These Soft Lemon Cream Scones are perfectly tender and bursting with bright lemon flavor! Drizzle with a sweet and tangy lemon icing for an easy breakfast or brunch that’s perfect for any occasion.
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Anyone else obsessed with all things lemon? When spring time rolls around, I want to make all the lemon things… this incredible Lemon Coffee Cake, healthy Lemon Quinoa, easy Lemon Broccoli Pasta, and of course these Soft Lemon Cream Scones!
These scones were originally inspired by Ree Drummond’s Petite Vanilla Scones, but we switched up the flavor profile and made them slightly larger. They have the perfect homemade vibe going for them - they’re not too “perfect” or all identical, but they have that amazing home cooked quality like they’re straight from grandma’s kitchen!
🏅 Why this recipe is great
- I’ve made my share of dry, dense, and bland scone recipes. Not these! These are pillowy soft with just slightly crispy edges. They’re fluffy in the middle and full of flavor from the fresh lemon zest.
- Soft scones really aren’t difficult to make! I make them in a mixer for less arm work, then do some simple kneading, slicing, and baking. That’s all there is to it.
- They’re great for all sorts of occasions. Sunday brunch, weekend breakfast, Mother’s Day, a baby or bridal shower, Easter morning - you name it!
🍋 Ingredients
A full list of the ingredients is in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy comments.
Baking powder: This is the main lift agent, meaning it will help the scones rise and get fluffy in the middle. Make sure to use fresh baking powder that hasn’t expired.
Butter: Another key to tender scones is to use very cold butter. Similar to when you make biscuits, the cold butter will melt during the baking and create flaky layers in the scones.
Egg: One main difference between lemon cream scones and biscuits is the egg. The egg in scones gives them a slightly more cakey texture.
Cream: Using heavy cream is absolutely necessary for success here. The fat content in cream keeps these scones smooth and soft. Make sure it is super cold before using.
🔪 How to make Lemon Cream Scones
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Note that this will not work with hand beaters, but can be done in a food processor instead of a stand mixer.
Add very cold butter to the flour mixture and mix on medium-low (or pulse) until the mixture becomes fine crumbs.
In a separate small bowl combine the egg, cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add to the flour mixture and mix on low (or pulse) until the dough comes together, adding more cream 1 tbsp at a time if needed until it is moist and mostly holds together (see picture).
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4-5 times. Then use your hands to pat into a rectangle ½ inch thick. It should be roughly 11 inches long and 8 inches wide.
Using a sharp knife or bench scraper (these are amaaaazing), cut the scones into 16 triangles. First cut the dough in half lengthwise, then in half widthwise. Cut each of the 4 sections into 4 triangles. See the picture for reference.
Place on two sheet pans lined with parchment and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly golden on the bottom and the tops look dry. While the scones are baking, combine the glaze ingredients into a bowl.
Once finished baking, allow scones to cool for 5-10 minutes on the sheet pan. Then place them on a cooling rack. Once cool, drizzle with glaze and serve.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
Soft Lemon Cream Scones are a great breakfast or brunch option for serving a crowd. Make them for Mother’s Day, a spring bridal shower, Easter morning, or just a special weekend treat.
When making a double batch of scones, I suggest making each batch separately. Doubling the recipe in one bowl will cause the dough to be overworked, which will lead to tough, dense scones.
🙋 Questions and Answers
You can make these ahead and store in the fridge for up to a day before baking. In our experience they lose their shape more when baking after refrigeration, but they still taste amazing! When you store them, make sure to keep them well covered in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
Scones are best when served fresh, but the freezer will preserve them pretty well too! Make sure to cool fully and serve without the glaze if possible. Keep for 3-4 months, then thaw at room temperature and add fresh glaze.
Scones are best served fresh. If you have leftovers, store in an air-tight container for 1-2 days.
There are a few tips to follow to make sure you get soft, moist, and flavorful scones. Use cold dairy ingredients, don’t overwork the dough, and don’t overbake are the top three tips. Read my Tips & Tricks section below for more details.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- To keep the scones soft and tender, avoid overmixing and overworking. You want to handle the dough gently to keep that flaky texture.
- Use very cold butter and cream. This will help the dough rise and make the scones fluffy.
- Last, to avoid dry scones make sure not to overbake them. They should be nice and golden on the bottom and the tops will look dry. They will continue cooking slightly on the sheet pan while cooling.
- To make circle scones instead of triangles, use a biscuit cutter. For mini lemon scones, just cut the triangles to the desired size and adjust the baking time as needed. (When deciding size, note that they will puff and rise larger than the size you cut them.)
📖 More breakfast treats
- For another lemon treat, try this amazing Lemon Coffee Cake. Tender cake, a tangy lemon curd layer, and sweet crumb topping… can it get any better?
- For a classic breakfast make these fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes. They’re moist, golden, and super easy to make.
- Have over-ripe bananas on hand? Make this Coconut Banana Bread! It’s incredibly moist and has an addictive sweet flavor.
👋 Connect with us!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!
📋 Recipe
Soft Lemon Cream Scones
Ingredients
Lemon Scones
- 3 cups flour
- ⅔ cups sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 sticks butter cut into ½ tbsp cubes and very cold
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup heavy cream (plus more if needed) very cold
- 1½ tbsp lemon zest from about 2 lemons
- 1 tsp vanilla
Lemon Icing
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup half and half or heavy cream
- 1 lemon zested
- ¼ tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. This will not work with hand beaters, but can be done in a food processor instead of a stand mixer.
- Add very cold butter to the flour mixture and mix on medium-low (or pulse if using food processor) until the mixture becomes fine crumbs.
- In a separate small bowl combine the egg, cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add to the flour mixture and mix on low (or pulse) until the dough comes together, adding more cream 1 tbsp at a time if needed, until it is moist and mostly holds together (see picture).
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4-5 times. Then use your hands to pat into a rectangle ½ inch thick. It should be roughly 11 inches long and 8 inches wide.
- Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the scones into 16 triangles. First cut the dough in half lengthwise, then in half widthwise. Cut each of the 4 sections into 4 triangles (see picture).
- Place on prepared sheet pans and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly golden on the bottom and the tops look dry.
- While the scones are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl.
- Once finished baking, allow scones to cool for 5-10 minutes on the sheet pan. Then place on a cooling rack. Once cool, drizzle with glaze and serve.
Notes
- To keep the scones soft and tender, avoid overmixing and overworking. You want to handle the dough gently to keep that flaky texture.
- Use very cold butter and cream. This will help the dough rise and make the scones fluffy.
- Last, to avoid dry scones make sure not to overbake them. They should be nice and golden on the bottom and the tops will look dry. They will continue cooking slightly on the sheet pan while cooling.
- To make circle scones instead of triangles, use a biscuit cutter. For mini lemon scones, just cut the triangles to the desired size and adjust the baking time as needed. (When deciding size, note that they will puff and rise larger than the size you cut them.)
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Katie says
Delicious! I made them this morning and they are great both hot from the oven without icing and cool with the icing!
I made a second batch without the lemon zest and added cinnamon chips. They turned out just as good!
Misty says
So glad you liked them! The cinnamon chips sound like an awesome idea too, I will give it a try!
Sue says
These taste great, but rolled them out tk the 11-6 inches and ten cut according to directions! They were not thick enough and were to thin! Should of been thicker!
Danielle says
Hello! I am so sorry these didn’t turn out the way you hoped. My family has made these many, many tomes. They have never been anything but tall, light, and fluffy. My first question would be did you forget to put baking powder in them? Or accidentally not put enough? Or accidentally put in baking soda? Those would be the first things to troubleshoot. Hopefully that helps. Have a good day!