Lemon Scones with Blackberries

This recipe and photography was provided courtesy of local cookbook author and chef, Carla Snyder. Learn more about Carla and discover her recipes at Ravenouskitchen.com.

Once upon a time, I worked as a baker in a small bakery and I made these scones every day. Ladies would come in and buy 3 or 4 at a time, quizzing us on the ingredients. Did we use buttermilk (low fat) or heavy cream in the scones? “Oh, we use buttermilk,” we would say. They were so happy to indulge carefree in their little treat. They never asked about the 10 tablespoons of butter, so we didn’t bring it up. I still feel a little bad about that.

You definitely won’t feel bad about making and eating these buttery, flaky scones. They’re full of luscious blackberries, light and airy with an addictive tart glaze so good you can’t eat only one. Just ask the ladies.

Zesty tip: The trick to making light, flaky scones is not to overwork the dough. Rub the butter into the flour and then stir in the buttermilk just until it’s moistened fairly evenly. If you keep stirring until it’s uniformly wet, they will be dense, heavy and not nearly as delightful.

Lemon Scones with Blackberries

Start-to-Finish: 45 minutes
Hands-on Time: 20 minutes
Makes 12 scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Zest of one lemon plus 1 tablespoon juice
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
• 2/3 cup buttermilk plus 2 tablespoons for brushing the tops of the scones
• 12-oz fresh blackberries
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Method

1. Preheat an oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and zest to a mixer bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingers until it resembles fine meal.
3. Stir in the buttermilk and blackberries and mix just until combined. See the “zesty tip” above.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 mounds. Sprinkle the top of each mound with a little flour and gently pat each into a circle about 6-inches in diameter. Cut each disk into 6 wedges.
5. Transfer the scones to a parchment lined baking sheet, brush with the 2 tablespoons buttermilk and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool on a rack.
6. Mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Drizzle the icing over the warm scones adding more lemon juice or water if it’s gloppy and not drizzly. Serve warm or room temperature.
7. Make-Ahead: Eat these scones within a few hours of being baked for best flavor and texture. If you must make them ahead, allow them to cool and freeze them in freezer bags. Thaw at room temperature, or assemble the scones on a sheet pan, cover and freeze unbaked. Once frozen, transfer to zip lock bags and keep frozen until needed. Bake as directed adding 5 minutes to the baking time if baking frozen.

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