Lemon Scones with Fresh Lemon Glaze

hand reaching for a lemon white chocolate chip scone

5 from 9 votes

Lemon Scones with Fresh Lemon Glaze

These easy lemon scones are soft and tender inside, with crisp, golden edges and a bright lemon glaze on top. Made with cake flour and frozen, grated butter for the most tender, flaky scones every time.

Prep Time45

Cook Time18

Course: Breakfast

Servings: Scones

Calories: 425kcal

Author: Amanda Smallwood

Ingredients

For the Scones

2 cups + 2 tablespoons (245g) cake flour
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons (10g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
½ cup unsalted butter frozen for 30 minutes
½ cup heavy cream cold
1 large egg cold
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup mini white chocolate chips optional but delicious

For the Glaze

1 ¼ cups confectioner's sugar
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the White Chocolate Drizzle (optional)

¼ cup white chocolate chips, melted

Instructions

For the Scones

Move one stick of butter to the freezer to chill for 20-30 minutes.
½ cup unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together egg, heavy cream, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and vanilla. Store in the refrigerator until needed.
½ cup heavy cream, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Zest one lemon directly into the dry ingredients.
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (245g) cake flour, ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, 2 ½ teaspoons (10g) baking powder, ½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
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 liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Add the mini white chocolate chips (if using) to the dough. Gently fold the chips into the dough. It's okay if they are not well combined.
½ cup mini white chocolate chips
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 6-8 inch circle. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles.
Arrange the wedges of dough on a quarter sheet pan. Place scone dough into the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
Arrange the chilled wedges of scone dough on a parchment lined, half sheet pan. Brush the scones with heavy cream.
Bake scones 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 the confectioner’s sugar and whisk well to combine. Glaze can be used right away or frozen and used when you bake the scones.
1 ¼ cups confectioner's sugar, 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the White Chocolate Drizzle (optional)

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.
¼ cup white chocolate chips, melted

Glazing the Scones

Once the scones are finished baking, drizzle first with the lemon glaze and then with a drizzle of white chocolate.

Notes

Cake Flour Substitution - Cake flour produces really light and tender scones. If you don't have cake flour on hand, you can substitute with 2 cups of all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon of cornstarch.

Freezing Unbaked Scones - After cutting the dough into wedges, freeze the unbaked scones on a parchment-lined sheet pan until solid. Then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container. Bake straight from the freezer at 400°F and add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time. No need to thaw the dough.

Make Ahead for Brunch - Mix and shape the scones the night before. Freeze the cut wedges on a parchment-lined sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. In the morning, brush with heavy cream and bake straight from the freezer at 400°F for 22 to 25 minutes.

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