Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

scone with glaze dripping down leaning on other scones with lemon slices in the background

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Bakery style lemon poppy seed scones made easy at home. Soft, tender, rich with cream, bright with lemon zest and finished with a tart glaze.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Chill Time30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: scones

Calories: 233kcal

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 345g
3 tablespoons cornstarch 24g
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
1 ¼ cups heavy cream 295mL, plus 2-3 additional tablespoons
1 large egg
3 tablespoons lemon juice 45mL
1 large lemon* zest only
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coarse sugar for sprinkling over the top of the scones before baking**

Tart Lemon Glaze***

1 cup confectioners’ sugar 120g
1 tablespoon lemon juice 15mL
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste****
2 tablespoons lemon juice 15-30mL

Instructions

To Make The Scones:

In a bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking power, kosher salt, poppy seeds and sugar. Place the bowl in the freezer.
Mix together the heavy cream, large egg, vanilla, lemon zest (from one large lemon, but save aside 1 teaspoon for the glaze) and lemon juice in a spouted measuring cup. Place the measuring cup in the refrigerator.
Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Remove the bowl of dry ingredients from the freezer and remove the heavy cream mixture from the refrigerator and give it another stir to ensure everything is evenly combined. Slowly drizzle the cream mixture over the dry ingredients while gently mixing with a fork. You want a wet dough with no dry flour at the bottom of the bowl, but you don’t want something as wet as muffin batter. Avoid overworking the dough, which will result in tough scones. Once all the cream is mixed in, use your hands to gently gather the dough into a ball; if the shape holds you are good. If the mixture is too dry to hold together, add a little heavy cream, a teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, gently shape each piece of dough into a rough 5x7 inch rectangle.
Transfer both rectangles to the prepared baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for one hour. (You can also cover and refrigerate the dough overnight and bake the next morning).
20 minutes prior to baking the scones, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Remove the dough from the freezer (or refrigerator) and with a sharp knife cut each rectangle into 6 equal squares.
Place the squares back on the baking pan about 1-2 inches apart. Brush the tops of each scone with heavy cream (1 - 2 tablespoons), then sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until just browning at the edges and no wet dough remains in the center.
Allow the scones to cool about 15 minutes before glazing.

To Make The Lemon Glaze:

Add the powdered sugar to a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the lemon zest and vanilla. Stir together, the glaze will be thick like a paste. Add additional lemon juice, a teaspoon at a time, until a thick, but pourable glaze forms (similar to the consistency of cool honey).

Notes

Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream that is 30-36% fat.
*Save about 1 teaspoon of the zest aside to use in the glaze.
**A coarse sanding sugar such as Turbinado, Demerara or raw sugar work well. If you don’t have any of those, you can also use granulated sugar.
***If you like a thick layer of glaze, feel free to double the glaze ingredients.
****vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract both work

Storage

You can store uneaten scones covered at room temperature for a day or two. Baked scones freeze well for up to 2 months; defrost them overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours on the counter, then warm to your liking. Scones can be frozen with or without the glaze.

Nutrition