I LOVE SCONES!!!
About 10 years ago, a cookbook – More Choices: Eat Well, Live Well – came into my life when I was still living at my parent’s house. I’m assuming my mom purchased the cookbook, but I really only remember one recipe that we actually used quite a lot. I can remember making these “Breakfast Scones” every other week with my sisters, Tomi and Justine…every time it was one batch of cranberry scones and another batch of chocolate chip scones! After a few months, stuffed with scones, Justine got married and moved out with her hubby and took the book – wait…maybe this is her cookbook! If so I better see if she wants it back! haha!
Fast forward a few years later…I was living with my soon-to-be-mother-in-law, so I decided to make her a batch of “Breakfast Scones” and she fell in love…with the scones that is…she already loved me! To be quite honest, she became obsessed with the scones! It was a healthy obsession; after the last scone was devoured, she would come home from the store, replenishing the ingredients…I got the hint! MORE SCONES!!! And trust me pre-MIL or post-MIL, she is the best mother-in-law anyone could ask for and if mama wants scones, mama gets scones!!!
As a tribute to the scone-loving women in my life, using the “Breakfast Scone” as my inspiration, I made this Lemon Poppy Seed Scone with Lemon Glaze. I am obsessed with the lemon and poppy seed combo…it’s also great in muffins, like a Blueberry Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffin! YUM! – but that’s for another day! Something about the zesty lemon and the nutty and fruity poppy seed that make such a great pair in this scone. Without the lemon icing, this scone is not too sweet, which is how I prefer them! But how can you pass on an awesome icing?! It takes this scone to the next level!!!
Hope you enjoy them!
What you’ll want to do first is sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
DON’T SKIP THE SIFT! This step is very important because it evenly distributes all the dry ingredients throughout the dough.
Mix quick oats and brown sugar into the sifted dry ingredients.
Pour oil and extract into the dry ingredients and mix well until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Sometimes it’s helpful to use a fork in this step to break down larger clumps.
Stir in lemon zest and poppy seeds.
Add 1/2 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and stir until well combined and all the flour is moistened. You can also get in there and knead the mixture, but try not to over knead because this can cause the dough to be tough and can make your scones chewy.
Working on a well-floured surface, create a ball with the dough. This will make it easier to get a nice round circle in the next step!
With well-floured hands, pat the dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick.
Let’s take a moment to really appreciate this beautiful dough! The lemon zest and the poppy seeds…such a yummy combination! Ok, back to the recipe!
Cut the dough into 12 equal triangles. You can also use a 2-1/2 inch round biscuit cutter to cut out round scones!
Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat. Brush the tops of the scone with the remaining 2 teaspoons of additional milk. This will give your scones a beautiful golden glow! Bake at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden.
Transfer the scones to a wire rack and let them cool. Pretty, right? But we’re not quite done yet….Now for the ICING!!!
In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon zest. Adding one tablespoon at a time, whisk in the lemon juice…you don’t want your icing to be too thick or too thin!
PERFECT!
Drizzle the delicious icing over each scone…about 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons per scone, depending on how sweet you like it! If you’re feeling crazy, double the icing recipe and hand-dip each scone into the bowl to get the entire top iced! “YUM-OH” as Rachel Ray would say! Ugh, did I really just say that?! I really didn’t think I’d be quoting RR…that’s not like me at all…I’m more of a “AMAZEBALLS” quoter…like my girl Giuliana Rancic! Yeah…I feel better about that now…thanks!
I know it’s difficult to resist eating one at this point, but try to wait for the icing to set!
TRY TO WAIT I SAID!!!
drool…
drool…
drool…
FINALLY! The wait is over…
Love to my mom, Betsy, my sisters Tomi & Justine and my mother-in-law, Vicki: You are all beautifully amazing and I am so blessed to have such awesome women in my life!
LEMON POPPYSEED SCONES WITH LEMON ICING
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Makes 12 Scones
For scones, you’ll need:
1-3/4 C unbleached flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/3 C quick oats
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon zest (I just used the zest of one large lemon)
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 C almond milk OR soy milk OR low fat milk
2 tbsp additional milk of choice
For lemon icing:
1 C powdered sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Sift flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix quick oats and brown sugar into the sifted dry ingredients.
3. Pour oil and vanilla extract into dry ingredients and toss with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in lemon zest and poppy seeds. Add 1/2 cup milk and stir to combine. Knead a few times to combine the ingredients, but be careful not to over knead or the dough will have a tough, chewy texture.
4. Work on a well-floured surface and with well-floured hands, pat the dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick. With a knife cut dough into 12 equal triangles.
5. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Transfer the scones to a wire rack and let them completely cool before drizzling with icing.
6. While waiting for scones to cool, prepare the icing: In a small mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon zest. Add lemon juice one tablespoon at a time, to ensure that your icing isn’t too thin. Drizzle icing over cooled scones and let them set before serving, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Adapted from: More Choices: Eat Well, Live Well
JUDD to the MAX 