In this post, I will teach you how to make light and fluffy lemon scones with white chocolate. This homemade lemon scone recipe produces delicious scones with tons of lemon flavor and drizzled with a sweet lemon glaze. The mini white chocolate chips caramelize just a little bit along the bottom and edges of the scone for a perfectly sweet crunch.
This lemon scone recipe is easy to make, delicious and perfect for your next Sunday morning get together in the backyard with friends. If you are looking for other delicious scone recipes, be sure to check out our Orange Scones or our Raspberry Lemonade Scones.
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❤️ What You'll Love About This Recipe
- this easy scone recipe comes together in no time at all and creates the softest scones with crispy, buttery edges
- these delicious lemon scones are perfect for an afternoon snack, an afternoon tea or a weekend brunch
- the combination of lemon and white chocolate is divine and these easy lemon scones are full of fresh lemon flavor
- our step by step instructions and images will guide you through baking homemade scones in no time at all
🍫 Ingredients
- heavy cream - adds moisture and flavor to the finished scone - also adds a nice shiny top to the scones.
- fresh lemon - you will use both fresh lemon zest and the lemon juice for this recipe - I used a two lemons when I created the recipe
- cold butter - the butter should be very cold for making scones - I prefer to freeze the butter for 30 minutes and then grate the butter directly into the dry ingredients using a box grater.
- cake flour - in this recipe, cake flour creates a super tender and fluffy scone. If you don't have cake flour, no worries. All-purpose flour works well too!
- mini white chocolate chips: mini white chocolate chips add tiny bits of sweetness throughout the scone. If you can't find the mini chips, regular white chocolate chips or chunks of white chocolate will work just fine.
🍋 Variations
Dark Chocolate Lemon Scones - omit the white chocolate chips and mix one cup of mini dark chocolate chips into the scone dough.
Lemon Blueberry Scones - omit the white chocolate chips (or leave them in!) and mix 1 cup of fresh blueberries into the scone dough .
🧈 Substitutions
Mini White Chocolate Chips - If you don't have mini white chocolate chips, you can use 4 ounces of white chocolate chips or 4 ounces of a chopped white chocolate bar.
Cake Flour - If you don't have cake flour, use 2 cups of all purpose flour in its place. For extra tender scones, also add 1 teaspoon of corn starch to the dry ingredients.
🥣 Instructions
Combine the eggs, lemon juice, heavy cream and vanilla in a measuring cup.
Grate the frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board and fold the dough over itself 3-4 times. Shape the dough in a 6 inch circle.
Arrange the wedges of scone dough on a quarter sheet pan and move to the freezer to chill for 30-45 minutes.
While the scones bake, prepare the lemon and white chocolate glazes. Once the scones have cooled, drizzle the scones with the lemon glaze and then the melted white chocolate.
Combine dry ingredients and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl.
Drizzle the combined liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until the dough just comes together. Gently fold in the mini white chocolate chips.
Cut the circle into 8 wedges.
Place desired number of scones onto a half sheet pan. Brush with heavy cream and bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes.
Serve lemon white chocolate scones with a warm mug of tea or coffee.
🤓 My Best Tips and Tricks for Making Delicious Scones
- Use Cold Ingredients: I can't emphasize this enough! You need cold butter, cold cream, cold eggs and cold vanilla. I even sometimes throw my flour combination into the freezer for a few minutes just to make sure everything is super cold. All of my scone recipes start with a stick of frozen butter that I grate into the dry ingredients.
- Don't Be Afraid to Mix the Dough: I've had good luck when I turn the dough onto a floured board when it has just about come together. Then I like to fold it over itself 4-5 times until all of the extra flour has been incorporated into the dough and the dough has an even consistency flecked with butter.
- Refrigerate or Freeze Your Dough Before Baking: Give your dough triangles a rest in the refrigerator or freezer for 20-30 minutes before baking.
📦 STORING SCONES
Store baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
Freezing Baked Scones
When freezing scones (baked or unbaked), it's important to make sure that the scones are separated by a layer of parchment paper so that they don't stick together. I like to use either a large airtight container or a heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Line your container or heavy-duty freezer bag with a piece of parchment paper.
- Arrange scones in a single layer in your container or freezer bag.
- Cover with parchment paper.
- Continue layering until all of your baked scones are in the container.
- Cover with one final layer of parchment paper. Store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Freezing Unbaked Scones
- Arrange the uncooked scones on a parchment lined sheet pan. Transfer to the freezer for 1-2 hours or until frozen solid.
- Line your container or heavy-duty freezer bag with a piece of parchment paper.
- Move the frozen, uncooked scones to your container or bag and arrange in a single layer.
- Cover the first layer with parchment paper.
- Continue layering until all of your unbaked scones are in the container.
- Cover with one final layer of parchment paper. Store in the freezer for 2-3 months. Bake scones directly from the freezer according to the baking instructions in the recipe.
🔥 Recipe FAQs
This is really personal preference. I prefer to freeze unbaked scones. Because scones are so delicious fresh and warm from the oven, I like having the option of baking as many fresh scones as I would like at a time. However, if I have already baked scones and I don't want to eat them all, I will absolutely freeze them baked and then refresh them in a warm oven when I am ready to enjoy a scone.
Bake scones in the upper ⅓ of your oven. This guarantees even baking and a gorgeous golden brown color all of your scones.
📖 Recipe
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Lemon White Chocolate Chip Scones
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons cake flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large lemons you will use one for the zest and the juice from both for this recipe
- ½ cup butter, frozen for 30 minutes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice use the juice from the lemon that you zested
- ½ cup mini white chocolate chips
For the Glaze
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice use the juice from the lemon that you zested
- 1 ¼ cups confectioner's sugar
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
For the Scones
- Move one stick of butter to the freezer to chill for 20-30 minutes.
- In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together egg, heavy cream, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and vanilla. Store in the refrigerator until needed.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Zest one lemon directly into the dry ingredients.
- Remove frozen butter from the freezer and use your cheese grater to grate the frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients.
- Use a pastry cutter or fork to work the butter into the flour mixture.
- Pour the heavy cream and eggs over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Add the mini white chocolate chips to the dough. Gently fold the chips into the dough. It's okay if they are not well combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and fold the dough over itself and then flatten it to incorporate the chips. Do this 4-5 times to be sure that the chips are evenly distributed throughout the dough. You want the dough to come together and look uniform with flecks of butter throughout.
- Form the dough into a 8-10 inch circle and use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles.
- Arrange on a quarter sheet pan and place scones into the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Arrange the chilled wedges of scone dough on a parchment lined, half sheet pan. Brush the scones with heavy cream and bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the scones are baking, make the lemon glaze.
For the Lemon Glaze and White Chocolate Drizzle
- Combine 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice with confectioner's sugar and whisk well to combine. Glaze can be used right away or frozen and used when you bake the scones.
- Place mini white chocolate chips in a small microwave bowl. Heat the chips for 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate is a good consistency for drizzling.
- Once the scones are finished baking, drizzle first with the lemon glaze and then with a drizzle of white chocolate.
Notes
Nutrition
Chelsea says
So good! I was tempted to just put coarse sugar on the top and not mess with the glaze and melted chocolate, I am so glad I didn’t. I do feel like the toppings really enhance the scones. If you love lemon you should definitely make these!
Amanda Smallwood says
Thanks so much for the feedback Chelsea! So happy that your scones came out yummy! xo Amanda
Dwight says
Nowhere, do you tell us to use the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in the scones?
Amanda Smallwood says
Hi! The two tablespoons of lemon juice should go in with the eggs and heavy cream! Thanks for the feedback. I’ll update the recipe asap. Amanda
Hoyee says
Hi there! I’m not sure if I’ve missed something reading the recipe (I did go through it a few times to check). I was wondering which step to add in the 2 tbsp of lemon for the scone part? Thanks so much!
Amanda Smallwood says
Hi Hoyee!!
Thank you so much for your message!!! You can grate the lemon zest directly into the dry ingredients. It’s the last part of step 1 in the instructions. Thanks so much!! Amanda