Karma’s a Batch…of Meyer Lemon Scones
I got up this morning with scones on the brain. A while ago I had come across a recipe on the blog Dessert for Two for Small Batch Meyer Lemon Scones. They looked delicious. I filed it away under the “I should try these cause they look yummy” recesses of my mind. This past weekend my goal was to clean and reorganize the fridge (inspired by Sam Kass’s new book). As luck would have it, squirreled away in the back of the crisper drawer I found a forgotten bag of Meyer Lemons from my baking buddy, Kathy.
Karma, I was Meant to Make These Scones.
The recipe makes four more-than-generous scones so my first change was to make six instead. A nice size to accompany a breakfast plate or on its own as an afternoon tea treat. You can whip up a batch in no time flat and that’s without using a mixer. The keys are to keep everything as cold as possible and to not overwork the dough. The mantra for any scone, biscuit, or pie dough.
I used a pastry cutter to mix the butter in the flour. The butter should be in small pieces no bigger than petite peas. Add the wet ingredients and blend together. The mixture will not hold together but will be shaggy. Pour onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Fold and compress the dough to form a disc. The heat of your hands will help the dough clump together. Cut the disc into four to six pieces.
Separate the scones and paint the tops with heavy cream. Bake until golden. I made the icing but it didn’t stand out on the scones. It did add a nice sweet-tart finish though.
These scones are tender, buttery, and lemony sweet. The perfect beginning or ending to a day. It’s a good thing this is a small batch recipe…I’d be tempted to eat them all.
Karma’s a Batch…of Meyer Lemon Scones
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream plus extra for brushing
- 1 large egg yolk
- zest of 2 Meyer lemons* I'm thinking grapefruit or reg lemons would work well too.
For the optional glaze: Try not to skip it, it is a nice finish.
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Dice the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Work the butter into the flour mixture until it's evenly distributed and smaller than peas. Use two knives, a pastry cutter, or your fingertips (quickly squeeze the butter pieces between your fingers pressing them into little flakes.
- Whisk heavy cream, egg yolk and lemon zest in a small bowl. Pour ontothe flour mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Don't overmix, but incorporate things well.
- Scoop the dough out, place it on the baking sheet, and use the warmth of your hands to fold and press dough together until it sticks together into a round disc form.
- Cut the dough circle into 4-6 even pieces. Brush each piece with extra heavy cream. (Cut by pressing knife in one downward motion, don't use a sawing motion which will cause uneven rising)
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and they lightly brown on the edges.
- While the scones bake, whisk together the glaze ingredients.
- Glaze the scones when cool.