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Sweet, springy Lemon Raspberry Scones make a delectable way to start your day. Paired your morning coffee or tea, they’re the boost you need to kick your day into overdrive!
Even though Ohio weather is pretty much the worst – I mean it’s 39 degrees as I type this – I am finally starting to see little glimmers of spring even though the weatherman said there’s a chance of flurries next week.
Come on, Mother Nature it is MAY.
I even went against my better judgement and planted a bunch of Superbells this past weekend. And now I am just over here hoping that I don’t have to cover them due to said flurries.
But despite the cold temps and dreary skies, I am craving all things sweet, tart and summery. And let me tell you, even if the weather is less than ideal where you’re located, these Lemon Raspberry Scones are sure to brighter up your day and maybe even your mood!
TART AND SWEET RASPBERRY SCONE RECIPE
When Elle was little, I loved introducing her to new flavor combinations through baked goods. I remember sharing these Lemon Raspberry Scones with her and introducing her to that perfect combination of tart lemon and sweet raspberries.
I love pairing raspberries with lemon. Raspberry Lemonade, Raspberry Lemon Streusel Muffins, and No-Bake Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake are some of my favorite ways to use fresh raspberries.
(Don’t have any lemons but still have fresh raspberries to use? Try raspberry almond cake instead!)
So of course using that combo in scones had to happen!
These scones are bursting with fresh raspberries and I added lemon in 3 different ways:
- Lemon zest in the scones
- Lemon-flavored Greek yogurt in the scones
- Lemon juice in the glaze
A lot of scone recipes use buttermilk, but since Greek yogurt makes a great buttermilk substitute, I like to use the opportunity to add extra lemon flavor by using the lemon Greek yogurt instead.
If you can’t find lemon Greek yogurt, you could use plain Greek yogurt or sour cream instead.
These scones are tender and perfect and definitely one of the best breakfasts you could dream up.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON RASPBERRY SCONES
If you’ve made my Orange Scones or my Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake, then you can probably guess the first step of this recipe.
That’s right, combining the lemon zest with the sugar! This step releases all of the oils in the lemon zest and really boosts the flavor and aroma of the zest in the scones.
Add in the rest of the dry ingredients, then grate in the frozen butter. Use a fork or pastry blender to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Whisk together the yogurt, egg and vanilla, then use a fork to gently stir the wet ingredients into the flour and butter mixture. Once a dough starts to form, fold in the raspberries. It’s ok if the berries break up a bit!
Use your hands to gently bring the dough together into a ball, then press it into a 7-inch circle on a floured surface. Cut the dough into 8 triangles; move the triangles to a lined baking sheet to bake.
After the scones have baked, let them cool for 10 minutes, then whisk together the glaze. You can dip the top of the scones into the glaze or drizzle the glaze over the scones, whichever you like best!
CAN YOU FREEZE RASPBERRY SCONES?
Once you’ve made your scones and they have cooled completely, pop them in an airtight container in the fridge OR freezer.
That’s right, these Lemon Raspberry Scones freeze beautifully! They’ll keep for 3 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.
That means you can enjoy a Lemon Raspberry Scone long after raspberry season is over, deep into the heat of summer.
Lemon Raspberry Scones
Ingredients
For the Scones
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- zest of two medium lemons
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter frozen
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons lemon-flavored Greek Yogurt I recommend whole milk yogurt, or sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cups fresh raspberries
For the Glaze
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest; mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
- Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use a fork or pastry blender to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt (or sour cream), egg and vanilla until smooth.
- Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until a dough starts to form. Gently fold in raspberries. The raspberries may break up a little, no worries because they’ll bake up beautifully. Gently use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. The dough will be quite sticky at first, but it will come together.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.
- In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. If you would like to drizzle the glaze onto your scones instead of dipping them, you can thicken the glaze a bit with additional confectioners’ sugar.
Notes
- Scones store well in an airtight container within the refrigerator for up to three days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these today, followed the recipe except I used my food processor to cut in the butter. I only had plain nonfat Greek yogurt so I used 1/2 tsp a vanilla and 1/2 tsp lemon extract to bump up the lemon flavor. I also used freeze dried raspberries and the scones came out beautifully golden and very tasty. I don’t usually make a glaze for my scones but I was worried that the raspberries would be too tart and the glaze added just the right amount of sweetness. I’ll be making these again trying out all different kinds of fruit, fresh and freeze dried.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the scones, Kathleen! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
-Jamie
I’m a baker but not a successful scone
maker – until I made this recipe today. I hadn’t noticed that you use the word “springy” to describe them in the introduction, but when I revisited to write this comment I did see it and that describes them perfectly – springy and I’d, for sure, add “tender”.
I hate grating butter
(frozen or not) so I diced it and used my pastry blender to combine it with the dries and that was successful. A firm believer in the more lemon flavor the better,I added a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to the sourcream mixture. The tangy, sweet glaze adds a punch of flavor. Thank you for developing this recipe and for making me a scone baker.
So glad to hear you loved the scones and that they turned out perfectly for you! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback.
-Jamie
I made these on my kids’ snow day and they were amazing! I had to bake them about 11 minutes longer than what was in the recipe, not sure why.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the scones, Morgan! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
I made these with my 8 year old today and they turned out great. I didn’t have lemon yogurt so just used plain Greek with a dab of lemon extract and sugar. Worked out just fine.
I found that it made probably twice as much glaze as needed.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Sarah! Thanks for leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
I am so excited to try this recipe. I was just wondering if it is necessary for me to add the glaze on the scones or just skip it.
You can skip it if you would like!
Hi! Wondering if I can substitute whole wheat reg or pastry for the white flour? Any adjustments? Thank you!!
Hi Erin-
I have not tried this recipe with either of the flours you mentioned. If you happen to give it a go, please let us know how they turn out.
Jamie
I made this for a friend and she told me they were the best scones she had EVER had. NO JOKE! She called them PHENOMENAL! This recipe is a keeper!
I haven’t had luck making scones . . . until I tried this recipe! They came out great! I used fresh raspberries and couldn’t be more happy with the final results. I don’t own a box grater so I thinly sliced the frozen butter with a paring knife. I found the glaze too sweet for my taste so cut with the juice of half a lemon, which made the icing tart with some sweetness. Will definitely make again!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the scones, Christine! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
I made these lemon raspberry scones this weekend and both my husband and I loved them. I would make them again
So happy to hear you enjoyed the scones, Suzanne! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
I just made these today. Excellent. I subbed milk and lemon juice for the yogurt. About 1/2 c milk and the juice of a while lemon.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the scones! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie