Lemon Blueberry Scones
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Lemon Blueberry Scones…the perfect breakfast treat! A simple scone, made with shortening rather than butter, and layered with bursting fresh blueberries and plenty of lemon zest. Then, brushed with milk and sprinkled with sparkling sugar for a wonderful sweet crunch on top. Every bite is flakey, summery, bright and flavorful, with just the right amount of blueberries and lemon! The best part? They’re so simple to make and oh so delicious. Truly perfect breakfast to make all summer long!
About The Recipe
If I’m being honest, one of my absolute favorite things to have for breakfast is a scone. It’s something we always had growing up. Whether it was chocolate chip, lemon poppy seed, or whatever else my mom could come up with. We always had some in the freezer!
So, with a plentiful amount of blueberries this summer, we’ve been really trying to make the most of them. It’s been a while since our last scone recipe, so we thought it might be fun to take these blueberries and…well, turn them into a scone!
Though, as a kid, I was never really a fan of blueberry scones. My mom didn’t make them and the ones I had were generally made with dried blueberries…but I loved my mom’s blueberry muffins! So, when we were talking about doing these scones, I admit, I was a little hesitant.
The first test bake was…not good. The fresh blueberries make ALL the difference in a scone, but we used a butter based scone as our base. There was just something in the combination of lemon and butter in the scone itself that made it taste…bitter? Burnt? Just kinda gross?
So, back to the drawing board. We talked about doing an oil-based scone, similar to our Lemon Crinkle cookies, but we couldn’t figure out how to get our flakey layers that way.
Which is how we landed on using shortening! We had some shortening leftover from the holiday’s and it seemed like the perfect substitute.
Turns out, it was! These scones came out flakey, perfectly sweet, and SO. GOOD.
Oh, and for the first time in my life, I actually like blueberry scones. I could eat the whole batch of these scones on my own! They’re so simple, but definitely a must-bake this summer.
Reasons You Will Love These Lemon Blueberry Scones
- There’s NO butter in this recipe!
- Super simple to make.
- Ready in 1 hour or LESS!
- The perfect use for fresh summer blueberries.
- A crowd pleaser.
- Great for breakfast, brunch, or even a quick snack!
Equipment Needed
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- Pastry Blender
- Rolling Pin
- Sheet Pans
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Vegetable Shortening
- Lemon Zest
- Heavy Cream
- Large Egg
- Blueberries
How To Make Lemon Blueberry Scones
Step 1: Make the dough
In a small bowl, whisk together cream and egg. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
Cut in shortening with a pastry blender to the size of small peas.
Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Fold in blueberries.
Step 2: Roll and cut
On a lightly floured piece of parchment, carefully roll out into 9 by 12 inch rectangle.
Cut the dough into 12 squares and place on lined sheet pan. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Bake
Brush the tops of the scones with cream and sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
How To Store
Once these scones have cooled, you can place them in a freezer safe bag, and freeze for 1-2 months!
Substitutions
- You can use frozen blueberries for this recipe.
- Instead of sparkling sugar, you can drizzle these scones with a vanilla icing after baking!
Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Lemon Blueberry Muffins, Coconut Scones, Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Blueberry Pop Tarts
Expert Tips
- 10 Tablespoons of vegetable shortening is equal to 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons.
- If you don’t have a pastry blender, you can use a fork to cut in the vegetable shortening!
- Be careful to not over-mix the dough.
- Remember to dry your blueberries! If you add them while they’re still wet, it will make the dough very sticky and hard to work with.
- Do not place more than 6 scones per pan! They tend to spread.
- Brushing with milk and topping with sparkling sugar is optional, but highly recommended!
- Every oven bakes differently. Keep an eye on the scones!
When you make these Lemon Blueberry Scones, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Lemon Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
Scones
- 2½ cups all purpose flour*
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 4 teaspoons lemon zest
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups fresh blueberries
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cream and egg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
- Cut in shortening with a pastry blender to the size of small peas.
- Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients.
- Stir just until combined.
- Fold in blueberries.
- Roll out into 9"x12" rectangle.
- Cut into 12 squares.
- Place on prepared baking sheets.
- Freeze for 20 minutes.
- Brush tops with cream.
- Sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
- Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
Notes + Tips!
- You can use frozen blueberries for this recipe.
- Instead of sparkling sugar, you can drizzle these scones with a vanilla icing after baking!
- 10 Tablespoons of vegetable shortening is equal to 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons.
- If you don’t have a pastry blender, you can use a fork to cut in the vegetable shortening!
- Be careful to not over-mix the dough.
- Remember to dry your blueberries! If you add them while they’re still wet, it will make the dough very sticky and hard to work with.
- Do not place more than 6 scones per pan! They tend to spread.
- Brushing with milk and topping with sparkling sugar is optional, but highly recommended!
- Every oven bakes differently. Keep an eye on the scones!
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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