Meyer Lemon Scones

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There is nothing better than warm-from-the-oven scones on a weekend morning. I have been wanting to make some Meyer lemon scones for a while now, but I hadn’t been able to find Meyer lemons anywhere.

I had looked in several grocery stores while trying to find these lemons. Finally, on my latest grocery trip, I spotted one little bag left. I snatched it up, so excited to start baking with these little guys.

With my bag of Meyer lemons in hand, I went searching for a recipe, but found that many of the recipes called for blueberries or cranberries to be added to the dough. I wanted a pure and simple Meyer lemon scone so I could taste the delicious flavor of the Meyer lemons. Remembering how much I loved the Irish Scones I made a while back, I adapted the recipe to make them into Meyer lemon scones.

They turned out incredible! Light, fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Let me tell you, this is the best Meyer lemon scones recipe. You will not want to have Meyer lemons any other way. This quick Meyer lemon scones recipe is going to join your regular weekend breakfast recipes and become a favorite.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Bright. Light. Summer on a plate. Need I say more about how these taste?
They are family friendly Meyer lemon scones, with no odd ingredients that could make picky eaters refuse these.
Super simple ingredient list. Really, the Meyer lemons are the only ingredient that you may have to search for. Everything else is either already at your home or easy to find at the store.
You can make these ahead of time and freeze them!

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Grated Meyer lemon zest: Wash the peels carefully, and gently scrub them with a fruit and vegetable brush. You won’t use the juice in this recipe, but you can juice the remaining lemon halves and freeze the juice in an ice cube tray.

Unsalted butter: Salted butter could make the final product taste, well, salty. That’s not what you want here. Stick with unsalted to keep control over the flavor. A healthy Meyer lemon scones version will avoid excess saltiness.

Baking powder: This combination of baking soda and cream of tartar (and sometimes cornstarch) helps the scones rise up during baking. Without it, the scones will be rather flat, rather than light.

Heavy cream: This provides the fat and liquid needed to blend the ingredients and make the scones tender. If you don’t have heavy cream, you could use evaporated milk, but the scones won’t be as soft and light. Evaporated milk doesn’t have the same amount of fat as heavy cream does.

How to Make It

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in the oven to warm it up.

Step 2. Sift together the dry ingredients, except the zest, into a mixing bowl. Work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture just holds together.

Step 3. Mix the heavy cream and zest. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the heavy cream. Blend everything together with a rubber spatula to form a soft, sticky ball. (Using the spatula saves you from dough-monster hands.) Add a little more heavy cream (no more than 1/4 cup) if needed, but don’t overwork the dough. That makes the scones tougher and chewier.

Step 4. Flour a rolling pin so that it doesn’t stick to the dough. Roll out the dough. Dip a 2-inch biscuit cutter in flour and cut out scones. Pat the remaining dough into another square and continue to cut 2-inch rounds to use up all the dough.

Step 5. Arrange the scones 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet. That room allows hot air to circulate between the scones and ensure everything bakes well. After about eight minutes, flip over the scones and bake for another 4 minutes to ensure both sides bake well. The scones should be barely, barely brown when done.

Tips for Success

Don’t skip the flouring step for the rolling pin and cutters. The dough will be slightly sticky and can stick to these tools, which can ruin the shape of the scones. This simple Meyer lemon scones meal doesn’t have to look perfect, but it’s always nicer the neater it does look.

Storage & Reheating

You can freeze baked scones once they’ve cooled, so go ahead and bake up a bunch and store some for later. They need to cool so that they don’t create condensation in their freezer wrappers, which can make the thawed scone soggy. Wrap each scone in plastic wrap and an outer layer of foil and store in a freezer bag. Use them within three months or so. To reheat, place them on a baking sheet (remember to remove the plastic wrap!) and bake at 350F for five to eight minutes. Start checking them at five minutes to ensure they don’t burn.

Serving Suggestions

If you want traditional scone accompaniments, try clotted cream or preserves or jam. Flavors like raspberry and strawberry go well with lemon. And yes, if you have blueberry preserves, you can serve those with the scones, too! Try serving these at parties with an assortment of other scones, such as these Lemon-Poppy Seed Scones. For homemade Meyer lemon scones ideas include serving with other lemon cakes, too.

FAQs

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yep! Roll out and cut out the scones and place them on a baking sheet that fits in your freezer. Let them freeze for about 30 minutes, and then wrap each in plastic wrap and an outer layer of foil. Store in a freezer bag. When ready to bake them, remove the plastic wrap and bake from frozen.

Notes

Dating back to ancient China, Meyer lemons are a hybrid cross between lemons and possibly tangerines or mandarin oranges. They were brought to the U.S. by Frank Meyer, who worked for the USDA at the beginning of the 1900s. Their peels can have a more orange or golden hue, and the lemons themselves are a little less sour than “regular” lemons. In fact, they can often seem not just less sour, but actually sweeter, although you can’t eat them out of hand like you can an orange. Meyer lemons are also smaller than regular lemons. These easy Meyer lemon scones for beginners are a good first recipe for cooking with these lemons.

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Meyer Lemon Scones

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Meyer Lemon Scones

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

Servings: 2-inch scones

Meyer lemons are thought to be a cross between lemons and possibly tangerines or mandarin oranges. Light, fluffy and melt in your mouth tender.

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Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated meyer lemon zest, from about 3 lemons
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place a parchment paper lined baking sheet in the oven.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture just holds together.
Mix 1/2 cup heavy cream and finely grated lemon peel in glass measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour the heavy cream. Working quickly, blend ingredients together with a rubber spatula into a soft, slightly wet, sticky ball. Add more heavy cream (up to ¼ cup) if needed to reach desired consistency. (do not overwork the dough or scones will be tough)
Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1-inch thick square. Dip a 2-inch biscuit cutter in flour and cut out the individual scones. Push scraps of dough together so that edges join; firmly pinch edges with fingertips to make a partial seal. Pat this remaining dough to 1-inch thick square and continue to cut 2-inch rounds. Repeat as necessary.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and arrange the scones 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes, remove from oven and flip over the scones, return to oven and bake another 4 minutes or until just barely brown. Serve immediately.