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Blueberry Almond Scones

Cuisine Food, Recipes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 scones

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS FOR SCONES:

  • 3 cups self-rising flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice for makeshift buttermilk**
  • 1 cup milk for makeshift buttermilk**
  • 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries, dusted with flour
  • 1/4 cup milk (for brushing)

INGREDIENTS FOR ALMOND GLAZE:

  • 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 4 tsp milk
  • 1 tsp almond extract

Instructions

PREP INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Make your makeshift buttermilk: Take a 1-cup measuring cup and add the tablespoon of lemon juice. Then fill up the rest of the cup with milk until you have one full cup. Whisk lightly and set aside.
  • Toss the blueberries in a dusting of flour. Set aside.
  • Cut your butter into small cubes and place in a bowl. Then put the butter back in the fridge to chill.
  • Beat one egg lightly in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.

SCONE COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

  • Whisk together the flour and sugar in a large bowl.
  • Add cold butter cubes and cut them into the flour using a pastry blender. Once the butter is incorporated, the mixture will look like slightly lumpy sand.
  • Take the makeshift buttermilk, which should be slightly foamy and curdled at this point, and give it a quick whisk. Add the almond extract and cinnamon to the buttermilk, and whisk lightly to incorporate.
  • Add buttermilk mixture and the beaten egg to the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until halfway incorporated, then add the blueberries to the bowl. Fold the blueberries into the mixture and finish mixing the wet and dry ingredients. It's okay if a few berries break open, but you might want to finish mixing using your bare hands if too many berries start to burst.
  • Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Turn it over a few times and knead gently. Form the dough into a ball, then divide the ball into two pieces. Flatten each piece into a disc about 1 inch thick.
  • Transfer the discs to your prepared baking sheet and place them next to each other, leaving space in between. Use a serrated knife dipped in flour to cut each disc into six (about equal) pieces.
  • Brush the top of the scone pieces with the 1/4 cup of milk.
  • Bake scones at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick in the center of the scones comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on sheet pan, then remove individual scones to a cooling rack. Let cool completely in order to drizzle with glaze, but feel free to eat them while they're warm if you're not planning to glaze them!

GLAZE INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Whisk together the confectioner's sugar, milk, and almond extract. Drizzle over completely cooled scones. Let icing harden about 10 minutes, then serve.

Notes

**If you have real buttermilk on hand, just substitute one full cup buttermilk for the lemon+milk combo.
This recipe is an adapted version of the "Raisin-Apple Scones" recipe fromĀ Tea and Crumpets, by Margaret M. Johnson (Chronicle Books, 2009).