Description
These mini lemon scones are ready in just 30 minutes and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Balancing flaky and tender textures, they’re made with lemon juice, zest, and a splash of extract for an extra punch.
Ingredients
For the scones
- 3 Tablespoons lemon zest (about 3 large lemons)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
- 12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
- 480 grams (4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
- 12 grams (3 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 cup milk
For the glaze
- 2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 180 grams (1 ½ cups) powdered sugar
Instructions
Prepare the lemons
- Zest each lemon; set the zest aside. You should have about 3 Tablespoons of lemon zest.
- Once the lemons are zested, slice them in half and juice them, removing any seeds.
- Measure out the amount of lemon juice you'll need for these scones; save the rest for other recipes.
Prepare the butter
- Dice the cold butter into small pieces. See post for more information on how we dice our butter into small pieces.
- Place diced butter into a dish and transfer to the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Make the dough
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add cold cubed butter to the bowl and rub the butter between your fingers with the dry ingredients to form flat flakes of butter. Continue rubbing the butter and dry ingredients together until there are no more small cubes of butter.
- Measure out milk in a large measuring cup. Add lemon juice and lemon extract to the milk and stir.
- Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and use a fork to mix until just combined. The mixture may still be a bit crumbly - that's ok!
- Tip scone dough onto a lightly floured cutting board. Use your hands to quickly and gently bring the dough together. Cut the dough in half and place one piece to the side. Pat the other half of the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Work quickly here to avoid melting the butter with the heat from your hands! You want the butter to stay cold in order to create an airy, crumbly scone.
- Cut the dough into small rectangles. We cut in half lengthwise and then divide these halves into fourths using a chef’s knife or bench scraper. Cut each small rectangle diagonally creating two triangles from each rectangle.
- Place on a lined baking sheet (we recommend a silicon baking mat or parchment paper). Place each wedge right next to each other for a soft side scone or separate each wedge for a firmer side.
- Heat oven to 425°F.
- Place the scones in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or the freezer for at least 10 minutes before baking, while the oven preheats.
- Bake at 425° F for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before adding a lemon glaze (recipe below).
Make the lemon glaze
- Place powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl.
- Whisk in lemon juice a little at a time until you have a smooth glaze and have reached your desired consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over cooled scones and enjoy!
Notes
Why use lemon extract? After extensive testing, we found this combination of lemon juice, lemon zest, and a splash of lemon extract gives these scones the perfect lemon-forward flavor without compromising on texture. For a less lemon forward scone omit the lemon extract.
Additions and Substitutions. Add poppyseeds to the dry ingredients. Include some roasted, chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, pistachios) to the dough. Add minced, fresh ginger, fresh berries, cherries, or dried cranberries for a boost of flavor. For vegan scones, use cold coconut oil instead of butter and coconut milk or almond milk instead of dairy milk.
Adjust the size and shape. Make larger scones by cutting larger triangles. Use any size biscuit cutter for circles. Cut into squares instead of triangles. Make a drop scone - you may need to add an additional Tablespoon milk to the dough for a looser dough if making drop scones. If you adjust the size of the scones the baking time may need to be adjusted.
Adjust the amount of milk if necessary. If you measure your flour with a kitchen scale (by weight) the amount of milk in this recipe should be just about perfect. If you measure your flour with cups (by volume), you may need an extra Tablespoon or two of milk to help the dough come together. If it's especially humid outside you might need a tiny bit less milk than the recipe calls for - start with 3/4 cup milk and add a Tablespoon at a time as necessary.
Adjust consistency of glaze. Add more lemon juice for a thinner glaze, ideal for a light drizzle, or use less for a thicker glaze, perfect for a frosting-like layer.
To help promote a flaky texture, re-chill the butter by placing the sheet pan of scones in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, or the freezer for at least 10 minutes, before baking.
Storing and Freezing. The glaze will slowly soak into the scones over time, causing them to soften, so they’re best enjoyed on the day they’re baked. However, they will last for 1-2 days on the counter in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to 3 months. We don't recommend adding glaze or icing to scones you plan to freeze.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scone
- Calories: 133
- Sugar: 9.2 g
- Sodium: 24.9 mg
- Fat: 4.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.3 g
- Protein: 1.9 g
- Cholesterol: 12.1 mg
