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bite shot of mixed berry scone with glaze and lemon zest

Mixed Berry Buttermilk Scones with Lemon Glaze


Description

These mixed berry buttermilk scones are packed with the best berries, plenty of butter, tangy buttermilk, lots of lemon zest, and glazed with a bright, punchy lemon glaze. 


Ingredients

Units Scale

Scones:

dry mixture:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder (I use aluminum-free baking powder)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 sticks butter (12 tablespoons or 6 ounces) diced into very small cubes and kept very cold

berries:

  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 1/2 cup diced strawberries

wet mixture:

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • zest and juice from one lemon
  • seeds from 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg

Glaze:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • seeds from 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • zest and juice from 1 lemon
  • 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk (start with one and add the 2nd if you need)

Instructions

  1. Whisk the wet ingredients in a large, spouted measuring cup and set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. With a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Keep going until the mixture resembles very coarse crumbs - some will be pea sized and some will be smaller.
  3. Add berries to flour mixture and toss gently to evenly disperse
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture slowly while gently stirring the dry ingredients with a fork just until it comes together. It's ok if there are a few dryer patches of dough, but if you have a lot of dry flour, add a bit more buttermilk about a tablespoon at a time as you keep stirring until you have a mostly moist, cohesive dough. Just be careful as the berries will naturally add moisture as you fold the dough and shape the scones.
  5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough square. Cut dough in half and stack one half on top of the other. Press back into a rough square. Repeat this process two more times adding a light dusting of flour as needed to prevent stickiness. The stacking process creates perfect, flaky layers. I do this same trick when I make biscuits *A bench scraper is incredibly useful for the cutting and stacking, also for transferring the scones to the baking tray. If you make a lot of biscuits, bread, or scones, I urge you to get one.
  6. Use your hands or a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about an inch and a half thick.
  7. Use a biscuit cutter to cut scones, stacking and patting the dough scraps back down as needed until all dough has been used - it will get a bit sticky as you re-shape but don't worry, just use flour to help. I was able to get exactly 12 using a 3 inch biscuit cutter but you can use any size you like. Use a tiny one to make cute little petite scones. Alternatively you can cut the rectangle into 12 even square-ish pieces or feel free to make more traditional triangular scones. 
  8. Place cut scones onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 1.5-2 inches apart. I was able to get all 12 of mine onto a standard half sheet pan. They don't spread much, but they do rise.
  9. Place pan in freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking. This is a trick I've learned from several scone-making experts, and it really makes a difference. It just helps the flour hydrate and the butter chill back down which results in the fluffiest, flakiest scones.
  10. MAKE AHEAD TIP: You can leave that tray in the freezer all night and bake yourself some fresh scones the next day. Or you can freeze them, transfer to plastic bags or a freezer-safe container and have scones anytime your heart desires.
  11. When you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  12. Bake scones for 25 minutes until tops are golden brown and dough is cooked through. If baking from overnight frozen, you'll want to add about 5 extra minutes. I like to cover mine loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking so they don't get too brown on top.
  13. While scones are baking, make the glaze by combining all glaze ingredients in a bowl or spouted measuring cup. Whisk to combine. You should have a not too thick, not too thin, pourable consistency that won't all just slither off the scones. I describe it as the consistency of cool honey. If it is too thin add more powdered sugar, too thick add a tiny bit more lemon juice or buttermilk.
  14. Allow to cool completely before topping with glaze and extra lemon zest if desired. 

Notes

MAKE AHEAD: In step 10 - You can leave the tray in the freezer all night and bake yourself some fresh scones the next day. Or, you can freeze them until solid, transfer to plastic bags or a freezer-safe container and have scones anytime your heart desires. Yep, pretty cool.

Kefir makes a great buttermilk substitute.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes plus freezing
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: scones, baking, Mother's Day
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: scones, berry scones, mixed berry buttermilk scones, scone recipe