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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
20 minutes
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makes
8 scones
Author Notes
There are lemon scones, and then there are these, the lemoniest. Because instead of using the juice or the zest or even the juice and the zest—we’re using the whole lemon. You might recognize this nifty trick from Lazy Mary’s Lemon Tart or the Whole-Lemon Tart from Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets. By blitzing the entire lemon, you get its entire personality—equal parts sour and sunny. And don’t worry, we’re using even more lemon in the glaze, too. Now about the other ingredients: White whole-wheat flour isn’t a blend of white and whole wheat. It’s a whole-grain flour all its own, with a nutty flavor and fluffy lightness, perfect for breakfasty baked goods. (Intrigued? You can learn more about it from Maria Speck here.) Confectioners’ sugar isn’t the most common sweetener for a scone dough, but it adds just enough pep, and then can be reused as the foundation for the lemony glaze. Make sure you add the grated lemon zest and flaky salt immediately after you glaze; this way the toppings can grab hold before the glaze dries. Like all scones, these are best the day they’re baked.
—Emma Laperruque
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Lemoniest Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- Scones
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2 cups
(240 grams) white whole-wheat flour
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2 tablespoons
(14 grams) confectioners’ sugar
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3 1/4 teaspoons
(13 grams) baking powder
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1 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1
large organic lemon (about 142 grams)
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1 1/4 cups
(284 grams) cold heavy cream, plus more as needed
- Glaze
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1 cup
(114 grams) confectioners’ sugar
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1
large organic lemon (about 142 grams)
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1 tablespoon
heavy cream
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1 pinch
flaky salt (optional)
Directions
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Heat the oven to 400°F. (If you have a baking stone, great—add that to the middle rack of the oven where you’ll bake your scones. If not, no worries.) Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat or parchment.
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Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir.
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Thickly slice the lemon, then discard any seeds. Add the slices to a blender or food processor and blend until mushy, like applesauce. Add this lemon mush to the measuring cup with the cream and stir to combine.
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Add most of the lemon cream to the flour mixture and stir. Add the rest and stir again. You’re aiming for a lumpy dough that easily holds together when squeezed, with no visible dry patches. Add a little more cream if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.
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Plop the scone dough onto a lightly flour surface and use your hands to shape into a 7-inch circle (about 1¼ inches thick). Cut into 8 triangles. Brush the tops generously with cream. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.
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Bake for about 20 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply golden brown and the tops are bouncy to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool until barely warm while you work on the glaze.
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Preferably with a Microplane, finely grate the lemon zest into a tiny bowl or ramekin. Now halve and juice the lemon into a glass (removing any seeds if needed). Combine the confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice, and the heavy cream in a small bowl. Stir with a fork until smooth. Stir in half of the lemon zest.
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When the scones are barely warm to the touch, drizzle with the glaze, then top with the remaining lemon zest and a pinch of flaky salt, if you’d like.
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.
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