This is one of my favorite scone recipes. Besides my love of jadite, I am also passionate about tea ware, particularly Royal Albert bone china. Shawn and I enjoy hosting a variety of functions at our house, by far my favorite event to host are our afternoon teas. There is just something about afternoon tea that I love, it is both elegant and over the top, the perfect combination of grace with room for a bit of whimsy. While scones are traditionally served as the first course of afternoon tea, these scones are also perfect for breakfast, desert, or a late-night snack. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors in baked goods, and the tart lemon flavor is deliciously complimented by the sweet blueberries.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 5 tablespoons cold butter
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups of half & half
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter (dough blender) or two forks, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Gently, fold in the blueberries. This coats the blueberries with the flour/butter crumbs and helps them from sticking together. Combine the vanilla and half & half and then fold into the mixture.
Fold until a soft dough forms. Then transfer to a floured work surface and knead a few times until a dough becomes shapable. Should take 3-5 kneads. Gently press the dough into an 8″ circle. Then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Cut the dough into 8 equal segments, a large chef knife or pizza cutter works well for this. Do not separate the sections, the scones will bake as a circle and sections will be separated once the scones are done baking. Baking scones in this manner keeps the scones moist. Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the scones are a slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer individual scones to a wire rack to cool.
Optional glaze: Once the scones are cooled, if you want to add a bit more lemon flavor you can glaze them with a simple lemon glaze. To make combine 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (break out the jadite reamer). Add the lemon juice until the glaze reaches the desired thickness and flavor. I like a lot of lemon so I do the full 3 tablespoons. Spoon the glaze over the cooled scones and enjoy.
