Blackberry lemon scones are bakery worthy scones bursting with berries and topped with a tart lemon glaze. Hello breakfast!
Blackberry lemon scones might be the best scone combination ever, although don’t tell my Fresh Strawberry Scones or my Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Scones I said that 😉 There’s just something special about blackberries and lemon that brings out the best in each other.
blackberry lemon scones ingredient notes
cold butter and cream ~ I have experimented with making lower fat scones and they are not up to snuff. The fat is required to give them their characteristic flakey texture. In scone recipes, using butter creates a flaky, crumbly texture, while heavy cream results in a tender, moist scone. In this case I split the difference.
blackberries ~ supermarket blackberries are quite large these days, I always try to find the smallest ones I can. Slice large berries before adding to your scone dough. I par freeze them (pop them in the freezer first thing as you start together your ingredients) so they don’t get crushed in the scone dough.
lemon ~ the zest goes into the batter and then I’ll top my scones with a tart lemon glaze which means there’s plenty of zingy citrus flavor inside and out.
vanilla ~ it completes the flavor trio with its sweet warmth.
tips for making fresh fruit scones
Fresh fruit scones are some of my favorites, but there’s a slight learning curve to getting the juicy fruit bits into the crumbly scone batter evenly and without completely mashing them.
- If I’m using fresh berries I’ll throw them into the freezer first thing before I start. This firms them up a bit and helps keep their shape.
- Before bringing the scone dough together to form a disk, I’ll use a fork to toss the berries into the crumbly dough. This gets them dispersed without the squish factor.
- When forming the disk of dough I try not to over work it, keeping the berries from falling apart.
- I wrap my rough disk of dough in plastic and then sort of massage the dough into shape through the plastic. It’s a great trick!
- Fresh fruit scones like my blackberry lemon scones tend to bake up a little unevenly due to the moist clumps of fruit. That’s normal and part of their charm.
The glaze on these blackberry lemon scones is just fresh lemon juice mixed with powdered sugar, and it’s an intense pop of lemon flavor you don’t want to skip. Spoon it on and let it drip down the sides, then let it firm up before you dig in. The result is pure delicious.
love blackberries?
- Blackberry Buttermilk Cake
- Blackberry Slab Pie Bars
- Blackberry Pecan Bars
- Blackberry Sweet Rolls
- Blackberry Cobbler Bars
- Blackberry Moscato Slushies
Blackberry Lemon Scones
Equipment
- food processor optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder – make sure yours is fresh!
- zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp cold butter, cut in cubes
- 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus a bit more if needed to pull your dough together.
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup blackberries
lemon glaze
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Place your blackberries in the freezer to firm them up while you get started. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, or a large mixing bowl. Process or whisk to combine.
- Add the cubed butter and pulse about 15 times to create a sandy texture. If doing by hand, rub or cut the butter in until you no longer have any large lumps.
- Add the cream and vanilla and pulse or stir with a fork just until the dough is moistened. If your dough seems quite dry you can add a tablespoon more of cream.
- If you are using a food processor transfer your dough to a bowl at this point. Retrieve your berries from the freezer and slice them in half if they are large. Toss the cold berries into your crumbly dough with your fork.
- Bring the dough together with your hands and transfer to a floured surface. Form into a flat disk about 7-8 inches across. Try to get all the fruit incorporated and the dough to come together with the least handling possible.
- Wrap the disk securely with plastic wrap. Once wrapped I like to smooth out the disk of dough with my hands, massaging any rough spots through the plastic. Pop the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes while you clean up.
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Cut your disk into 6 wedges.* Place the scones on your lined baking sheet and pop it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
- Bake the scones (make sure your oven is preheated!) for about 18 minutes or until golden.
- Let cool before glazing.
lemon glaze
- Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until you have a smooth glaze. Make it thicker with a bit more sugar, or thinner with a bit more lemon juice. Spread generously over the cooled scones.
Loved this recipe and the technique using both the food processor and bowl and fork to avoid over processing the dough. Please indicate when the vanilla should be added in your cooking instructions. Thank you!
Vanilla goes in with the cream, and thanks so much Noreen!
noticed that the vanilla bean paste in the ingredient list is not mentioned in the directios.