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While I love a warm, comforting treat to kickstart the day, I rarely have the patience for complicated baking projects before my first cup of coffee. That is exactly why I fell in love with making these easy, homemade lemon blueberry cream scones.
Unlike traditional scones that can sometimes turn out dry, dense, or complicated, this recipe uses a heavy cream shortcut. The cream provides all the fat and moisture you need in one simple pour. It makes the dough incredibly forgiving and fast to mix up.
Table of Contents
- What are Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones?
- Key Takeaways
- Ingredient Notes
- How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones
- Pro Tips for the Best Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones
- Variations and Substitutions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What to Serve with Scones
- Storage and Reheating
- More Easy Breakfast Recipes
- Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones Recipe
What are Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones?
Lemon blueberry cream scones are soft, tender pastry triangles bursting with fresh fruit and bright citrus flavor. These are made with heavy cream instead of butter; they have a moist, cake-like interior and a beautifully golden crust.
Key Takeaways
- Easy to make and ready in less than 40 minutes.
- No butter-cutting required with this simple cream method.
- Easy to make with pantry-style ingredients!
- Make them gluten-free with gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Perfect for meal prep, make a batch to enjoy throughout the week.
Ingredient Notes
Large Lemons: Use 2 large lemons to get enough fresh zest for the dough and juice for the glaze.
Granulated Sugar: Just a small amount complements the natural sweetness of the berries.
All-Purpose Flour: The flour forms the structure of the scones; measure it carefully before adding to your batter.
Baking Powder: Provides the necessary lift to make your pastries light and fluffy.
Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the bright citrus tones.
Blueberries: Fresh blueberries work beautifully, but frozen blueberries work just as well too.
Heavy Cream: This is the secret shortcut to skipping the butter.
Powdered Sugar: The smooth, sweet base for your quick drizzle glaze.
Fresh Lemon Juice: Whisked into the powdered sugar to give it a tart punch.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Zest the lemons and place the zest in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the granulated sugar and rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant and well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Add 1 cup of heavy cream and stir gently until the dough starts coming together. Add additional cream a tablespoon at a time if needed. The dough should be soft and hold together without being sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it a few times until it forms a ball.
- Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and gently press it into a circle about 1½ inches thick.
- Cut the dough into 8 wedges and carefully separate them slightly so there is space between each scone.
- Bake for 17–20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown.
- While the scones cool slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar and enough fresh lemon juice to make a thin glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over the warm scones and serve warm or at room temperature.
Pro Tips for the Best Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones
- Keep your heavy cream cold and in the fridge until the exact moment that you’re ready to use it. This will help the dough stay intact.
- Do not overmix, just lightly mix, if you overmix it will make the dough dense.
- Prevent the berries from bleeding by keeping them cold and, if needed, tossing them in a tablespoon of flour first. These should be folded in to prevent them from bursting.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the wedges; this will allow you to get a clean cut the first time.
- Brush the tops lightly with cream before baking for a bakery-style finish.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make them gluten-free with a 1:1 high quality gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Add raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries instead of blueberries.
- Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar right before baking for a sweet, crunchy exterior.
Frequently Asked Questions
These can be shaped and cut into wedges, then stored in the fridge until you are ready to bake them. It’s best to cover them tightly with plastic wrap. Remember to remove the wrap before baking. In the morning, bake straight from the refrigerator per the instructions in the recipe card.
Dry scones can either be from adding too much flour or overmixing.
Fresh lemon juice will have the best flavor, but bottled lemon juice does work in a pinch.
Heavy cream is essential for this recipe to work correctly due to its fat content. This recipe does not use butter and uses cream as the base, so it’s a must.
What to Serve with Scones
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator
Store the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer
Wrap unglazed, fully cooled scones in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe storage bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to reheat, defrost for 1-2 hours and then reheat at 350°F for 5-7 minutes.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
Homemade Bread
Cinnamon Bundt Cake
From Scratch Recipes
Best Fried Chocolate Glazed Donuts (Classic Yeast Recipe)
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Gingerbread Coffee Cake
These easy lemon blueberry cream scones prove that with just a few easy shortcuts like replacing the butter with cream, you can serve up a tasty breakfast pastry in less than an hour. Grab a bowl and let the kids help to make the best pastry to pair with your morning coffee.
Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones
Ingredients
- 2 large lemons
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 to 1¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Zest the lemons and place the zest in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the granulated sugar and rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant and well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Add 1 cup of heavy cream and stir gently until the dough starts coming together. Add additional cream a tablespoon at a time if needed. The dough should be soft and hold together without being sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it a few times until it forms a ball.
- Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and gently press it into a circle about 1½ inches thick.
- Cut the dough into 8 wedges and carefully separate them slightly so there is space between each scone.
- Bake for 17–20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown.
- While the scones cool slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar and enough fresh lemon juice to make a thin glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over the warm scones and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Fresh blueberries work beautifully, but frozen blueberries can be used straight from the freezer without thawing.
- Be careful not to overwork the dough or the scones can become dense instead of light and tender.
- Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar helps release the natural oils and gives the scones even more lemon flavor.
- If the dough feels too dry, add a little more cream one tablespoon at a time.
- These scones are delicious on their own, but they’re extra special served with homemade whipped cream or chantilly cream.
- For a bakery-style look, brush the tops lightly with cream before baking.
- Leftover scones store well covered at room temperature for up to 2 days and can be reheated briefly before serving.
