Some mornings require butter. Butter, sugar and blueberries. Today was one of those mornings.
It’s the end of the school year. Teachers are desperately trying to instill a few final fragments of knowledge and maintain control of students whose brains are already in vacation-mode. It’s a herculean task at best. Then there are the little end-of-the-year details to remember… What needs to get sent home? Has everything been signed by the parents? What needs to be packed for next years classroom? What certificates and trophies need to be purchased? Can we finish a Fathers Day craft before Friday? (Yes!) Whew! With all that going on, I thought lemon glazed blueberry scones might make our morning a bit easier.
This is Tyler Florence’s recipe for Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze. They are simple to put together in a small amount of time and taste fantastic! Perfect for a teacher to make in the morning before class. Perfect to make with the kids on a lazy summer morning when you have extra fruit! Either way, your day is going to be sweeter.
I’ve adapted this recipe before and used cranberries (and orange glaze), peaches, strawberries and blackberries, all with wonderful results. I just happened to have blueberries in the refrigerator this morning, so that’s what I used.
Be careful not to overwork the dough. You want light, flaky layers in the pastry and the more you work it, the more dense they will become. The dough might look like crumbs barely clinging together, but trust me, that’s what you want! Don’t skimp on the heavy cream either. It’s a necessary evil. Just like the butter.
This recipe only makes 8 scones, so you can have one (or two) for breakfast, share with a friend, or freeze a few for later! Or, you can be like me and take them to work for hungry teachers who are just trying to survive the last week of school! They will appreciate it and YOU for your generosity.
Lemon Glazed Blueberry Scones
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBLS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBLS sugar
5 TBLS unsalted butter, very cold, cut into pieces
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup heavy cream, plus 2 TBLS to brush the tops of the scones before baking
Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
1 TBLS butter
1 lemon, zest finely grated
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Use a pastry blender (or two forks) and cut the cold butter into the flour mixture, until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Very gently, fold in the blueberries. If you mash them accidentally, you’ll end up with blue colored scones!
Add the heavy cream and fold everything together until just incorporated. Do not overwork the dough!
Pour the dough out on a floured surface and gently pat into a rectangle approx. 12 x 3 x 1 1/2.
Cut the rectangle in half, then in 1/2 again. You should have four squares that are approx 4 x 3 inches. Cut each square on the diagonal (to give you that classic triangular scone shape)
Place scones on prepared cookie sheet about two inches apart.
Brush the tops of each scone with remaining 2 TBLS of heavy cream.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown in color.
Let the scones cool before glazing.
For the Glaze:
In a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, (aka in a double boiler) mix the lemon juice with the confectioners sugar until dissolved.
Whisk in the butter and lemon zest.
Continue whisking until smooth and the glaze coats the back of the spoon.
Drizzle glaze over the top of the scones.
Let set for a minute before serving
Notes
Try this with cranberries, peaches, strawberries, blackberries or blueberries! If you use cranberries, pair it with an Orange Glaze by swapping out the lemon juice and zest for orange juice and orange zest. Peaches and Strawberries are best with a straight sugar glaze. Use milk in place of the juice and omit the zest.
Here’s to a great summer, Foodie Friends! Enjoy!
