Baking the Goods

menu icon
subscribe
search icon
×

Published: · Updated: by

Raspberry Lemon Scones

Raspberry Lemon Scones by Baking The Goods
Raspberry Lemon Scones by Baking The Goods.

The zesty lemon and tart sweetness of the raspberries give these Raspberry Lemon Scones a burst of bright fresh flavor. They are warm and buttery with just the right amount of crumbly crust to tender interior. Then to finish the scones are topped with an easy drizzle of a lemon scented glaze for a softly sweet topper.

Jump to:

A few weeks back, my 7 and 10 year old neighbor buddies and I were supposed to get together and bake Raspberry Lemon Scones. I was really looking forward to it and I have a feeling those girls were just as excited as me. But, ya know, Covid-19 hit and instead of gathering in my kitchen to bake Raspberry Lemon Scones together, we have daily chats from across the street, that mostly consist of how we've kept busy and what we'd like to bake together when this is all over. 

Last weekend, my sweet neighbor turned 11. My heart aches for all of the kiddos who are stuck inside instead of out celebrating these important milestones. Even as adults it's hard to wrap your mind around all that has happened, and continues to happen day after day. But kids seem to have this resilient ability to adapt. From what I've seen through the eyes of my friends and neighbors, the kids are alright.

Who knows, maybe all of this could end up being a much bigger and more important life lesson than anything they could have learned in school over the course of a few months. This outbreak is bringing families together in ways that have gone by the wayside. I see posts of kids helping out in the kitchen, making their parents breakfast in bed. And hopefully soon, baking these Raspberry Lemon Scones. 

In recent years, I've noticed an uptick of kids interested in cooking and baking.

I don't remember any of my friends being remotely interested in cooking as kids. To me, and I think my generation on the whole, cooking was a chore. But now, kids are super into it! So many of my friend's kids are baking my recipes and sharing photos. It's been the most heartwarming feeling. I believe kids are highly capable in the kitchen when you give them the freedom to try. The cleanup afterward is another story but that's always the way it is. 

Since my neighbor girls and I weren't able to bake these Raspberry Lemon Scones together this time, I figured what better 11th birthday gift than a box full of these scones? So I got after it and started developing this simple scone recipe in honor of a special someone's big 11.

Making scone batter

Raspberry Lemon Scones ingredients
These scones only require a handful of simple ingredients and you don't even need a mixer to mix up these beauties. The bright sunny flavors of lemon and raspberry shine bright in these buttery babes.
whisking in lemon zest
I like to whisk the lemon zest right in with the dry ingredients. The flour absorbs the oils and keeps the zest from clumping together.
wet ingredients for scones
To mix the eggs, vanilla, milk and lemon juice, you just simple whisk them together before mixing them in with the dry ingredients.
Blending scone dough with a pastry cutter
If you have a pastry blender, you can use it to cut the butter in with the dry ingredients until pea sized chunks form. If not, use a fork, two butter knives or smoosh it between your fingers to mix it up.

Berry scones can be tricky as the berries are tender, moist and tend to bleed into the dough if you aren't extra careful.

I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to make your Raspberry Lemon Scones baking experience as smooth as possible.

Top tips for scones

  • First, I freeze the fresh raspberries so there is less of a chance of them turning to mush instantly when mixed in with the dough.  Alternatively, you could use frozen berries, which are just as good in this scenario.
  • The real key is to not over-mix the scone dough. Once the scone dough just comes together, you stop mixing and gently fold in the frozen berries.
  • To shape the Raspberry Lemon Scones, it's just a matter of gathering and patting the dough disks together, no kneading is needed.
  • Once they're shaped into the disks, I like the freeze them for at least 20 minutes before slicing them into wedges. This not only helps the raspberries from bleeding out into the Raspberry Lemon Scones but it also helps them keep their shape when they bake. 
Mixing scone ingredients
When adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, you want to add a little at a time and gently fold them together so you don't overwhelm the dough.
Adding raspberries scone dough
Then you will very gently fold the frozen raspberries into the scone dough.
Raspberry Lemon Scone dough
Raspberries are very delicate so use a soft touch when incorporating them into the dough.

Zesty lemon and tart sweetness of the raspberries give these Raspberry Lemon Scones a bright springy flavor.

At this point, we all need more of in our lives. They've got just the right amount of crumbly crust to tender interior, drizzled with a lightly lemon scented glaze. Pretty much the perfect comfort for these strange times when the sun is starting to shine but our world feels dark. 

These Raspberry Lemon Scones come together quick, with minimal effort.

Therefore, they are a great recipe to make with kids. You should know going in, things will get messy. There is no way around it. But isn't that half the fun anyway.  I hope you are all finding solace in the kitchen these days. I encourage you to brighten your day with a batch of these Raspberry Lemon Scones. You might even get lost in the craft of baking and forget about the global pandemic for a brief and blissful moment. 

Variations on the scone

I've got loads more on the recipe page in the scone section if you need some more scone inspiration. Here are a few of my favorites:

Also, check out Maple Oat Scones With Espresso Glaze by Displaced Housewife

Baking and icing the scones

Scone dough disks
As carefully as you can, gather the scone dough into 2 disks, roughly the same size. Transfer to a lined baking sheet to chill before slicing.
Raspberry Lemon Scones sliced and frozen
Once the dough disks have chilled in the freezer and firmed up, slice each disk into 6 wedges. Store them back in the freezer this way until you are ready to bake.
Raspberry Lemon Scones wedges
Once sliced and chilled, these cute little scone wedges are ready to hit that heat!
Raspberry Lemon Scones cooling
It's best to transfer the Raspberry Lemon Scones to a cooling rack right when they come out of the oven to prevent sogginess.
scone glaze ingredients
The glaze for these scones is a simple mix of sifted powdered sugar and lemon juice. That is it!
Whisking scone icing
Just whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until it runs off the whisk in a smooth ribbon like this!
Icing Raspberry Lemon Scones
Then you just drizzle that glaze right on to the Raspberry Lemon Scones for a tangy, sweet finish!
Raspberry Lemon Scones with lemon icing
Waiting for the lemon icing to set is the hardest part!
Plate of Raspberry Lemon Scones
But, if you only reach for one Raspberry Lemon Scone to start, keep the rest close by.
Raspberry Lemon Scones with sparkling lemonade
I suggest enjoying these Raspberry Lemon Scones two at a time with a side of sparkling lemonade.
Raspberry Lemon Scones from Baking The Goods
Raspberry Lemon Scones from Baking The Goods
2 Raspberry Lemon Scones
These Raspberry Lemon Scones really do brighten the day.

Recipe

Print

Recipe

clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Raspberry Lemon Scones by Baking The Goods

Raspberry Lemon Scones

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe
Save Recipe

Description

The zesty lemon and tart sweetness of the raspberries give these Raspberry Lemon Scones a bright fresh flavor. They've got just the right amount of crumbly crust to tender interior, drizzled with a lightly lemon scented glaze.

Ingredients

Units

RASPBERRY LEMON SCONES

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large lemon (- zested and juiced)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (- cold & cut into ¼" cubes)
  • ½ cup buttermilk or heavy cream
  • 2 large eggs (- at room temperature)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

LEMON GLAZE

  • 1 cup powdered sugar (- sifted)
  • reserved lemon juice from the scones

Instructions

  1. If using fresh raspberries, scatter them on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 20-30 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. 
  3. Add the cold butter, cut into ¼" cubes. Use either a pastry blender, the two butter knife method or squish the butter between your fingers to cut the butter into the dry ingredients, until butter pieces are the size of peas or large pearls. 
  4. Whisk the buttermilk or heavy cream, eggs, 2 tablespoons of the juice from the lemon and the vanilla together in a small bowl. Reserve the rest of the lemon juice for the icing.
  5. Then add two-thirds to the dry ingredients. Gently mix the dough just until it comes together, before adding remaining milk mixture; it should be a little rough and scrappy. Scrape the dough from sides and bottom of the bowl using a spatula and mix again to incorporate any floury scraps. Do not over-mix, there should be visible chunks of butter and flour.
  6. Add the frozen raspberries, as gently as possible, then use a spatula to carefully fold them into the dough. Try not to break them up too much, so the color doesn't bleed into the dough. This will also help them from becoming soggy.
  7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, it should come out of the bowl in mostly one piece. Gather and pat it a few times to get the dough to come together. Don’t knead the dough, you want it to be rough because this will give the scones depth in texture.
  8. Gently form dough into one 7”-8” disk for larger scones or two 3”-4” disks for smaller scones, about 1” thick. Gather the dough and pat it together, no need to knead. Because the berries are so delicate, I like to freeze the dough disks before slicing into them. Transfer the disks to a lined baking sheet and allow the dough disks to firm up in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Then use a sharp knife to cut each disk into 6 pie-shaped wedges and return to the freezer to chill more while the oven preheats.
  9. Preheat oven to 350°F. Once the oven is warm, place scones on baking sheets lined with Silpat mats or parchment paper, leaving 1”- 1.5” between the scones. 
  10. Bake in the middle of the oven, 30 to 35 minutes for large scones or 25 to 30 minutes for small scones. Rotate the pan(s) front to back and rotate racks, halfway through the baking time. The scones are ready when they turn a warm golden color. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool and prevent sogginess. 
  11. Sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons of remaining lemon juice and whisk until smooth. The glaze should run off of the whisk in a thick flowing ribbon. If the glaze is too thin, slowly whisk in more powdered sugar. If the glaze is too thick, slowly add more lemon juice or water.
  12. Once the scones have cooled down, drizzle the glaze over the scones. Allow the glaze to set up for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Notes

*Freezing the or chilling the scones before baking helps the dough relax for a more tender interior and allows the butter to firm back up for a more crumbly exterior. 

*Pre-baked scones can be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours or frozen 2-3 months.

*Bake frozen scones straight from the freezer, no need to defrost. You may need to bake a few additional minutes.

*Feel free to sub in any other berry in place of raspberries. 

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: scones
Raspberry Lemon Scones by Baking The Goods
Raspberry Lemon Scones recipe by Baking The Goods.

More Biscuit & Scones

Reader Interactions

Comments

No Comments

How'd my recipe work for you? Share your tips!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.