Downton Abbey/Jane Austin fans, we are going to spend the afternoon with a bit of tea and scones! We developed this delicious Lemon Lavender Scones recipe for my mother and her friends who were having an afternoon tea! These were a huge hit with the gals and we are all still talking about them months later.
These scones are best served with a cup of tea and makes reading a book outside with the birds chirping a little extra special. Seriously, can’t you see yourself reading a classical book and snacking on one of these scones? Since they are so simple, you can whip these up after you order your culinary lavender!
So, if you are hosting a tea, bridal or baby shower, these will be a gorgeous addition to your tablescape. Don’t forget to make a batch to give to mom on Mother’s Day for an extra special treat. Fill a gorgeous basket with these, some nice tea and a new book for an unforgettable Mother’s Day Gift.
🍽️ Why This Recipe Works
Easy – We show you how easy it is to make scones on your own at home so there is no longer any intimidation to make these delicious homemade treats.
3 Ways to Make Them – You can make these with the scone pan for perfect triangular scones, cutting the scones with a biscuit cutter or using a drop style if you don’t have any of those tools in your kitchen yet. This recipe can be made with minimal special kitchen items.
🥣 What is Culinary Lavender
According to SFGate, there is no major difference between ornamental lavender and culinary lavender. But, there are some varieties that are better in cooking because they are sweeter.
We bought our culinary lavender online so I knew I was getting the right variety.
It has excellent reviews, so I knew I hit the jackpot with that purchase.
🍋 Ingredients
Scones are such a fun and pleasant way to start the day or enjoy a treat at brunch. Let’s talk about the main ingredients you will need to create your own batch.
Lemon: You will need some lemon zest (which you can make your own) for the scones as well as in the homemade lemon glaze. It is a fantastic ingredient that will give you some zesty flavor.
Culinary Lavender: I know I discussed this before, but it’s truly what takes these scones over the top!
Sugar: You will need regular granulated sugar for the scones. You will also use confectioners sugar for the glaze. Both provide a subtle sweetness that is perfect with the scones.
🥄 Instructions
I assure you, once you make a batch, you will no longer be intimidated by making them. I know we all hear “scones” and take a step back like there is some extra special magic that is needed to bake these. There really isn’t…so let’s get started!
Step One: Start with the cold butter and flour and mix with a pastry cutter or a slow setting on the stand mixer. Use the back of a fork in a pinch. I tried that years ago and it’s a huge pain and I didn’t like the results, but if you need to do it, it does work.
Step Two: Add flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest (this is the time to leave that out if you only want Lavender Scones), baking soda, lavender and salt in a bowl. Gently combine.
Step Three: Once you start mixing, look for the mixture to become little pebbles. These are little round pieces of butter that are mixed with the flour.
Step Four: In a separate bowl, add the eggs and milk and gently combine with the flour mixture. Just mix it until it forms the dough. You don’t want to over-mix.
Depending on how you plan to make the scones, follow the directions below for what method you plan to use.
🍽️ Using a Scone Pan
If you are using a scone pan, divide the dough into the individual pockets and cook at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Everyone’s oven differs, so always check at the earliest time. You don’t want them to burn. They should be a light golden brown.
🍴 Cutting the Scones
If you are cutting them, roll the dough into a big circle that is about ¾-1” thick and use a circular cookie cutter to cut them out. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush the top of them with an egg white mixture and then cook for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees.
🍽️ Drop Scone Method
If you are using the the drop scone method, you should have enough dough for 12 scones, so divide the dough evenly. Cook 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees.
After you remove them from the oven, allow them to cool and make the icing. Don’t apply the icing to warm scones or it will just melt right off of the scone and not stick.
🥘 Make the Icing
Combine the confectioner’s sugar, milk and lemon zest and mix well. Drizzle on top or dunk the tops in the icing. Allow it to harden and serve.
🥄 How to Make the Shapes/Alternatives
I swear by my scone pan, but don’t be afraid to use other methods to make your scones. If you choose to buy the scone pan, they last FOREVER. I have had mine for over 10 years and it looks brand new. Plus I love that they look so stinkin’ adorable. But, there are other options out there for you if you don’t want to spend the money.
- Freehand cut the dough into triangles. The dough should be about ¾” -1” thick. Use a kitchen knife to freehand cut the dough into triangles. If they are slightly “off” looking, dip them in more icing and look at that – they are now gorgeous!
- Use a biscuit cutter. Simply roll out the dough into about a ¾- 1 inch thick dough. Then using your biscuit cutter, tap it gently in a little flour and cut out circular scone shapes. I tap in flour about every second or third cut.
- “Drop scone” method. This works great and they look more like biscuits. Just drop some of the dough on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. They will look like a rustic biscuit, but taste like a scone. These are casual and don’t feel stuffy. They are an awesome option if you are in a hurry or you don’t have the pan or biscuit cutter. Everyone can make scones!
🥣 Expert Baking Tips and Tricks
There are a couple of tips to help you have the best scones when they come out of the oven.
Butter – Just like when you make biscuits, make sure that your butter remains very cold. For this tip, I prep my butter early and even cut it into very small pieces and then put it back in the refrigerator again. There is no residual heat left in the butter and it only takes a few minutes for it to cool off.
Don’t overwork the dough – You should mix it until it is completely combined, but then STOP. Mixing it longer will warm it up and it won’t be as fluffy.
Recipe FAQ
I love to serve plain softened butter with my scones, but you can also serve Lemon Curd. At my local Wegmans, it is found in the aisle with international goods and other special branded foods. Trader Joes sells it and I have seen it at Aldi too. Frankly, I order mine as I can’t handle the amount of time wasted driving around to find it.
Store these in a sealed container for 3-4 days. After that, they will get a little on the “iffy” side and I don’t want them to harden or mold. Remember, there is sugar mixed with milk in the icing that can become questionable if left out too long! I prefer to store them in the refrigerator for up to a week with no problem.
Absolutely! This is perfect! I freeze them on a sheet pan for 8-12 hours and then wrap them up 1-2 times in Press and Seal and then store them in a gallon freezer safe Ziploc bag. Keep these up to six months if you store them correctly. Take them out the night before and if needed, zap them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.
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Lemon Lavender Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups Flour
- ½ cup Butter there are two lines for butter – you need both
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Milk
- 2 tsp Culinary Lavender
Glaze
- ½ cup Confectioners Sugar
- ¼ tsp Lemon Zest
- ½ cup Milk
Egg Wash
- 1 Egg beaten
- 2 tbsp Water
Instructions
Make the Lemon Lavender Scones
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In bowl, add the flour and cold butter. Mix until it starts to form small pieces that resemble pebbles.
- Combine butter/flour mixture, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a bowl and combine.
- Add milk, eggs and lavender and mix to combine. Don't over mix as you still want the dough to have small pellets of butter in it.
- Add the dough to a scone pan or roll out the dough on the counter and cut out with a biscuit cutter. The dough should be about 1/2 inch – 3/4 inch thick.
Egg Wash
- Whip the egg with the water until frothy. Brush on the top of the scones before cooking.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. Always check at the earliest time to make sure they won't burn as each person's thickness of the dough and actual oven temperature will vary.
Make the Icing
- Combine the confectioners sugar, lemon zest and milk into a bowl and mix. Brush onto the scones.
Notes
Take them out the night before and zap them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Store these in a sealed container for 3-4 days. I prefer to store them in the refrigerator for up to a week with no problem. I love to serve with plain softened butter.
Nutrition
I have made scones successfully before. These came out as biscuits. Very disappointing.
Tara, if yours came out as biscuits we need to figure out what happened. 1. Did you make sure to use only very COLD butter? 2. When mixing the dry ingredients with the cold butter, did you only mix until there are small little pebbles? Over mixing will result in dry scones. 3. How did you measure your flour? If you scooped it out, you may have more dry ingredients instead of wet ingredients resulting in a dry scone. Spooning the flour into the measuring cup and then leveling out helps. 4. Check your oven temperature to make sure that it is calibrated correctly. 5. Always cook and check to the earliest time to cook all recipes. My consistently come out soft and not at all biscuit like. I hope some of these tips help and you try it out again. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Cheers! Ginny