Tangy, citrus scones loaded with fresh blueberries and finished with a sweet lemon glaze.

Happy 2016 friends! I hope each and every one of you are having a fabulous start to the new year.

To kick things off, I want to share a recipe with you that is truly invigorating. Blueberry-lemon is one of my all-time favorite flavor duos and the ultimate epitome of “fresh” in my opinion. Not only is the taste amazing, but the bright colors of the fruits are absolutely tantalizing.

Last week I grabbed coffee with my dad and he reminded me about the time I made him his “favorite” lemon blueberry scones. My mind immediately jumped to why on earth I never shared the recipe with you all. Sorry for holding out, I promise it was unintentional.

So here it is, my dad’s “favorite” scone recipe.

Begin by whisking all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Toss in the lemon zest and mix until it is evenly distributed. Use a pastry blender to cut in the (very) cold butter cubes. These little chunks of butter will give your baked scones a heavenly, flaky texture.

Pop in the blueberries and stir until “coated” with flour. Mixing in the blueberries now as opposed to at the end will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the scones while baking!

Next, in a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and use a spatula to gently mix until the dough comes together. Be light-handed so that you don’t crush all of the blueberries!
Then pop the dough into the fridge for ten minutes to allow the butter chunks to solidify a little bit more.

Gather the dough in your hands and form it into a ball before placing it on a lightly floured work surface. Press the dough down until 3/4 inch thick and slice into 8 triangles. Then transfer scones to a lined baking sheet.

At this time I like to add a few extra blueberries to the top of each of the scones (strictly for appearance). I also like to lightly brush the tops with heavy cream for a shiny, coated look.

Bake the scones until the tops are a luxurious golden brown and they appear to be “set”. Leave them on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients and generously drizzle over the scones.

The sweetness of the blueberries perfectly compliments the tartness of the lemon, making every bite truly refreshing. These scones are easy to make and perfect for starting off your morning on the right foot.

Enjoy! I know my dad is going to be happy when I surprise him with these later.

The Recipe

*Makes 8 scones

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (130 g) whole wheat flour
4 1/2 tablespoons (56 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup fresh blueberries
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
3/4 cup heavy cream, cold + extra for brushing scone tops
1 large egg
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add lemon zest and mix until evenly distributed. Cut in the butter with a pasty blender. Gently fold in blueberries.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and lemon juice. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until mixture comes together (Mix gently as to not crush blueberries).

4. Refrigerate dough for 10 minutes.

5. Roll dough into ball in your hands before placing on a lightly floured work surface. Pat down until 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 8 triangles and place onto prepared baking sheet. If desired add a couple blueberries on top of each scone. Brush tops with heavy cream.

6. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

7. Whisk together glaze ingredients. If thicker than desired, add a tiny amount of milk or heavy cream until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle glaze over scones and allow to harden.