Easy Glazed Lemon Scones

These homemade Lemon Scones are soft, moist, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor! A simple lemon glaze drizzled on top makes them extra scrumptious. And with my tips, they will turn out perfect every time!

I love baking scones, because unlike yeast breads, there is no kneading, and no rise time. Simply mix up the dough, cut them, and they are ready to bake!

Fresh lemon zest gives these scones a wonderful citrus flavor, and a creamy lemon glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness. We love them so much that I like to make a double batch and freeze half of them.

A bit of cream and an egg ensure that these scones will be soft and moist on the inside. If you don’t have heavy or whipping cream, you can use half and half cream in place of both the milk and the cream. But if you only use milk, the texture will not be as good.

To skip my tips and tricks and get to the printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of the post. 

HOW DO YOU MAKE LEMON SCONES FROM SCRATCH?

Ingredients needed:

• all purpose flour
• granulated sugar
• baking powder
• salt
• cold butter (I use salted butter. For best results it needs to be very cold or even frozen.)
• milk
• whipping cream (or heavy cream)
• large egg
• fresh lemon juice and lemon zest

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Grate in the cold butter. (It actually works great if it is frozen.) If you would prefer, you can cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or forks until it is about the size of peas.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, egg, lemon juice, and zest. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir gently just till flour is moistened. Make sure you use a light touch; if you overmix it your scones will be tough.
3. Use your hands to press the dough into a ball. Press into a 7-8″ circle on a floured surface.
4. Cut into 8 wedges, and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. I recommend using a silicone pan liner or  parchment paper.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While oven is preheating, place the pan of scones in the freezer or refrigerator. This ensures that the butter stays cold, which makes for more tender and flaky scones.
6. Bake at 400° for about 17 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Glaze while warm.

LEMON GLAZE FOR SCONES

All you need to make this simple glaze is powdered sugar, milk, and lemon zest. Just whisk all the ingredients together until smooth, adding enough milk to make a pourable consistency.

If you want a creamier, richer glaze, you can use cream instead of milk. But if you want a tangier glaze, you can substitute fresh lemon juice for the milk.  I’ve tried all three versions, and they are all great!

HOW TO STORE LEMON SCONES

You can store these breakfast scones at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I like to place waxed paper between layers.

To freeze them, first let them cool completely, then place them on a single layer on a baking dish or plate. Place in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour. Then remove them from the dish and place them in heavy duty ziplock bags. 

Flash freezing scones on a tray helps solidify the glaze so that it stays intact for longer storage. You can keep these lemon cream scones in the freezer for 3-4 months.

What is the secret to making good scones?

• Make sure your butter is cold. You want to have chunks of butter in the dough when you place the scones in the oven. As the scones bake, the butter releases steam, which makes the scones flaky and tender.
• Your baking powder needs to be fresh if you want soft and fluffy scones. If it is expired, you won’t get the rise you need. To test it, just add about a half teaspoon of baking powder to a couple tablespoons of water. If it bubbles, it’s good!
• Don’t overwork the dough! Unlike yeast breads, you don’t want to activate the gluten strands, so be very gentle with the dough.
• Avoid adding too much liquid. If you feel like you can’t get the dough to stick together, you can try adding a bit more cream, but you want barely enough liquid that you can form the dough into a ball. If the dough is too wet, the scones don’t hold their shape while baking.
• For the very best results, chill the scones on the pan before baking. First of all, it allows the gluten to rest, yielding a softer and more tender scone. Secondly, it ensures that the butter chunks in the dough are cold.
• Don’t over bake your scones. The edges should be just light brown. If you bake them till the edges are brown, they will be dry. It’s better to err on the side of underbaking. As long as the top middle of the scones is set, you can take them out.

LOVE LEMON? TRY THESE RECIPES:

• Lemon Drop Cakes
• Easy Lemon Pull Aparts
• Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Easy Lemon Pound Cake
• Lemon Brownies

MORE HOMEMADE SCONES:

• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Eggnog Scones
• Chocolate Chip Scones
• Pumpkin Scones
• Oatmeal Scones
• Raspberry White Chocolate Scones
• Maple Scones

LEMON SCONE RECIPE

With some simple ingredients and a few minutes of prep, you can have a batch of freezer-friendly lemon scones ready for breakfast, brunch, or company!