Lemon Poppy Seed Scones (Print Version)
Tender scones bursting with lemon zest and poppy seeds, finished with a tangy-sweet lemon glaze.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 tbsp poppy seeds
04 - 1 tbsp lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
05 - 2 tsp baking powder
06 - 1/4 tsp baking soda
07 - 1/2 tsp salt
→ Wet Ingredients
08 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
09 - 2/3 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
10 - 1 large egg
11 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
12 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
→ Glaze
13 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
14 - 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, poppy seeds, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - Add cold cubed butter to the flour mixture. Cut in using a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together heavy cream, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until combined.
05 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula just until dough comes together; do not overmix.
06 - Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Pat into a 7-inch circle, about 1 inch thick.
07 - Cut circle into 8 equal wedges. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
08 - Brush tops with additional heavy cream. Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden brown. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar with lemon juice until smooth and pourable. Add more juice if needed to reach drizzling consistency.
10 - Drizzle glaze generously over cooled scones. Allow glaze to set for 5 minutes before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The glaze sets perfectly while staying soft underneath, unlike some recipes that turn into a hard sugar shell
- These freeze beautifully and reheat in the oven like they were freshly baked
02 -
- Overworking the dough makes tough scones so stop mixing as soon as it holds together
- If your butter starts melting while you cut it in pop the bowl in the fridge for ten minutes
03 -
- Grate your lemon zest before juicing the lemons, it is much harder to zest a squeezed lemon
- Room temperature cream mixes more easily than cold, but keep everything else as cold as possible