rise.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness and contributes to the tender texture.
- Butter: Used in the batter for richness and flavor, and also to add creamy smoothness to the glaze that tops the scones.
- Blueberries: The star ingredient, they add bursts of fruity sweetness.
- Heavy Cream: Adds moisture and ensures the scones are tender.
- Eggs: Used in the dough to add richness and to bind the ingredients together. Also used as a topping brushed on the unbaked scones to create a beautiful golden sheen.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor and aroma of the scones.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Provides sweetness and adds thickness to the glaze.
- Lemon Zest and Juice: Infuses the glaze with bright lemon flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
Whisk to combine.
Add the pieces of cold butter.
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within.
Stir in the blueberries.
In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then add the cream mixture.
Using a rubber spatula, mix until the dough comes together.
It will be a bit crumbly—that’s okay. If it’s too dry to come together, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more cream and mix again.
Dust a work surface lightly with flour; put the dough on top. Dust the dough lightly with flour, then knead gently into a ball. Press the dough into a circle about ¾-inch high, then cut into 8 wedges. It’s okay if you slice through some of the blueberries.
Place the unbaked scones onto the prepared baking sheet at least 1-inch apart. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and use it to brush the tops of the scones (you won’t use all of it).
Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.
Slide the used parchment paper underneath the rack. (The parchment will catch any drips from the glaze). While the scones cool, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and zest.
When the scones are completely cool, drizzle the glaze over top. (Hint: if the glaze seems too stiff to drizzle, warm it in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.) Let the glaze set, then serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the scone dough can be made, shaped, and refrigerated overnight, and then baked directly from the fridge as directed.
Yes, to freeze the dough, place the raw scones on a baking sheet until they are solid, and then transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, remove the scones from the freezer while you preheat the oven. Cook as directed, but allow an extra few minutes of baking time.
Yes, frozen blueberries will work here, but don’t defrost them, or your scones will turn blue.
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Blueberry Scones with Tart Lemon Glaze
These blueberry scones are melt-in-your-mouth tender and topped with a tart and sweet lemon glaze.
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off, plus more for dusting
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 heaping cup blueberries (see note)
- ⅔ cup heavy cream, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more, if necessary
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Glazing Before Cooking
- 1 large egg
For Tart Lemon Glaze
- 1 teaspoon butter, melted
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Add the pieces of cold butter. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within. Stir in the blueberries.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then add the cream mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the dough comes together. It will be a bit crumbly—that’s okay. If it’s too dry to come together, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more cream and mix again.
- Dust a work surface lightly with flour; put the dough on top. Dust the dough lightly with flour, then knead gently into a ball. Press the dough into a circle about ¾-inch high, then cut into 8 wedges. It’s okay if you slice through some of the blueberries.
- Place the unbaked scones onto the prepared baking sheet at least 1-inch apart. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and use it to brush the tops of the scones (you won’t use all of it). Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool. Slide the used parchment paper underneath the rack. (The parchment will catch any drips from the glaze).
- While the scones cool, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, and lemon juice and zest. When the scones are completely cool, drizzle the glaze over top. (Hint: if the glaze seems too stiff to drizzle, warm it in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.) Let the glaze set, then serve.
- Note: When making scones, try to handle the dough as little as possible—a light hand makes for light and tender scones.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The scone dough can be made, shaped, and refrigerated overnight, and then baked directly from the fridge as directed. To freeze the dough, place the raw scones on a baking sheet until they are solid, and then transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, remove the scones from the freezer while you preheat the oven. Cook as directed, but allow an extra few minutes of baking time.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1 scone
- Calories: 402
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Sugar: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 299 mg
- Cholesterol: 98 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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As usual like all other recipes from Jenn, this was also amazing. Very moist delicious scone with a burst of lemon punch with the lemon coating. Loved it. Thank you
I have made many scones recipes in the past and sadly, these did not turn out at all. The batter was gooey and the final product had no taste. I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure what went wrong.
These turned out great despite my forgetting to add blueberries before the cream mixture (used chocolate chips instead) and my less than reliable oven with its approximate temperatures. Good flavor and much more moist than what you would expect from a scone. Excellent recipe. Thanks, Jen!
I made these before and they turned out wonderful!
I am going to double the recipe and hope it works.
I’m not sure what went wrong, but these spread horribly for me, and the texture turned out more like a muffin top than a scone. It was more of a flattened, moist cake than a tender, buttery scone. I measured by scooping the flour with a spoon into the measuring cup and leveled-off and I even weighed my ingredients with a scale to double check since this was my first time using this recipe. I also placed the prepared scones in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking to chill it to prevent spreading as I do when I bake shortbread cookies. I have an oven thermometer to ensure that the oven temperature is accurate, so that wasn’t the issue. Albeit, it tasted delicious as a blueberry muffin, but I was expecting a scone. I’ll have to give it another try to see if I can figure out what went wrong. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I used King Arthur’s all purpose flour and Land O Lakes unsalted butter.
Hi Susan, I’m sorry you had a problem with these — it sounds like you did everything right, so that’s a bit of a head scratcher! You mentioned that they spread – is your baking powder very old or expired? If not, is there any chance you could’ve made a measuring error?
Hi Jenn
Love this recipe! If i were to make this (or any other scone recipe) eggless, can you suggest what substitute would work?
Glad you like them! Two of the best substitutes I’ve heard about (I haven’t personally tried either of them) are a combination of water, oil, and baking powder, and carbonated water. The Kitchn website has a great article that details a variety of substitutes they tried. For more information about their favorites, take a peek at that — once on The Kitchn site, search for “The Best Egg Substitutes for Any Recipe.” I would assume the scones would also work with some kind of store-bought egg substitute. Hope that helps!
In baking, 3 tbs of aquafaba = 1 egg. Aquafaba is the liquid in a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). I have a SIL with a severe allergy. I haven’t tried it with this recipe yet.
I just make this recipe and they are delicious!!! Thank you
I made these for my daughter and her roommates for finals week. They said they were the best scones they’ve ever had.
hi there!are you sure the flour grams are 250 and not 500?
since the recipe calls for 2 cups
Hi Christiana, When I weigh 1 cup of all-purpose flour, I get between 125 and 130 grams, so that’s why you see 250 as the amount of flour needed. Because I created the recipe with that amount of flour, I’d stick to that. Hope that clarifies!
I made these scones with 1 to 1 Gluten Free flour and they came out perfectly. My family is in love with these scones. Bravo – well done. *BTW we have froze a few / wrapped individually in parchment /airtight container after baking, cooled and glazed) once reheated they tasted freshly baked. Thank you for sharing this recipe!