Iced Blueberry Lavender Scones with Lemon Icing

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The recipe I used to make these scones was originally vegan. But, of course, I didn’t have anything except for berries and lavender. So, this originally healthy breakfast bake turned into a batch of non-vegan, fluffy, fragrant iced blueberry lavender scones instead.

Finding Peace During Isolation

The thing about weekends on a “Stay at Home” order is that I want to look forward to them, but I end up disappointed. This weekend, I imagined it would be nice and sunny, and we’d go on some family walks.

Then my husband said he had some plant orders to pick up, so I refocused on getting into the car and going for a drive. But he was concerned that there would be too many people at Home Depot.

So, on a gloomy, drizzly, Saturday morning, I turned on Disney+ and found Lizzie McGuire. My daughter sat quietly on the couch, a blessing, with her bowl of pancake bites and a cup of milk.

On mornings like this, when I find a moment of quiet, I find that making biscuits or scones is the perfect meditative baking practice. I must practice a certain level of restraint and pay attention to what’s happening.

Scones vs. Biscuits: What’s the Difference?

The difference between a biscuit and a scone is, firstly, the moisture level. Biscuit dough is relatively dry as you expect the butter to create some flaky layers between pillowy bits of dough. A scone, on the other hand, has a bit more milk in the dough, making it very sticky.

So the interior of a scone is pillowy, fluffy, and soft, and the interior of a biscuit is similar, but potential flakier due to the lower moisture and higher amount of butter.

The second difference comes in shaping. Though I prefer cutting my biscuits out as squares so I lose less dough in the process, most people use a circular biscuit cutter.

Scones, of course, can be round, but most of the time, I’ll form the mass of dough into a round before cutting it into wedges. This time, I formed them into a rectangle and cut out the wedge shapes that way.

So, Blueberry Lavender Scones Started Out Vegan?

One of my favorite cookbooks is the Thug Kitchen Cookbook. You can find the original recipe for blueberry lavender scones within its pages. Using whole wheat flour, walnuts, almond milk, coconut oil, you get a hearty, nutty, scone with a fluffy interior.

Unfortunately, I only have about a tablespoon of coconut oil left, no almond milk to speak of, and there’s no way we were going to find and buy whole wheat flour right now. Plus, I think we’ve talked about how my husband hates having nuts in baked goods (see Banana Bread).

So, even though, I have all respect for the original recipe and love it dearly, I had to go non-vegan to get my fix. And while I was at it, I figured I’d guild the lily and ice these bad boys.

Iced Blueberry Lavender Scones

The flavoring in these scones may seem like a lot. Rest assured, though, that in the right proportions, they balance really well for a feminine, fruity, floral experience. The lemon icing on top keeps it bright.

These are great for a casual afternoon tea with your girlfriends or for a morning baby or bridal shower.

The Lavender Must Be Just Right

The key is using the exact right amount of lavender so it doesn’t taste like a bar of soap. If I’ve learned anything watching the Great British Bake-Off, it’s that lavender is nice in bakes but easily overdone. So, I’ve found that this is the exact right amount for these scones (the original recipe had it right).

The only thing I’d recommend is that you try crushing it into the sugar with a mortar and pestle before combining it with the rest of the dry team. Doing this breaks up the buds so you don’t get a whole mouthful of lavender. It also releases the lavender’s oil into the sugar. It disperses the flavor more evenly.

Blueberries: Fresh or Frozen?

I actually used frozen blueberries for this, but I prefer to use the kind that are labeled “Wild Blueberries.” Here’s why.

Fresh are great, and they don’t leak. However, they have a tender skin that is easy to pop when you are folding your scone dough together. When that happens, you end up with wet spots, which leads to doughy/undercooked pockets. That’s no fun.

When you use frozen, you do run into an issue of the frozen crystals on the outside doing the same. That’s why I had to come up with a little trick. I nuke them for 10 seconds. This is enough to melt those crystals but not the berries themselves. Then I pat the blueberries dry with a paper towel and get them folded in quickly.

The reason I’m wild about Wild Blueberries is their size. They are smaller than the other variety and a teeny bit more sour. This not only makes them ideal in sweet bakes, but it also reduces the risk of cutting into one while shaping. Like I said, cut or burst berries leads to doughy pockets.

Why Do I Need the Lemon Icing?

Technically, you don’t need the lemon icing, but I think it’s worth it. It hardly takes any time to put together, and it adds zing and brightness to what is otherwise a fine scone. The icing just elevates the flavors a little.

Plus, who doesn’t love the crisp bite of a little icing? You can either drizzle it on, like I did, or you can double the mixture and dip the tops of your cooled scones in.

That brings me to the next point. You have to cool the scones all the way before you ice them. Otherwise, it seeps into the scone rather than creating a crispy, sweet topping.

My Patented (Not Really) Folding Move

Whenever I make scones or biscuits, I like to fold the dough. This started by playing around to feel like I was making rough puff pastry…

**CONFESSION TIME**

Okay, I have to make a confession. Guys. I play pretend in my kitchen. I mean A LOT.

Making pizza? I pretend Claire Saffitz and Brad Leone from Bon Appetit are hanging out with me talking about my window pane test.

Making burgers? I imagine that Guy Fieri thinks I’m about to make a bomb burger that takes him to Flavor Town.

Bread? I’m in the tent with an aqua prep station, and Paul Hollywood is standing in the corner with his arms folded, smirking at me.

I can’t be the only grown adult playing pretend every time I make something in the kitchen, right? Comment below and let me know what you pretend while you’re baking!

Back to the Folding Method, Though…

Basically, I get the mixture stirred mostly together, but there is still a lot of unincorporated flour. There are clumps, too. This all gets dumped out onto the bench (which is what I like to call my island to make it sound super cheffy).

First, I press the dough into a rectangle, even though it’s very unmixed. Using a bench scraper, I scoop under the mass halfway and fold it onto the top. Using the other hand I press it down. Rotating 90º, I scoop and fold over the next side and press. Then the next side and so forth. I keep going until my dough is a little smoother looking and mostly incorporated.

From here, I use my hands to press out the dough into a rectangle that is about 1 inch deep. Then using the bench scraper, I cut diagonal lines to create the classic wedge shape. Finally, using the scraper again, I deliver the scones to a lined baking sheet and put them in a hot oven.

Folding helps to create buttery layers, and using a bench scraper means that nothing sticks to the counter. It also helps to keep the mixture cold since you’re using your hands less.

5 Tips for Keeping Your Scone Dough Cold While You Work It

That said, there are few things you can do to keep your scone dough cold as you work it. Obviously, the bench scraper is a big help. However, I have a few other tricks up my sleeve.

1. Wash your hands in ice-cold water before you start handling it. In fact, any time you wash your hands, use the coldest water you can handle. Warm hands mean melted butter and “meh” scones.

2. Freeze your butter. I honestly just keep a box of butter in the freezer because so many things need cold butter. My trick for biscuits, scones, and pie crust is that I freeze the butter and then grate it with a cheese grater.

This replaces “cutting in” the butter. Instead, I toss the butter shreds in the flour and continue on. I reduce exposure to warmth and quickly get my ingredients combined.

3. Refrigerate the work bowl for an hour. If it’s particularly warm out, I’ll chill my bowl with the flour in it for an hour before I start making my dough. You can also toss the bench scraper into the fridge for an hour.

4. Get to the oven quickly. The whole process of putting together your scones should go very quickly. The longer it takes, the warmer your dough gets, and the less puff you’ll get from your butter.

5. The oven has to be hot. Um… duh, Elle Jay. Of course the oven is hot. No, I mean HOT. This is not a 350ºF recipe. This is a 450ºF recipe. You go from super cold to super hot, the liquid in the dough, particularly in the butter, will sublimate so the dough puffs and bakes.

You may get flaky layers, or you might just have some great lift for a pillowy scone. With my biscuits, I can get really gorgeous layers. In scones, usually, I just end up with an ideal fluffy texture.

That’s How to Get PERFECT Iced Blueberry Lavender Scones

Once you have your scones are golden brown with the occasional drip of gooey blueberry juice, they need to cool. I try to let them rest on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. Then, after 20 to 30 minutes, they are cool enough to ice.

The icing is so simple. Just powdered sugar and lemon juice whisked together in a glass measuring cup with a fork. Don’t stress it.

If you don’t want to ice them, I would at least sprinkle some turbinado sugar on each scone following the milk glaze before they go in the oven. It’s just a nice touch.

Give the icing at least 10 minutes to set before digging in. It will still be a little loose, but really, that’s as long as anyone in my family can wait to eat. Even the baby was all over these. Boy, that was a mess, let me tell you!

Feeding Blueberry Lavender Scones to a Toddler

My daughter absolutely loved these. She licked off the lemon icing and puckered and giggled and them gobbled the rest of her scone down between babbling and running around chaotically. Her nails were blue for a few days, and her pajama top has some new decorations on it.

So, if you make these for a super casual, family-only breakfast, strip your messy eaters down to their diapers. It’s so much easier to get blueberry off of a toddler’s bare belly than the new dress you made her and were soooo excited for her to wear. Trust me.

And if you’re feeding your children in public, prepare by dressing them in dark clothes or something you don’t mind being permanently dyed purple. On that note, if you know how to get blueberry stains out of clothes, please let me know. I feel like I’ve tried everything…

On that note, please comment below. Tell me your parenting secrets for messy foods. Share your scone making tricks. Just say hi! And don’t forget to subscribe for weekly updates!

Iced Blueberry Lavender Scones

A whisper of lavender compliments juicy blueberries in a fluffy scone dressed with a drizzle of lemon icing.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 9 scones

Equipment

• Sheet pan and cooling rack
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
• Medium mixing bowl
• Bench scraper
• Glass measuring 1-cup
• Fork or tiny whisk
• Pastry brush

Ingredients

  

• 2¾ cup all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup pure cane sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter frozen
• 2 tsp dried lavender food grade
• 1 cup milk plus more for brushing
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup wild blueberries frozen *see blog for best treatment
• ½ cup powdered sugar sifted
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 450ºF.
• Crush lavender into the sugar with a mortar and pestle, or a bowl and the back of a spoon.
• In a cold bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and lavender/sugar mix.
• Grate your frozen butter in and toss to coat the shreds. Then, add in the blueberries to coat them a little in the flour as well.
• Gently mix in the milk and vanilla until just barely combined. Then turn it out onto your work surface.
• Using a bench scrape, fold the mixture until more cohesive. Form a 1-inch thick rectangle, and cut into 9 triangles.
• Place the scones onto a lined baking sheet, and brush with a bit of milk.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the sheet, and then at least 20 minutes on the cooling rack.
• Whisk together the lemon juice and powdered sugar, and drizzle evenly over your scones. Allow the icing to set for about 10 minutes before eating.
• Pairs great with a warm mug of Earl Grey tea!

Notes

NOTE: Recipe updated 4/25/21. Previously the instruction on when to add in the blueberries was missing. My apologies.

Keyword Blueberry, Icing, Lavender, Lemon, Scones

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