Simple and quick to prepare, these little Raspberry Lemon Scones are full of tart berry and tangy lemon flavor. They’re perfect for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack.
A few weeks back, Tessa and her friend Kadin snacked on Raspberry Lemon Scones after school. Since Kadin couldn’t seem to get enough of these tender, fruity scones, I told him I’d send the recipe to his mom.
Eliza and I had been testing the scones in preparation for baking with her fifth grade class at school, so when I sent the recipe, I added a note explaining that Kadin could bake them himself with just a little help.
Later that evening, she wrote back, “Kadin will help bake these! When he got home he announced that he ate scones, and, as he put it, ‘They were fit for a king, Mommy. Really, they were that good!'”
The scones elicited involuntary “Ooohs” and “Aaahs” from the fifth graders at school, and I learned, too, that one of the teachers who sampled a scone asked Eliza’s teacher for the recipe — which she used the very same day.
What is it that makes these Raspberry Lemon Scones so addictive?
With their tart berry and tangy lemon flavor, they aren’t super sweet, which means that the syrupy lemon glaze — made from lemon juice and powdered sugar — rounds out the flavors without feeling cloying.
This, coupled with their smallness, may be why it’s so easy to lose track of the sheer quantity of scones that you’ve eaten at a given sitting.
You’re going to love these scones, not only for their enticing flavor, but also for how quick and easy they are to prepare.
When you bake them — if you find yourself willing to share them — it’s pretty much guaranteed that someone will ask for the recipe.
Raspberry Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- Scones
- 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large lemon zested
- 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup frozen raspberries
- Glaze
- 1/2 large lemon juiced
- 1/2 to 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Cut butter into ¼-inch pieces and return it to the refrigerator to keep it cold until needed.
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large wide bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add butter to the dry ingredients and toss it to coat with flour. Working quickly with clean fingers or a pastry blender, rub or cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
- Add frozen raspberries to the mixture and toss to coat. Drizzle the heavy cream evenly over the mixture. Toss with a fork, scraping up from the bottom, until the dough starts to clump together. Knead the mixture together in the bowl until it comes together in a mass. It's okay if there are a few crumbs and stray bits.
- Turn out the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press in stray bits gently and shape the dough into an a 7 to 8-inch square about 3/4-inch thick.
- Using a knife or bench scraper, divide the square into 9 smaller squares. Divide each square in half diagonally to make 18 small triangles.
- Separate the scones carefully to give them room to spread. Bake until pale golden, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- To prepare the glaze, combine lemon juice and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Add more sugar, as needed to create the desired consistency for glazing.
- Cool scones for at least 10 minutes before glazing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
PIN RASPBERRY LEMON SCONES FOR LATER
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks, Jen. You’re going to love it!
I am wondering if I would need to adjust any measurements if I use fresh raspberries instead of frozen berries?
I would use the same amount, but they will probably get pretty smushed as you shape the scones. I usually freeze fresh fruit for at least a bit when mixing it into scones for this reason. Either way, they’ll taste fantastic!
No. I used fresh and they came out fine.
Great! Thanks for sharing!
Just made these today, they were wonderful.
Thank you for sharing
So glad you enjoyed your scones, Barbara! Thanks for the kind words!
Just picked some raspberries from the backyard, I will have to make these tomorrow evening! Will these freeze well?
Ashley…sorry for the late reply. We’ve been traveling without internet access. Hope they turned out well for you. If you wrap them well, they should freeze just fine!
I made these exactly as it said and they did not come out well. They didn’t cook all the way thru. I even left them in the oven longer and they were still under cooked. I ended up throwing them away and man did that hurt to waste my ingredients like that. I was wondering why no eggs were needed tho?
Sorry to hear your scones did not turn out well, Nely. I hate to waste ingredients, so I feel you pain! Here are a couple of trouble-shooting questions for you… How thick did you make the scones, as that might affect how thoroughly they baked. Also, I’m wondering about the temperature of your oven. Have you ever checked it with an oven thermometer to determine if the heat is accurate? Finally, while there are some scone recipes that include eggs, I have never tried them. Thanks for getting in touch.
I think that using the frozen raspberries may cool the dough enough to keep the middle from cooking faster…Using frozen berries is such a great idea to keep the raspberries whole while mixing, though. So why not put the scones on the baking tray, and leave for twenty or so minutes to allow the interior of the scone to come to room temp before baking?
Interesting suggestion, Kaye! Hope this is helpful for others.
I could really taste to much baking soda. Should the measurement have been 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon?
Sorry your scones didn’t turn out! The recipe calls for baking powder not baking soda. That much baking soda would definitely give the scones an off taste. Hope you’ll give them another try!
I just made these today and they turned out delicious, much to the surprise and delight of my wife who is normally the baker of the house! Thanks for a great recipe!!
That’s awesome, Mark! So glad you enjoyed these scones. This is one of my favorite recipes!
Just made these and swapped out the raspberries for frozen cranberries as that was all I had. They turned out delicious, biscuit like and tender. Enjoyed them with some hot coffee.
Thanks for sharing this variation, Yvonne! Sounds perfect for this time of year!
Hey I made this today and when trying to mix the dough together it was very dry. I couldn’t get it to stick together because it kept falling apart. Any suggestions?
Thanks for asking, Kelly. Sorry to hear that the scones didn’t work out as you expected. If the dough resists coming together with kneading, drizzle a bit more cream over it – just a little at a time – and mix it in until the dough comes together. Keep in mind that the dough should feel quite dry; it’s okay if it’s rough and somewhat crumbly. Hope this helps!
These are so yummy! Just made them and they came out great. I didn’t have quite enough heavy cream so I added a little milk until the dough looked more moist. I baked them on my baking stone and had to add a couple minutes but hey were pale golden and nothing burned. Simple enough to make quickly! Thank you for sharing this!
So glad they turned out well for you! I’ve never tried baking scones on my baking stone before. I may need to give that a try! Thanks for sharing the idea!
Made today they were delicious my family enjoyed them … I paired them with a fresh raspberry Vanilla tea. Thanks for sharing
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Hooray for tea and scones!
I would love to make these for a midweek brunch. Will they keep well if I make them a few days in advance?
These really taste best the day you make them, and they’re fine the next day, but I wouldn’t make them much earlier than that. They do take less than an hour to make, so I would recommend making them the day of or the night before your brunch. Happy baking!
Would buttermilk be alright as a substitute for the cream ?
Great question, Diane! I think it would probably work just fine. Let me know how they turn out! Happy baking!
Made these today and they were a huge hit in my house. First time ever making scones. Can I use different fruit in this recipe as well?
So glad to hear about your success with these scones, Krysi! By all means try the recipe with different fruits! Let me know how your experiments work out for you!
Can I freeze these with or without the glaze?
I think they would freeze well, but I have not tried. I’m guessing you’d have more success without the glaze. If you try it, let me know how it works!
If I make the batter a couple days in advance will it keep well?
This recipe really works best mixed the day you bake the scones. You could combine the dry ingredients and cut in the butter ahead of time if you want. Keep the mixture covered in the fridge until ready to prepare the scones. Mix in raspberries and cream right before baking. Hope this helps!
Not a lemon fan and could redo glaze easily but how could I substitute say vanilla for the lemon zest?
I haven’t tested it, but you could try adding 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in place of the lemon zest. Let me know how they turn out for you!
Sigh. Not a clue what happened but this was a DISASTER (they tasted great though!). I followed the directions exactly, but once I added the cream it turned into a gloopy, sticky mess that never shaped up. I had to plunk it down like liquidier version of cookie dough. I have NO idea what happened. I even tried to add flour to it once I realized and that didn’t work. Also the raspberries completely melted once I added the cream and became like puree almost. They’re purple instead of being that nice flaky buttery golden like yours. 🙁 My family says they taste great, but I can’t help being sad that the dough was so messed up and I have no idea what I did wrong.
So sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work out for you, Marisa! I’m wondering what the weather was like when you prepared your scones. You mentioned that the rasberries melted when you added the cream. Is it possible that your ingredients warmed up too much while you worked? That would definitely affect the texture. It’s been super hot lately where I live, which makes baking recipes that depend on cold ingredients challenging.
They Taste great! I had an issue shaping them, a little to Crumby. but over all fantastic!
So glad you enjoyed the scones! If they’re really crumbly and resist shaping, you could add a bit more cream, and that should do the trick. Happy baking!
I have made these twice and both times they were great. I do freeze them in a sealed container – first quick freeze on cookie sheet so they don’t stick together and then you can remove them one at a time. I do find the kneading kind of messy so the second time after getting to coarse crumb stage with my fingers I dumped dough into my electric mixer bowl and used my dough hook. After shaping into square, I put it in the freezer until firm which made cutting into shapes much easier and more exact sizes. Thank you for the recipe. They are really quite good.
Thanks for sharing your success with freezing the scones! I love your idea of putting them on a baking sheet first! Awesome! So glad you like them. Happy baking!
Mine melted into one heap and I have no idea what I did wrong
So sorry to hear that these scones didn’t turn out for you! What a disappointment! Did it happen during baking or as you shaped them? I’m wondering what the dough’s consistency felt like as you prepared it? That might provide some clues about what went wrong.
Curious if you have ever made the dough, then refrigerated over night to bake the next day or two? Wanting to make this for a cabin weekend but would rather prep ahead of time!
Great question! I have made scones ahead of time, but not with raspberries. I think they would make the scones a bit mushy if you don’t bake them right away!
Since first making these I have made them several times. They freeze very well. Also, I freeze them after forming into the square until pretty firm and they cut into the squares and triangles better. Sometimes I cut them to make 12 smaller scones. They are wonderful. Thank you.
So glad you’re enjoying this recipe! Thanks for sharing your success with freezing — great tip!
Anyone else have trouble with the dough turning bluish purple? I used frozen raspberries and tried to mix them in as quickly as I could, but they still came out like magical unicorn scones 🙂
Still really tasty, though!
I leave the raspberries in the freezer until the very last second before mixing them in. Sometimes I still get some purple streaks, but this helps them mix in without bleeding.
I made these for a friend’s tea yesterday and it really was easy! The ladies loved them! Mine came out a little wet in places. I used Whole Wheat flour and I think that may have made them more dense. I trimmed the scones so that the more done parts were served. Next time I think I may skip the parchment paper for baking and put them directly onto the baking sheet. Do you think that’ll help or should I cut back the heavy whipping cream to 1/2 cup? Either way, they were delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad your friends enjoyed the scones! To avoid excessive moisture in some places, toss the mixture quickly as you drizzle the cream over the dry ingredients. Sometimes I start with with a portion of the cream and add more a bit at a time until the dough will hold together. Hopefully this will help! Happy baking!
I made these today and when i mixed in the cream it was sooooo sticky and practicoy impossible to mix i wonder why and we used jam and it turned out awesome
Did you use jam instead of raspberries? That would certainly add extra moisture. If that’s not the case, I’d recommend adding the cream in stages. If the weather is humid, you might need less!
Hello,
I’m looking forward to trying these scones! I’m making them for a morning baby shower, and was hoping to make them the night before. How do you recommend storing these overnight? I was thinking it might be best to still glaze them in the morning.
Thanks!
Great question! Let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Your instincts are correct about glazing them in the morning. Enjoy!
These are so good!! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! It’s one of my favorites!
Just made these with my twelve year-old daughter and they are absolutely delicious. So easy to make, too. This is definitely a keeper — thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed them, and I love that you made them with your daughter! Happy baking to both of you!
These are our favorite scones! Every time my parents visit i try to make them for them. We even made them 2 days in a row this week when they were here! My Dad raves about them and they are gone in a flash. Thanks for a great recipe!
How fun! So glad this has become a family favorite for you! Happy baking!
Love it. First time making scones and they turned out beautifully! Now going to be a staple in my Bed and Breakfast opening soon!
Awesome! So glad to hear it. Best of luck with your new business!
I used fresh raspberries and was to impatient to wait for them to freeze. I thought I ruined the dough as the raspberries puréed slightly with kneading, but they still came out. The dough was slightly wet, but cooked through to a moist center with crispy corners. Thanks for the recipe! I told my daughter they were princess scones seen they turned pink. She’s a fan!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!