Meyer Lemon Mascarpone Scones
Light and fluffy scones, enriched with creamy mascarpone cheese and spiked with bright Meyer lemon.
This can be a tough time of year for a dessert blogger.
Everyone's all into their New Year's resolutions, their fitness, their detox cleanses. At the very least, we're sick to death of fatty, sweet carbs. Myself included!
But for some reason, breakfast seems to be the last holdout for the sweet tooth. Maybe because we can justify it in our minds, that we need the carbs to power us through our high-intensity workouts.
Whatever the case may be, these scones are worth the extra 10 minutes on the treadmill. They are light as air, but with that melt-on-your-tongue creaminess only mascarpone can offer. And the mouth-puckering tartness from the Meyer lemons cuts right through it all, with a clean brightness that somehow feels virtuous.
If you aren't familiar with Meyer lemons, they are a hybrid between a lemon and a mandarin orange.
So, they have the look of a lemon...
But they are less sour. The flavor is a little more floral, and a little sweeter. You may never wish to bite into the flesh of a fresh lemon, but a Meyer lemon is much more palatable.
These scones utilize both the zest and the flesh of the fruit. You'll just want to cut away the bitter pith.
The less you handle the scone dough, the better. Much like pie crust, a scone should go into a hot oven, and the dough should be as cold as possible. It will look very lumpy.
A fat pinch of clear sparkling sugar gives them some added sweetness and crunch, and makes for an elegant adornment.
Meyer lemons are at the peak of their season right now, so be sure to snatch them up when you see them at your local market. You are going to love the way their bright flavor plays against the rich butteriness of the creamy mascarpone cheese.
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Ingredients
- 3 Meyer lemons
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar,, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (56.25 g) mascarpone cheese,, cold
- 4 tablespoons (59.15 g) unsalted butter, (half a stick), cold
- ½ cup (118.29 ml) milk, (I used lowfat)
- clear sparkling sugar, , for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Zest 2 of the lemons and set the zest aside.
- Cut the remaining peel and pith away from the lemons, and dice the flesh into ¼” pieces.
- Place in a small bowl, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, stir to coat, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, salt, and reserved lemon zest, and stir to combine.
- Cut in the mascarpone and butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add the lemons and milk, and stir until just barely combined.
- Gather the dough into a ball, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and press to a thickness of about 1 inch.
- Cut the scones into 6 equal wedges, and space them approx. 1 inch apart.
- Sprinkle with clear sparkling sugar.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until slightly golden on the tops and around the edges.
Hmm, my Meyers were much more juicy than yours, the flesh just fell apart. So I had to reduce the milk a lot and still did not get the right consistency to the dough. And did you include the membranes around the sections? they were annoying to chew and bitter too. Not sweet enough. I put a glaze on top to try and sweeten them. Pretty pictures, but poor eating.
Sorry to hear you were disappointed! I did not include the membranes, I find them a bit unpleasant so I always like to supreme the citrus so you only get the flesh.
Maybe you can indicate what is supreme the citrus and how to do it in your instructions?
Adrienne: I just googled "how to supreme citrus," and came up with this useful video tutorial. Let me know if you find it to be helpful 😉
Thanks! Helpful! I will have to try using this method.
Delicious! Just made them. I happened upon your blog today looking for a recipe to use up some lemons & mascarpone cheese. When I clicked on your very pretty photos for this and decided to give it a go...I lingered for awhile staring at the pictures because those are some of my favorite color combinations and the day itself is sunny yellow and the skies are beautiful blue (normally smog) all inspiring and cheerful...and, so...yes, back to recipe...
I've never baked a scone before (nor eaten one to my recollection) and I was surprised how easy they were to make..who knew? 🙂 I even had some Earl Grey tea and felt "veddy British". I didn't have sparkle sugar but used some of the fresh lemon juice and confectioner's sugar for a drizzle glaze over them (oh, and regular lemons but not all the flesh, but the juice)...and, cut them into 8 wedges and kept an eye on them to not overbake/burn and they came out great! Will these be able to freeze well 'cause I might eat 'em all. 😉
Hey Tammy! I'm so glad you stopped by and thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe! I feel like that's the case with baking a lot of the time- stuff sounds so complicated but when you really get down to it it's pretty straightforward. I think you should be able to freeze these with no problem 🙂 Enjoy!
OMG Allie, these look so delicious! I LOVE lemon, don't know if I can find mascarpone, but I will definitely go looking for it. 🙂
Aw, thanks Lisa! I hope you find mascarpone, it's so silky and creamy and rich. I get it in little tubs in the cheese section of my local Giant. Good luck, and thanks for reading!
Oh, you had me at scones! These look wonderfully fresh!
I know, aren't scones the best? I love them with tea or coffee. These were especially good with tea because of the sweet lemon. Thanks, Erika!
These look really delish! And your photography is stunning! Thanks for linking to the Weekend re-Treat Link Party! xo, S.
Thanks so much, Shannon! And thanks for stopping by. It's my pleasure to link up! Thank you for hosting 😉
I am sure these are delicious! As are your photos! I love the way you styled these. 🙂
Aw, thanks Tiffany! It's kinda hard to style something so... pale. So I'm glad you think I did a good job! Thanks for reading and for the great feedback 😉
I just bought a bag of Meyer lemons yesterday with plans to find a delicious recipe to use them. These scones win! The combination of sweet Meyer lemon with mascarpone sounds wonderful! Thanks!
My pleasure, Wendy! I hope you enjoy the scones. Thanks so much for visiting! 🙂
This is just such a BRILLIANT idea!!!!! 🙂 I loveeeee scones and adding the tartness of meyer lemons... I can only imagine how wonderful they'll taste!!!!!! A warm cup of tea and these scrummmmmmy scones ..what more can I ask for!!!!! *-* ^_^
Thanks, Samina! I love tart lemon at this time of year. Somehow it just makes the winter gloom seem sunnier! I'm so happy you like too 😉
These scones are seriously so delightful! I could eat one for breakfast every morning!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Jocelyn! I'm so happy you like the scones. It's so nice to nibble on something sunshiney when it's so bitter cold out! 😀
These pictures are just delightful to look at. The teakettle and dishes are adorable.
Can you believe how many times I have made scones? 1. Just one. I don't know what I'm waiting for. There are so many good varieties and they're so delicious too. These look amazing!
Get on it, girl! 😉 They're too good not to make! Have a great weekend, Melanie! xoxo
Hi Allie,
Happy post-holidays! Been enjoying the Mocha Peppermint Cookies this season and had some of my friends comment on how good they were! Hoping to make another batch soon. Wondering about these scones. I don't think I have Meyer lemons in Cairo...how do you think regular lemons would work? And the Mascarpone cheese...I have never used it or looked for it here. Can cream cheese be a substitute or would you just leave it out if I can't find it? Thanks for all the great ideas you post.
Hey Julie! I'm so happy you've had a nice holiday season! Aren't those Mocha Peppermint Cookies outrageous?! I think you could probably sub regular lemons only maybe you wouldn't want to use the flesh. Just the zest and maybe a tablespoon or so of the juice. I think that regular cream cheese would probably work well too, and maybe give an even tangy-er kind of flavor. You'll have to let me know how it works out! Good luck!
I'll just skip the workout and head right to these scones! These look amazing! Totally sharing on Facebook and Pinning!
Thank you so much, Chandra! I'm so happy you like them and thanks for sharing! 😀 😀 😀
I really need to get my hands on some meyer lemons! I don't think they sell them where I live, unfortunately. These photos are beautiful, Allie, and the scones look phenomenal. I need to learn some food styling tips from you.
Ha ha you are too kind, Nancy, and your pics are pretty stellar too so I'm sure I could learn a thing or two from you too 😉
These look amazing, I can smell the yumminess from here! Definitely pinning, can't wait to make and share with some friends!
Aw, thanks Pamela! I hope you and your friends enjoy! And thanks so much for pinning 😉
I've never had meyer lemon, now I have a reason to look out for them. Beautiful, and I love your little teapot. Pinned 🙂 Also, great idea for the mascarpone in the scone, I bet it makes them so tender. I only every buy it to make Tiramisu...gotta get out of that box!
Oh ya, I love mascarpone in tiramisu, but I also use it in my pasta dishes sometimes. It's so good! And thanks for noticing the teapot- it belonged to my late grandmother so it's very special <3
I love Meyer lemons!! and scones!! Definitely going to try these. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Love your blog.
Thank you so much, Kelly! Aren't Meyer lemons just so special? And I've been feeling really into breakfast lately... I'm so glad you agree! Thanks so much for reading, and for the sweet comment 😉